The Chincoteague pony, also known as the Assateague horse, is a breed of horse that developed, and now lives, within a semi-feral or feral population on Assateague Island in the US states of Virginia and Maryland. The Chincoteague pony is one of the many breeds of feral horses in the United States. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague novels, written by pony book author Marguerite Henry, and first published in 1947, and the pony Misty of Chincoteague.
Although popularly known as Chincoteague ponies, the feral ponies live on Assateague Island. The entire island is owned by the federal government and is split by a fence at the Maryland/Virginia state line, with a herd of around 150 ponies living on the Virginia side of the fence, and 80 on the Maryland side. The herds live on land managed by two different federal agencies with very different management strategies. Ponies from the Maryland herd (referred to in the literature of the National Park Service as Assateague horses) live within Assateague Island National Seashore. They are generally treated as wild animals, given no more or less assistance than any other species on the island, other than contraceptive treatments to curb overpopulation. Conversely, the Virginia herd (referred to as Chincoteague ponies) lives within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, and is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. The Virginia ponies are treated to twice-yearly veterinary inspections, which prepare them for life among the general equine population if they are sold at auction. While only around 300 feral ponies live on Assateague Island, around 1,000 more live off-island, having been purchased or bred by private breeders.
The Code of Virginia § 1-510 was amended to name the Chincoteague Pony breed as the designated pony of Virginia by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Virginia in February 2023, effective July 1, 2023.[1][2]
^General Assembly of Virginia. "An Act to amend and reenact § 1-510 of the Code of Virginia, relating to official emblems and designations; state pony". www.lis.virginia.gov. Archived from the original on May 16, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Archived May 16, 2023.
^Kelleher, Colleen (February 8, 2023). "Chincoteague Pony to Become Official Virginia Pony".
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