Watch Famous Ponies Swim in Chincoteague Island Tradition | National Geographic
These horses aren't taking a dip in the water just to cool off in the sweltering Virginia summer. They're the famous Chincoteague ponies of Assateague Island, and they're herded across the channel to Chincoteague Island every July by saltwater cowboys. Most of the foals are auctioned off the next day to raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns and manages the herd under a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. A few foals designated as buybacks are donated to the fire company and returned to Assateague Island to replenish the herd and live in the wild for another year. The auction also helps maintain the feral horse population at around 150 on the Virginia side of Assateague Island.
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Click to read more about the Chincoteague ponies of Assateague Island.
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VIDEOGRAPHER & PRODUCER: Jed Winer
EDITOR: Nick Lunn
ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE: Kristin Hugo
SPECIAL THANKS: Alex Tucker & Lester Dennis
Watch Famous Ponies Swim in Chincoteague Island Tradition | National Geographic
National Geographic
Chincoteague Island Wild Ponies
Chincoteague Island Wild Ponies being round up by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company saltwater cowboys on Assateague Island, Virginia. October 25, 2013. Part 2 of 2.
Wild pony herd makes waves during 90th annual swim
At the 90th annual Chincoteague pony swim, herds of wild ponies swim across the channel from Assateague island to Chincoteague, Virginia. The ponies are then paraded through town by the Saltwater Cowboys.
Exploring Eastern VA// Colonial Williamsburg & Assateague Island
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2018 Pony Swim - One Rogue Pony - July 25, 2018
This little one was strong minded and made its own way across the channel. Members of the Pony Committee safely guided it across the water and Saltwater Cowboys helped it back to the rest of the herd.
Wild Pony Roundup, 2012
July 23, 2012
In preparation for swimming the wild ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island, the herd from the north of the island is herded to a corral on Assateague Island.
Voyage to Tangier Island, Virginia
My first voyage to Tangier Island, Virginia. It is a remote island in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay, fourteen miles from mainland Virginia. Its highest elevation is only four feet above sea level, so it is very difficult to see from a distance. The island has a population of about 500, most of whom are related to the original settlers from 400 years ago. Due to their geographic isolation, they possess a very distinct accent. Linguists say it resembles the early English colonists to North America, and therefore it has great outside interest in academia. Unfortunately, due to rising sea levels and erosion, the island is at risk of total abandonment by the population. 2/3 of the island has already eroded, and the erosion is accelerating. Estimates are 25-50 years that the island could require residents to evacuate to the mainland.
Interestingly, two days after I made this voyage to Tangier Island, President Donald Trump called the mayor of this tiny island, making headlines around the country. His purpose was to thank the town for their support (around 90% of the population voted for Trump in 2016), as well as to assure them that, and I paraphrase, climate-change is not affecting your island. The island has been there for a long time and will remain there for many years to come.
For part of the voyage in my tiny boat, I was surrounded by water on the horizon. I thought I'd at least see the water tower from the mainland, but this turned out to not be so.
I saw crabs, many fish, jellyfish and even dolphins near my boat on this trip. I made this video to commemorate this experience if others were interested in making a similar trip (as I could find little similar videos on the experience traversing across the Chesapeake Bay).
Chincoteauge National Wildlife Refuge with David
Chincoteague NWR, located primarily on the Virginia side of Assateague Island, consists of more than 14,000 acres of beach, dunes, marsh, and maritime forest. Chincoteague NWR, originally established in 1943 to provide habitat for migratory birds (with an emphasis on conserving greater snow geese), today provides habitat for waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and song birds, as well as other species of wildlife and plants. Refuge staff manage this barrier island habitat to allow many species of wildlife to coexist, each establishing their own place in the environment. In fact, more than 320 species of birds are known to occur on the refuge. The refuge has been designated a Globally Important Bird Area, is part of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network and designated as one of the top ten birding Hotspots by the National Audubon Society.
Through four main habitat types, Chincoteague NWR provides food and shelter for a wide variety of wildlife and plants. This barrier island refuge is characterized by beach, fresh and salt water marshes, and maritime forest -- each with its own unique assemblage of plants and animals.
The beach, characterized by harsh temperatures, lack of vegetation, and changing tides, can be hard on wildlife and plants year-round. Where the sandy shoreline blends into the dunes, beach grasses grow and secure the sand. These dunes protect the marsh and woodlands from storms and high tides and provide vital habitat for the threatened piping plover and other wildlife.
The majority of the refuge's freshwater wetlands are managed as moist soil management units or pools. These managed areas are important to all wildlife such as shorebirds, wading birds, and waterfowl.
The saltwater marshes which lie to the west of the barrier islands are some of the most productive habitat found anywhere. A variety of mollusks and crustaceans live and feed in the refuge's salt marshes. This habitat is vital to black ducks and many other migratory birds for nesting and feeding.
Maritime forests are located on higher ground. This habitat is primarily loblolly pine, whose pine cones are the primary food source for the endangered Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel. Several species of snakes (non-poisonous), as well as rabbit, raccoon, fox, and white-tailed deer live in these woodlands. Red-tailed hawks, great horned owls, and other birds of prey nest and hunt for food in the maritime forest.
The first visitors to Assateague Island are thought to be Native Americans of the Nanticoke clan. Although they didn't permanently reside on Assateague, they made good use of the island's available resources. In 1671 Colonel Daniel Jenifer, a mainland merchant, sparked the first settlement on Assateague Island. To avoid the mainland fencing ordinance, the colonel attained a land grant allowing him to graze his livestock and to harvest the rich marine resources.
As the fishing industry boomed, it created more nautical travel along the Assateague shore. Shipwrecks occurred as ships traveled through the treacherous shoals and offshore bars. In fact, the famous Chincoteague Ponies are believed to be descendants of shipwreck survivors. A lighthouse was built to aid sailors. The present lighthouse was completed in 1867.
By the early 1900's, Colonel Jenifer's first settlement had culminated into a small community known as Assateague Village, nestled near the base of the lighthouse. The village reached its peak in 1915 with a population of approximately 230. By the mid-1920's, however, a series of misfortunes brought an end to the village. A major employer of the village's residents, a fish factory, closed in the early 1920's. In the mid-1920's, a Baltimore investor purchased most of the Virginia portion of Assateague Island and refused to allow villagers to cross his land to reach their traditional fishing grounds. The last villager left Assateague in 1932. In 1943 the Federal government bought the Virginia portion of Assateague and set it aside as Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
Our Island Home - documentary DVD from James Spione
In this DVD from Oscar-nominated documentary filmmaker James Spione, three former denizens of the long-lost settlement of Broadwater recall their unique way of life on a remote barrier island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia.
A pristine shoreline wonderland that is completely unique on the east coast of the United States, the Barrier Islands region of Virginia is one of America's extraordinary geological and ecological gems. Uninhabited for many years and largely protected from development, these fourteen wild islands (and surrounding waterways and saltwater marsh) now offer a prime destination for birders, kayakers, sportsmen, and eco-tourists of every stripe. But to the hardy souls who once lived and worked there, the islands afforded a culture and history as unique as their physical environment. 'Our Island Home' offers three poignant and personal vignettes, each centering on one former resident's story, to bring the Barrier Islands' vibrant and colorful past fully to life.
Narrated exclusively in the voices of the people who once lived there, 'Our Island Home' features rare archival photographs of the islands' evocative landscapes and towns, and the sturdy American families who once populated them. An eye-opening first-hand account of a little-known chapter in coastal American history.
Available now from Morninglight Films, the special Expanded Edition DVD features over 30 minutes of additional footage about the history and ecology of this fascinating region of the United States. Find out more at ourislandhomefilm.com.
Virginia Cowboys Association
Cherry Hill Farm
produced by Tour VA Homes