CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — A 12-year-old wild Chincoteague pony named Sonny’s Legacy has died despite a seven-hour effort by the Saltwater Cowboys and veterinarians to save her, according to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
The chestnut pinto mare was discovered during a routine southern pasture roundup on Friday as cowboys worked to wean foals for the upcoming Fall Pickups. Cowboys found the mare lying down and grazing but unresponsive to their attempts to help her stand — a red flag that prompted an urgent call to the veterinary team.
According to the fire company, veterinarians rode out on horseback with supplies, while three others followed on foot with additional medicine. The mare, lying nearly half a mile from Beach Road, initially showed few outward signs of distress. Vets administered fluids for a possible calcium deficiency, but her condition quickly worsened.
“She began going in and out of consciousness,” the fire company wrote in a statement. “There was just something missing in her will and ability to [stand].”
After more fluids, a steroid, and a painkiller were given, the team decided to give the mare time to rest. As night fell, the group returned with lights and equipment to attempt a rescue. With help from a Polaris, a tarp, and the full vet crew, the mare was carefully moved across the marshland, loaded into a horse trailer by hand, and transported to the new medical barn in Chincoteague.
Despite a second round of calcium treatment, Sonny’s Legacy died just after 1 a.m. on Aug. 31.
"Based off of the way she was acting, seizures definitely were occurring at the end," the fire company says the veterinarian told them. That leads me to believe that there was much more going on than met the eye which is likely why she could use her legs briefly but not well enough or coordinated enough to stand."
Sonny’s Legacy had been brought in earlier this year when her foal needed assistance but had shown no signs of illness and was in good physical condition at the time. Her foal returned to the wild and was later brought in again during this roundup in great health.
“This is life in the wild,” the fire company wrote. “We can do all we want to help, but Mother Nature is the final say [...] we just have to do the best we can with the cards we are dealt.”
The fire company also thanked the veterinarian team for their dedication and compassion during the rescue effort.