A barrier island is a type of coastal land form consisting of a long, narrow band of sand that lies parallel to the coast of the mainland. One such land form is Assateague Island off the Delmarva Peninsula, home of the Assateague horses. While Delmarva Peninsula consists of most of Delaware as well as parts of Virginia and Maryland, Assateague Island does not extend over the Delaware border. On the Virginia side of the island, the herd is referred to as the Chincoteague ponies. Here, the two terms are used interchangeably. On both sides of the island, the animals are descended from a domestic population that later escaped into the wild. This makes them feral.
The pony/horse dichotomy on either side of the island stems from the fact that these animals are shorter in stature than the minimum for classification in the horse category for purposes of competition. This minimum height, while varying slightly from country to country, is approximately 14.2 hands, equal to 147 centimeters or 58 inches.
While Chincoteague ponies tend to be shorter than the designated height for horses, they display the horse phenotype in other respects. There are those who believe their diminutive stature arises from their poor-quality diet as a result of living in a salt marsh environment. Other phenotypic differences relate to temperament and comformation.
According to legend, the animals are descended from a band of Moor ponies that swam to the island from a shipwrecked Spanish vessel, the Santo Cristo, around 1600. The animals were originally en route from Spain to the Viceroy of Peru. Some sources describe the animals as Arabians. Another story is that the animals were released into the wild by a rancher in order to avoid paying tax on the livestock.
The herd of around 140 animals that dwell on the Virginia side of the island is owned and cared for by the volunteer firefighters on Chincoteague Island. The Maryland side of the family, on the other hand, number around 130 and are owned and taken care of by the state park service in Maryland. The two groups are kept apart by a fence marking the state border.
The legend behind this breed of animals, somewhat stodgy in shape due to retention of water from a high-salt diet, was immortalized in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague". The author of the book, published in 1947, was Marguerite Henry, who followed it with two sequels. The legend was brought to the silver screen in a movie called simply, "Misty" in 1961.
There are disputes as to whether Misty was captured in the wild, as in the book, or foaled in domesticity on Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague Island is distinct from Assateague Island, separated by a narrow inlet of water. Both Misty and her offspring, Stormy, were preserved via taxidermy and are now on display at the Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Whether you wish to believe the legend of the feisty swimmers or the more mundane tale of the rogue rancher, the history of the Assateague horses is an interesting one. Their fame has spread all over the country, as testified by the fact that the National Chincoteague Pony Association was established in Bellingham, Washington, in 1980.
The pony/horse dichotomy on either side of the island stems from the fact that these animals are shorter in stature than the minimum for classification in the horse category for purposes of competition. This minimum height, while varying slightly from country to country, is approximately 14.2 hands, equal to 147 centimeters or 58 inches.
While Chincoteague ponies tend to be shorter than the designated height for horses, they display the horse phenotype in other respects. There are those who believe their diminutive stature arises from their poor-quality diet as a result of living in a salt marsh environment. Other phenotypic differences relate to temperament and comformation.
According to legend, the animals are descended from a band of Moor ponies that swam to the island from a shipwrecked Spanish vessel, the Santo Cristo, around 1600. The animals were originally en route from Spain to the Viceroy of Peru. Some sources describe the animals as Arabians. Another story is that the animals were released into the wild by a rancher in order to avoid paying tax on the livestock.
The herd of around 140 animals that dwell on the Virginia side of the island is owned and cared for by the volunteer firefighters on Chincoteague Island. The Maryland side of the family, on the other hand, number around 130 and are owned and taken care of by the state park service in Maryland. The two groups are kept apart by a fence marking the state border.
The legend behind this breed of animals, somewhat stodgy in shape due to retention of water from a high-salt diet, was immortalized in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague". The author of the book, published in 1947, was Marguerite Henry, who followed it with two sequels. The legend was brought to the silver screen in a movie called simply, "Misty" in 1961.
There are disputes as to whether Misty was captured in the wild, as in the book, or foaled in domesticity on Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague Island is distinct from Assateague Island, separated by a narrow inlet of water. Both Misty and her offspring, Stormy, were preserved via taxidermy and are now on display at the Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Whether you wish to believe the legend of the feisty swimmers or the more mundane tale of the rogue rancher, the history of the Assateague horses is an interesting one. Their fame has spread all over the country, as testified by the fact that the National Chincoteague Pony Association was established in Bellingham, Washington, in 1980.
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