Chincoteague Pony Breed History

It’s almost Pony Penning week! If you’re bound for Chincoteague for the first time, or simply want to brush up on your wild pony facts, this is the blog post for you.  This blog covers the history of the Chincoteague pony, but today, we're going to talk about the present. Since newcomers to Pony Penning tend to have a lot of questions, I’ve put together a FAQ about the ponies and Pony Penning at large.  Full disclaimer, I’m not associated with the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department and I'm not speaking in any official capacity–I’m just a pony nerd who’s attended every Pony Penning since 2004 and has heard a lot of the same questions asked around the corrals.  Who owns the wild ponies? The wild Chincoteague ponies are owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department (CVFC), who have a permit from the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to keep ponies on Assateague Island. The wild foals are auctioned to benefit the CVFC. The auction provides the money for firefigh...

It’s often been said that the Chincoteague breed’s beloved pinto coloring originated when Shetland was introduced to the wild herd, but mentions of Shetland outcrossing have been vague. I’ve found confirmation that at least one Shetland pony was released into the wild: in the early 20th century, Edward P. Timmons introduced Shetland to his wild Chincoteague ponies. Background: Early 20th century pony management Let’s back up and talk about herd management at the time–in the early 1900s, wild Chincoteague ponies were managed much differently than they are today. Nowadays, the wild herd lives on Assateague island and are owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, but back then, the wild ponies lived on Assateague, Chincoteague, and Wallops Islands and were owned by individuals on Chincoteague.  During the annual Pony Penning event, the Chincoteaguers came together to round up everyone’s ponies and sell the offspring for a profit. To keep track of whose ponies be...