Autumn is the easiest season for the ponies. They will also climb up on high sand dunes on windy days, using the ocean breeze to keep insects off of them. They use their tails to swat insects away. To relieve themselves from the insects they will go into the ocean and let the waves crash over their backs and roll in the sand. They know the best areas for water crossings. Wild ponies are well accustomed to the shifting tides that affect their daily lives. It’s not only hot, but flies and mosquitoes bite, often forcing the ponies out of the forest and marshland, onto the beaches. Summer is the hardest season for the ponies. They also eat seaweed, rosehips bayberry twigs and even poison ivy. They will sip salt water, but they will find fresh water throughout the island. The salt causes them to drink twice as much water, giving them a bloated or fat look. Life is harsher for wild ponies than it is for those that live on a farm.Įighty percent of the ponies’ diet consists of salt marsh grass. While most domestic farm ponies live to be between 30 and 40 years old, the average lifespan of the Assateague pony is about 20 years. When they become strong enough they attract young mares and form their own herd. Small groups of bachelor colts wander the island. It is time for the young male pony to leave before he challenges the stallion for control over the heard. When male foals grow older the stallion of the herd will often pick fights with him. Foals spend a lot of their time sleeping with their mothers standing guard. At a few weeks old they will nibble grass, but will still nurse for several months as their main source of food. They will nurse from their mothers about 5 times an hour. Within minutes of the foal’s birth it is wobbly, but can stand and begin to walk. When the time comes the pregnant mare will wander away from the rest of the herd and give birth in a grassy area or behind a sand dune. He tries to protect the herd from anything he sees as a threat, such as human contact or other stallions.Ībout 70 foals are born on Assateague each year. The herds consist of about 4 to 12 ponies, usually including one adult stallion, mares and foals. The ponies of Assateague can be seen in different bands, or herds, scattered along miles of Assateague's shoreline. They come in a wide variety of colors, including brown and white, white and black pintos, solid brown, palominos and buck-skinned, among other colors. These Assateague horses have always been called "ponies" by the people living on the island and the name has stuck through the years. Scientists do not actually consider them to be a true pony. The name Assateague is an Indian name for "The Marshy Place Across" and Chincoteague is Indian for "Beautiful Land Across the Water".Īssateague ponies are a unique breed that are almost as big as horses. ![]() The herds of ponies on the Virginia end are owned and managed by the volunteer fire company run out of Chincoteague Island. Its beaches are managed by the National Park Service. The southern, Virginia end of Assateague is home to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, managed by the U.S. Maryland's ponies are managed by the National Park Service. The northern, Maryland end of the island contains both Assateague State park, managed by the State of Maryland, and part of the Assateague National Seashore, which is managed by the National Park Service. Visitors can camp in the campground, enjoy the beaches, hike nature trails and of course, view the breathtaking wildlife.īecause Assateague Island resides in two different states, MD and VA, there are two separate herds of ponies those that roam the northern end in Maryland and those that roam the southern end in Virginia. Unlike Chincoteague, which is almost fully developed, Assateague is largely undeveloped, except for a few facilities that serve the thousands of tourists that visit the island each year. It lies entirely in Virginia and is situated in between Assateague Island and the Virginia mainland. ![]() Chincoteague is only 7 miles long and one and a half mile wide. Chincoteague Island is right next to Assateague. Assateague Island has a lighthouse which has been in operation since 1833, and is still active today. Over 300 wild ponies live on Assateague Island. It serves as a refuge for many forms of wildlife, but is most known for its famous wild ponies. On one side is the Atlantic Ocean and the other the beautiful Chincoteague Bay. It’s a long, skinny island with the widest point being only 3 miles. Assateague Island is a 37-mile long barrier island off the coasts of Maryland and Virginia, extending from just south of Ocean City, Maryland.
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