CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - The town of Chincoteague was full of joy and excitement Wednesday for the 101st Chincoteague Pony Swim. Crowds gathered before sunrise along Pony Swim Lane to see the wild ponies cross the Assateague Channel. The herd hit the water around 10 a.m. and took about 4 1/2 minutes to make the crossing.
The first foal to cross was a light brown colt named King Neptune, per tradition. King Neptune will be awarded to a raffle winner Wednesday night.
For many visitors, the 101st Chincoteague Pony Swim was a bucket-list event. Roberta Monette flew from Boston to visit her daughter and experience the pony swim for the first time. "I'm really, really excited about it. I flew from Boston, Massachusetts. I couldn't believe it when she said I'm right near where we could see the ponies."
Jennifer Steffens made the roughly 12-hour drive from the Atlanta area with family members from Florida. "We came up from Atlanta, from all around, even Florida, to come and check this off our bucket list. It's about a 12-hour drive. With babies, it's a little bit longer. We're ranging from ages 1 to 69, so three generations are all here."
After the swim, the ponies paraded through town to cheers of delight before arriving at the carnival grounds, where they'll stay overnight. Thursday morning, foals will be auctioned off to keep the herd at the 150 horses allowed under a federal permit and to raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which cares for the ponies year-round.
