CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - The 98th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim drew crowds from far and wide on Wednesday morning to witness an event unique to Delmarva.
THE PONY SWIM
The swim is a tradition, held each summer on Chincoteague and Assateague islands. Crowds gather from across the country from as far as California and even Hawaii to see the herd of wild ponies, made famous in the popular "Misty of Chincoteague" book series, swim across the Assateague Channel.
The roundup is run each year by the Saltwater Cowboys, who are Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company firefighters on horseback. The cowboys begin rounding up around 200 ponies, stallions, and foals born in the spring over the weekend leading up to the famous swim. Herds from the southern and northern ends of Assateague Island were joined in the southern corral Monday, where they were later checked by a veterinarian.
During the swim event, the ponies are led just south of Veterans Memorial Park on the east side of Chincoteague Island through an area called Pony Swim Lane. (2023)
This year's swim took place on Wednesday at slack tide, when the waters were at a level in which the horses would be safe when swimming across the channel. Around 9:45 a.m. the Saltwater Cowboys began moving the herd towards the channel for a brief yet exciting three-minute swim across the water. Crowds gathered on the banks and in nearby boats and kayaks to get a glimpse of the action.
CoastTV and sister station WBOC provided live team coverage which can be seen here.
OTHER PONY WEEK ACTIVITIES
Thursday sees the auction of the foals, which starts at 8 a.m. The first foal to come ashore immediately following the swim is named King or Queen Neptune and is given away in a raffle drawing at the carnival grounds bandstand. Many other foals are sold in the auction and the money raised goes to the fire department, which cares for the herds throughout the year.
This year a special foal was chosen for a naming rights auction. The winner will get to name the foal, which will remain part of the herd, and the proceeds will contribute to the Museum of Chincoteague Island's purchase of the Beebe Ranch.
Once corralled, the ponies could be seen by visiting crowds throughout the week.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fireman's Carnival surrounds the day of the swim and started this year on Monday, July 25. It features rides, games, food, music and more each night from 7 to 11 p.m. and ends Saturday with fireworks at 10 p.m.
Friday sees the swim back, when the ponies will leave the carnival grounds and swim back across the channel to Assateague Island. The time of the swim back is determined closer to the event.