Savoring the Chincoteague Wild Pony Swim

If the wild swimming ponies of Assateague Island, have ever captivated your imagination, I urge you to to walk in the footsteps of Marguerite Henry and the real Misty of Chincoteague by traveling to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, for Pony Penning Week. Each wild pony swim and foal auction on Chincoteague Island holds a new adventure. It is not a one and done phenomenon, as I’ve learned over the past five years.

Just like every fireworks show you witness or concert by your favorite artist is unique, so is the annual pony swim. I’ve had the fun of attending five Pony Penning Weeks, the 97th to 101st, and in this post I’ll share some highlights, ideas on where to watch the wild herd on swim day, and hopefully entice you to go see it for yourself.

Kayaking to the Pony Swim Spot

The first year I attended the swim, the year I was researching and writing my Marguerite Henry biography, I watched the 200ish wild ponies paddle from their Assateague Island home to Chincoteague from a rented tomato-red kayak.

My kayak swayed gently and the herd purred, splashing crazy close in front of me. I feel like I was only about 30 feet away from the scene I first knew about thanks to Wesley Dennis’s illustrations in Misty. Maybe it was 60 feet–at any rate, it was close and EXCITING!

I was torn between watching the cowboy and pony procession in real time and watching it from the screen on my iPhone. I videoed the spectacle.

One darling foal rested its chin on its mother’s rump, catching a ride as they both churned the water en route to Chincoteague.

I remember a palomino pinto swam past and I burst out, “That’s one looks like Misty!” to no one in particular. There were people all around me in other kayaks, but I had traveled solo, since I couldn’t convince anyone to go with me. This year I’m happy to report that not one but TWO of my horse friends (one from Virginia and once from Tennessee) went thanks to my urging over the years. 🙂

The second year I returned to launch my Marguerite Henry biography and I kayaked again, but beached the kayak and clambered up the muddy “shore,” the thin stretch of land on the Assateague side, close to where the ponies would stream past as they took their first steps into the channel.

That vantage point was a completely different angle and different experience. It was also the site of a comedic situation.

A boy I’m guessing around age 13 was also on shore and as he wandered around, he lost one of his shoes in the deep, dark, suck-you-in mud. As his mom berated him for losing his shoe, which was certainly unintentional, she took a couple of funny steps in the unforgiving muck and lost her shoes too. As she steadied herself to regain her balance, sans shoes, her hands touched the murky footing and it looked like she wore chocolate frosting. I remember thinking, “Payback.”

That year I wasn’t positioned as close to the ponies, but it was still a fun day.

Check out this Miss Molly’s Inn blog post. 

Watching Chincoteague Ponies from Two Boats and a Camper Roof

During the 99th swim, my sister and I set our alarms for 3:00 a.m. to meet up with the crew and other passengers of the Martha Lou, one of Daisey’s Island Cruise’s boats.

That year it rained. The slack tide was a high tide. It felt like we waited forever to see the ponies cross from island to island. I think it was around 11 a.m.

My niece and her husband were on kayaks in front of us, and the path of the ponies was so close to the kayak row, it was unsettling watching it from our boat. Later my niece, with wide-eyes declared, “If we reached out, we would have touched them!”

Take a look at the tips of the kayaks in the photo below. Close, right?!

(My newphew-in-law took the photo below and some dumb AI Chincoteague-related FB Page posted the image and I asked them to take it down but they ignored me.)

You might enjoy this blog post too, about the 99th Pony Penning Week.

Another notable and ironic event from the 99th swim while aboard the Martha Lou, was a pinto mare named Martha Lou made two attempts to swim over, but stopped halfway and paddled back to Assateague’s shore. The cowboys gently roped her, and one even rested his arm over her neck, giving her reassuring pats as they waited for water transport. They loaded the pony on the barge reserved for the Saltwater Cowboy’s horses and she received a free boat ride over to Chincoteague where she met back up with her band.

 

During last year’s 100th swim, I was atop a friend’s camper at the edge of Tom’s Cove, scanning the waters for the equine armada. The aerial viewpoint aided by binoculars was cool, and I loved the fun company, but I missed hearing the swim. I missed the calls of the cowboys as they urge the herd, the chatter of eager pony watchers, the splashing and pony snorts and shrill whinnies.

So this year I got up around 3 a.m. again to meet at the dock and take the boat ride. I’m glad I did and this video of the swim I shared went viral.

What Made the 101st Swim Special

This year when we visited the Carnival Grounds, I bumped into both a new reader and a Chincoteague local who has become a friend and pen pal.

I was carrying around my new book Swirl: My Wild Island Pony so I could take photos of some spreads in the very spot the illustrations depict.

A mom noticed the book, “Are you the author?”

I said yes.

“We got your book yesterday and read it before bed last night. Sweetie, this is the author. She wrote the book we read.”

They asked for a picture, and here it is. Adorable, right? (Notice how close up you can get to see the wild ponies at the Carnival Grounds.)

My local friend was not on or near the water on pony swim day, and she explained there are three places to watch the ponies:

1. On the water for the actual swim,

2. Lining Main Street for the pony parade as they’re guided to the carnival grounds, and

3. At the carnival grounds as they rush into the large corral and all rejoin their bands. Her spot this year was along the fence line at the carnival grounds.

All Options to See the Chincoteague Ponies are Good Options + Other Sites to Love

My Virginia friend–the first-timer–didn’t go to the water for the swim. Instead she waited in someone’s yard along Main Street to see the post-swim pony parade. She loved it.

When I asked what made it special she said, “I got to live a scene that’s been in my imagination since childhood. I was in someone’s yard with no rope. There’s no temporary fencing separating us from the ponies. It’s unchanged. It was so cool.”

There are so many reasons to go and love Pony Penning Week. It feels like summer camp for horse lovers. Activities abound beyond the famous pony swim–from the early morning beach walk to the Misty movie playing at the one-screen movie theater to the Feather Fund Auction to Buckaroo Bingo to the actual fireman’s carnival with rides, and more.

You can also explore the Beebe Ranch, the site where Misty was born 80 years ago, and tour the house (now a museum) where Misty hunkered down in the kitchen during the wild storm Marguerite Henry wrote about in Stormy, Misty’s Foal.

Two more must visit stops are KerKaKen Acres in nearby Bloxom, for the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team Open House (always on Tuesday) and the Chincoteague Pony Centre which has fun events going on all week and a lovely gift shop.

It’s hard to explain just how special it is to be part of Pony Penning Week, the beloved historical tradition.

Witnessing the hopes of dreams of fellow pony fans coming true as people FINALLY see the island they’ve long hoped to visit, and in some cases, bid on and win a beautiful pony of their very own–a pony like Misty–is a delight!

It’s also an exercise in pony (and horse) passion validation. For a week or a few days, however long you visit Chincoteague, you’ll find yourself immersed in a community of like-minded people who feel the same way too, realizing you are not alone in your equine obsession.

Thanks for reading about my Chincoteague obsession! If you love horse books, grab a copy of my free guide “10 Must-Read Horse Books for Horse Lovers” to help you plan your next equestrian read. And I’d love to know what horse books you recommend. Leave a comment. 

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