ASSATEAGUE ISLAND, Md. - Two foals on Assateague Island now have official new names, thanks to help from the public. The Assateague Island Alliance held a Name That Foal vote to provide the public the opportunity to be involved in the naming process.
Earlier this week, the foals were only really known by their Keiper numbers, which are assigned using factors like birth year and their mother's number to help track the maternal ancestry of each pony. Members of the community previously submitted name suggestions and the five most popular names for each were gathered for this final vote. Foal NSBHS-JV could have been called Amari Nova, Calypso, Kamaria, Martina By The Sea or Violet. The other foal, known as N2BHS-JQV, could have been named Amaya, Electra, Fenwood, Gussie or Olive By The Bay.
The winning names were Calypso and Gussie.
”It is our hope that horses named this way will serve as a reminder to all that the Assateague horses belong to the American public for all visitors to observe their complex social and wild behaviors in their wild habitat… from a distance of at least 40 feet, of course,” the alliance said Thursday on Facebook.
Votes were cast online with a $2 donation. The naming process generated $2,956, which will go towards the alliance's mission to promote awareness and education of Assateague Island National Seashore's natural resources. These horses are now available to foster and another naming fundraiser is set for March.