Organizers giddy up for 98th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim
CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. – The 98th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim is just over two weeks away.
Giddy Up
The Eastern Shore classic typically draws tens of thousands to the small island; excitement is already ramping up.
“It’s another action-packed year where it’s been a lot of foals. At this point, we have 77 foals born so far, this year,” said Hunter Leonard of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (CVFC).
Preparing for the Swim
Saturday, July 22nd, Chincoteague’s world-famous salt water cowboys will begin rounding up the herds on Assateague Island. Leonard says the northern herd has about 112 horses, with 38 in the southern herd.
“Saturday afternoon is usually very visible to the public, down there at the southern corral on Assateague,” said Leonard. “That’s usually really cool for people the come and see; the herd being rounded up by the salt water cowboys.”
Monday, July 24th, the northern herd ponies will embark on a beach walk to the southern corral. Then, on Tuesday, July 25th, a veterinarian will check out the ponies, to make sure they’re healthy enough to make the swim.
Wednesday, July 26th, is the day everyone is really waiting for. The mass of ponies will make their famous swim across the Assateague Channel, followed by a parade through the island. Leonard says the swim will take place between 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
“When we do that, we walk down Ridge Road, Beebe Road, and then the lower part of Main Street. People can get really up close to the whole ordeal,” said Leonard.
“Open checkbook for the ponies”
The ponies will be penned at the carnival grounds for the remainder of the celebration, with the pony auction following the swim on Thursday, July 27th. Last year, the auction drummed up about $450,000. Leonard says organizers are hoping to match, or surpass that number, this year.
“It has an online component, so you can watch from home. It also is able to be bid online, which is something that we just started last year,” said Leonard. “It’s definitely our largest fundraiser for the year, and so we really hope to hit that number again. We have more foals this year than we did last year. So, we’re really hoping to strike that really well.”
Money raised in the auction directly supports the CVFC. “It all goes to fund the fire department, which puts that money back into the herd for different means of caretaking; a horse trailer, vaccinations, however you want to slice it. The fire department is there with an open checkbook for the ponies,” said Leonard.
A Special Experience
Fundraiser aside, Leonard says it’s a truly special experience, that everyone should try to be a part of.
“You get one of the best feeling in the world when we are running down there, and put the ponies in the water, and they swim without any struggle across that channel,” said Leonard. “[The ponies are] the stars of everything, by a long way. But, it’s really cool being part of the whole process, and all of us appreciate it so much, to be part of it and be able to take care of these ponies.”
