Assateague Island Ponies
Assateague’s wild horses are well known, even to many people who have never been to the island. The “wild” horses on Assateague are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society. Enjoy their beauty from a distance, and you can help make sure these extraordinary wild horses will continue to thrive on Assateague Island.
Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this dramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it. The most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock.
The horses are split into two main herds, one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of Assateague. They are separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. These herds have divided themselves into bands of two to twelve animals and each band occupies a home range. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd, which is allowed to graze on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, through a special use permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit restricts the size of the herd to approximately 150 adult animals in order to protect the other natural resources of the wildlife refuge. It is the Virginia herd which is often referred to as the “Chincoteague” ponies.
I am in the process of working on an update of my website with a new theme, called photography, so there are lots of learning and fixing. This post is a re-hash of a fine art landscape photographs of wild horses on Assateague Island VA.
Feel free to comment on anything you might find broken, I sure there are lots of stuff.
Thanks for the visit and come back soon for more exciting fine art landscape photography.
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6 Comments
Very interesting piece and the images of the horses are enhanced by the deep blue color of the sea.
Thank you for the visit, I’m glad you liked the images of the Wild Horses.
I’m lucky to live in a coastal county that has three separate herds of wild horses. I find the fascinating and also excellent photo subjects. I’ve yet to visit Assateague but it is on my “bucket list.!” I haven’t done much research on that herd. The herds at Cape Lookout National Seashore and at Cedar Island have been DNA tested and are indeed descendants of the Colonial Spanish stock used by early explorers. AKA “Spanish Mustangs.” My understanding is that the only other herd with a pure/purish Spanish heritage are the horses of the Prior Mountains. In fact there is a bit of an exchange program between the management of the two herds to help keep the gene pools from becoming too small. The Cedar Island herd was built with transplants from Shackleford Banks (Cape Lookout NSS) and serve as a back-up in case something were to happen to the original herd on “Shack.” Our third herd, the one in the Rachel Carson Reserve, are a mixture of “Banker horses” and domestic breeds. Many years ago a local resident used the Island of what is not the reserve to keep his horses. Records indicate he kept both domestic breeds and local wild horses there. They seem to be a mix of Spanish Colonial stock and mostly Quarter Horses. Obviously you touched on one of my favorite subjects. ;)
Hello Bob; Thanks for all the info and the visit, I hope to visit the herds in North Carolina next month. I hope you make it to Assateague island, but I also loved Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge and fewer people to interfere with the peace and photography.
Lovely colors with the sun being so low in the sky! Congratulations on your sales!
Thanks, Steve; It’s finally broken out of a NO SALE 2 months, not sure why. Thanks for the visit and the supportive words of wisdom.