Chasing wild horses

Historic herds roam the barrier islands of Assateague and Chincoteague off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia

My wife, Tisa, and I celebrated our 33rd wedding anniversary in April with a trip to Assateague Island National Seashore in Maryland. She had heard from one of her colleagues that bands of wild horses still roam Assateague Island and the nearby Chincoteague Island in Virginia. This piqued our interest as we enjoy visiting national parks, monuments, and historic landmarks, as well as watching wildlife.

The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd, which numbers about 80-100 and grazes on Assateague Island. Despite being called ponies due to their small stature — which is a result of their low-nutrient diet — they are genetically true horses.

The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd, often referred to as Chincoteague ponies, which are typically 12 to 13 hands tall. They are allowed to graze on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge through a permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To protect the refuge, the Virginia herd is limited to 150 adults. Each July, a traditional “Pony Penning” takes place to thin the herd. The ponies are rounded up, and the following day, most of the foals are auctioned. This event was documented in “Misty of Chincoteague,” a 1947 childrenʼs novel inspired by the true story of a family’s efforts to raise a Chincoteague filly named Misty.

At the visitor center, we watched an informative film about the Maryland horses, which are separated from the Virginia herd by a fence on the island. Local folklore suggests they originated from survivors of a Spanish shipwreck in the 17th or 18th Century, others say they were left by pirates. DNA testing shows that other horse breeds have intermingled with them over the years.

We didn’t get close to the horses, as there are fines for approaching or feeding them, but we did snap a few pictures from our car. Mares are only allowed to have one foal before rangers administer contraception through a dart. The film stated that mares have learned the rangers’ technique and will often flee from those in uniform while generally ignoring other cars.

The horses thrive on native plants like poison ivy, cordgrass, greenbrier, and other beach grasses. They have adapted to eat salt marsh grass and drink large amounts of water, which contributes to their bloated appearance.

The beautiful animals in the pristine setting of the barrier island’s salt marshes and white sand beaches made for gorgeous scenery and provided us with a relaxing day on the coast.

Story by Glen Liford,

Contact gliford@ourcoop.com