The Maryland Assateague Ponies

    Along the Eastern Shore of Maryland and Virginia, loose livestock was a well-known phenomenon in the mid-1600s.  In 1662, the problems caused by roaming cattle, horses, sheep and swine were so great the Virginia decreed all livestock must be penned - or kept behind fences -  or the owners would be liable for monetary fines for (a) roaming livestock and (b) any destruction caused by said livestock.  People with money began buying islands and marshy areas that could be easily sealed with a single short fence across a narrow "neck" of land.  There were also church tithes expected from the parishioners that depended on the numbers of livestock that were living on the property where said parishioners were housed.  Keeping your livestock on an island, away from your home, reduced church tithes and county and state taxes.

   The islands of Chincoteague and Assateague were already populated by a wiry breed of small horse, or pony.  They were living on both islands when the first white settlers arrived.  Various tales include them being descendants of horses originally being brought Jamestown; the descendants of two Shetland ponies who were ship-wrecked on their way to Jamestown; descendants of Spanish Conquistador mounts that were ship-wrecked; the descendants of Spanish mining "pit ponies" who escaped from the Spanish merchant vessel San Lorenzo that hit a shoal off Assateague in 1820; and the possibility they were from La Galga, another Spanish shipwreck.

Precious (T6M), born in 1988 - photo taken June 4, 2021.

Photographer is Emily Carl.

   Livestock owners began using Assateague as a free "holding area" for their livestock - and they probably started their annual stock round-ups pretty much after 1662, when it became illegal for stock to roam freely on the mainland.  Besides Assateague and Chincoteague, ponies also wandered freely over Morris Island, too.  And with the admixture of farm horses on the islands, with no oversight on breeding, a great many breeds and bloodlines were added to the mix.  The penning of the ponies and other livestock were needed to cull the herds and prevent over-grazing; to choose sheep, horses and  cattle for the market; to choose sheep and cattle for slaughter; to either ear-mark or brand the stock belonging to each owner; and to geld the livestock not wanted for breeding purposes.

   One thing is certain: the ponies were, and are, a very hardy breed.  They survive on salt marsh grass and other greenery that most horses and ponies wouldn't touch.  They have very little fresh water available from natural sources, and they can survive on brackish water.  They survive hordes of mosquitoes and flies.  And they have done this for centuries.

   Up until 1965, when the Maryland end of Assateague Island was designated a National Seashore, privately owned herds of ponies lived there.  In 1965, after the National Seashore declaration, the owners of the ponies tried - and failed - to round them up for removal.  An agreement was reached between the owners and the US Government, and the ponies were allowed to remain on the Maryland end, with the designation of "wildlife."  

   The Maryland ponies receive "hands-off" management.  When the pony population is at the top of it's designated limits, the mares are darted (by rifle) with contraceptive treatments on a yearly basis.  The numbers of ponies fell below 90 a few years ago, and the contraceptive darting was ceased - for the current period of time.  The only time a Maryland pony receives a vet visit is for a catastrophic injury, such as being struck by an automobile, and that is to determine if euthanasia is needed.

Lion's Mane (N6BP), born in 1991, on 4 June 2021

Taken by Ann Mettee Richardson Photography

   In 1975, there were 44 ponies living in 3 herds on the Maryland end of Assateague.  A researcher named Ronald Kieper began a long-term study of the ponies that year, and he devised an alpha-numeric identification system for the ponies.  The three herds were designated as M, N and T.  The three stallions each received the numeric designation of 1.  Kieper was interested in keeping track of the maternal lines, and, other than in the original report, the designations M1, N1, and T1 are not seen again.  Each mare in each herd received a number, starting with 2, and counting up.  He then added a letter behind the number to indicate it's birth year.  All of the original 44 ponies had only a letter and number designation.  Kieper began counting and recording birth years in 1976; 1976 is A, 1977 is B, etc. In the year 2002, the years started to have a hyphen before them: 2002 is -A, 2003 is -B, and this year is -T.   Using the example in the Assateague Island Alliance's A Field Guide to the Wild Horses of Assateague Island  2021:  "Accordingly, N6BMT-FN was born in 2015 to N6BMT-F;  N6BMT-F was born in 2007 to N6BMT;  N6BMT was born in 1995 to N6BM;  N6BM was born in 1988 to N6B;  N6B was born in 1977 to N6.  N6 was present in the herd during the initial 1975 survey and so does not have a birth year letter.  She was the sixth horse identified in the "N" herd."

   Currently, there are 78 ponies that are over the age of 1 year on the Maryland end of Assateague, as well as 6 suckling foals.  The mare Precious was born in 1988, and is the eldest, with Lion's Mane, aged 30, as the matriarchs of 55 ladies aged 3 and up.  At the moment, the youngest foal is a bay colt, sired by Delegate's Pride (aka Chip) and out of the mare Susie Sole.  There are 20 stallions aged 3 and up, a single 2-year-old colt, plus 6 yearling colts.  Corky and Bodacious Bob are the oldest stallions, both being born in 2000.

   The Assateague ponies have full run of the northern end of the island above the Maryland-Virginia state line.  At that point a fence runs out into the Atlantic Ocean on the east side, and into the Assateague Channel on the west side of the island.  Ponies from both sides are known to either swim around the fencing, or to rub against the fencing, causing breaks they can walk through or jump over.  The ponies on the Virginia side are branded with the year of their birth, and are microchipped.  The Maryland ponies are not.

Sonja (N6BMT)  and Tipperary (N10O), June 2021

Photo by Samantha Newman

   The Assateague ponies have access to the beach and the Bay and Channel.  They walk among the campsites set up on the National Seashore.  The are out on the marsh, in the ocean avoiding heat and flies, in the Bay and Channel also avoiding heat and flies, in parking lots and along, and on, roadways.  Park rules state you must stay at least 40 feet away from them, as they are wild animals.  A lot of people don't believe in the rules.  Visitors are also told not to feed the ponies - or any wildlife - but they do it.  People are told to be certain they lock up their food if they are camping, and to keep food inside tightly closed  and sealable ice chests on the beach; they don't do this.

   The wild ponies are a fantastic sight to see - galloping on the beach, the stallions fighting over mares and territories, mares giving birth - but they are wild creatures.  Stay 40 feet away from them.  If they approach, you need to retreat.  If you are inside your vehicle; close the windows and keep them closed when the ponies are near.  The bites and kicks of ponies can cause a lot of damage to humans.  Your food - even what you would consider "normal" for a horse (carrots, apples, corn)  - can kill them, because they are wild animals.  They eat salt marsh grass and weeds and bushes and, sometimes, tree bark.  They are not used to consuming treats.  A few years ago a mare died from eating a bag of dry dog food a camper left outside.  A wild animal died from colic because it ate "interesting" food that was left out by a tourist.  That is something that I find intolerable.

   If you visit Assateague National Seashore in Maryland (or in Virginia) I beg you to obey the rules regarding wildlife.  They were posted for a very good reason.

   *** Photographs belong to the person who took them.  They are shared for your enjoyment only.  Contact the owners via Facebook or their Photography studio if you wish to reproduce them for any reason.  Thank you. ***