One Hundred Chincoteague Pony Foals Born in 2025 (So Far) For the CVFC's 100th Annual Pony Penning and Auction!

In 1925, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company began their management of the annual Pony Penning that had been taking place on Assateague and Chincoteague Islands in Virginia for over a hundred years.  Pony Penning was an annual event when the owners of the livestock, running free on both islands, were rounded up and identified.  The stock that the owner did not need in the foreseeable future, was sold off at an agreed upon price, and was usually removed from the islands.  It had been a well-known event for many years, with people gathering from the Carolinas, Virginia, Washington D. C., Delmarva, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.

   When the CVFC began managing Pony Penning, they got county and state permission for a Carnival, set up games and different types of races (boating, swimming and horse and pony), as well as having the Pony Sale.  And the CVFC advertised the Carnival and Pony Penning events in newspapers.  It became a big event.  The CVFC began to privately purchase the pony herds on Assateague, and moved the roaming ponies from Chincoteague to the neighboring island, as well.

   Now, all the ponies on the Virginia end of Assateague Island are owned and cared for by the CVFC - they follow a US government mandated contract regarding the number of ponies allowed on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge (which covers the entire Virginia portion of Assateague Island), as well as having a certified veterinarian on call 24 hours a day, every day of every year, to care for any pony or foal in need of care.  [As an aside, the feral ponies/horses living on Assateague Island in Maryland are considered "wildlife" by the National Park Service, and receive emergency veterinary care only to decide whether to euthanize an animal in distress, or to allow it to recover on its own.]

   My maternal family settled on Chincoteague in the late 1690s.  I spent my summers growing up on the islands, and lived on Chincoteague several years at various times in my life. Maureen Beebe was a wonderful friend of mine, and was a cousin, as well.  I grew up with tales of the sea, hurricanes (PopPop's house had 5 high tide marks on the dining room - "big kitchen" - wall paper), the Assateague lighthouse and Killick Shoal lighthouse, and ponies.  Mom used to hurry through her chores at home on the weekend and walk to the old Beebe Ranch in hopes of having chores to do there, so she could ride one of the Beebe ponies as payment.  

   Anyway, this is the 100th year that the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company has been in charge of the Annual Pony Penning and Carnival.  And this year, 100 foals have been born to the herds - so far.  A few mares are still pregnant, and foals might be born before, or after, the Pony Swim and Auction.

   Today, the herds in the northern compartment have been rounded up and placed in the north corral.  Yesterday, the southern herds were rounded up and contained in the main corrals on Beach Road.  (Riptide was acting up about sharing the corral with other stallions, and he and a few mares and foals were trailered to the Carnival Grounds yesterday, to prevent mayhem.) Monday is the Dawn Beach Walk, when all of the northern herds walk down the surf line of Assateague Beach from the north corrals to the main corrals on Beach Road, carefully surrounded by the CVFC Saltwater Cowboys.

   Tuesday, another veterinary check will be made of all the ponies.  Any pony that does not meet the vet's approval for swimming the channel between the islands will be trailered to the Carnival Grounds on Chincoteague.

    Wednesday, at slack tide (determined by the US Coast Guard), most of the ponies from Assateague will swim the channel to Chincoteague Island.  After a rest period, they will troupe along Beebe Road and then north on Main Street to the Carnival Grounds.  The first foal to reach Chincoteague during the swim will be declared King or Queen Neptune, and will be raffled off that evening.

    Thursday, an auction of all the foals available will take place on the Carnival Grounds, beginning at 8 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time.  Most of the foals will leave the island - a few "Buy Backs" will be designated by the CVFC's Pony Committee to stay on the island as breeding stock.  These foals will be chosen for bloodlines, coloring and conformation.  The CVFC will announce them soon.  The foals will be sold to the highest bidder, who gets to name that foal and have a photo taken with it; then return it to the CVFC to live  out its life with the CVFC herds.  Other foals will go home with their new owners, via approved transportation.  Foals deemed too young to wean by the veterinarian will be assigned a later pick-up date, which will be announced.

   On Friday, the southern herds will swim back across the channel, again, at slack tide.  The northern herds will be trailered back to Assateague to be released.

Unfortunately, as with any animal, there are deaths.  The CVFC does its best to prevent any deaths of their ponies.  Two foals were lost within 48 hours of their births - both for unknown reasons.  A third foal was reported struggling, and received vet care, but was unable to be helped.  And a fourth foal was born with a very rare occurrence - a hind hoof never grew on her leg.  She was seen soon after her birth, and while her dam was not happy, the filly was taken to a nurse mare and fitted with a prosthetic hoof.  That filly is doing very well, and her replacement mother is happy to have another baby after losing her own....  So the CVFC will have 96 foals up for auction on Thursday, July 31, 2025.

   You can view the auction - live - at:  https://productions.superiorlivestock.com/auction/4761/detail  on Thursday, 31 July 2025.

    If you want to see what the stallions look like, please see:  https://www.dscphotography.net/Stallions

    If you want to see dams, please see:  https://www.dscphotography.net/Mares

    If you want to see more photos of the foals, see:  https://www.dscphotography.net/2025/2025-Foals

   If you wish to look at the pedigrees of the ponies - for instance what year Ace, the stallion was born, and his Arabian grandsire, see:  https://chincoteaguepedigrees.com/pedigree/pedigree.pedigree.php

To look at the DSC Photography photos of the 96 foals up for auction -  minus whoever becomes King or Queen Neptune on Wednesday at the Pony Swim -  please visit the Superior Productions website at  https://productions.superiorlivestock.com/auction/4761/detail   

   Once the site has loaded, there are 6 photos available of each foal that will be for sale, with the date the photo was taken.  Currently, however, there are only 3 photos posted of foal #99, a chestnut pinto colt, born on July 22, to Courtney's Island Dove and Riptide....

This is foal #84, a beautiful chestnut filly, out of the mare Precious Jewel, and sired by the stallion Ken.  She arrived late on June 14th, and was seen struggling, and reported to the CVFC by DSC Photography.  Within hours, she was in another state, being nursed by another mare, and was fitted with a prosthetic hoof...  Precious Jewel was NOT happy with the "theft" of her baby; but the filly could not have survived in the wild (or as a feral pony on a Wildlife Refuge).

    Enjoy!