The Brightside: The Pony Fund changes lives, one Chincoteague pony at a time

CHINCOTEAGUE ISLAND, Va. — Last week marked the 101st annual Chincoteague Pony Swim. WMDT spoke with children who received free ponies through The Pony Fund, a nonprofit with a remarkable story, in the latest edition of The Brightside, sponsored by Choptank Electric Cooperative.

The Pony Fund gives children the opportunity to own a Chincoteague pony. Its story began in 1995 with two young girls, $500 and a dream of buying a wild foal.

Carollynn’s Story

One of those girls was Shannon Meyers, now a member of The Pony Fund’s board of directors. She remembers the auction vividly.

“We took our seats. The auction started. We’re bidding on every pony that came out. My sister stands up, ‘$500.’ Well, for a little while, the auctioneer would go, ‘There’s the little girl with $500. Now who’s going to give me six?'”

Even in the 1990s, $500 didn’t go very far at the Chincoteague Pony Auction.

Then, a feather drifted down near the girls. One woman in the crowd, Carollynn Suplee, believed it was a sign. As a cancer survivor, feathers had taken on a special meaning in her life.

“When her sickness was really bad, because it’s a very healing place, the Bible was open and somebody had marked Psalm 91, Verse 4 with a feather. It says, ‘The Lord will cover you with His feathers and protect you.’ So, she was like, ‘This is why I’m finding feathers,'” Meyers said.

What happened next is something they still describe as a miracle.

“The next pony that came out, we bid on,” Meyers said. “He was a solid bay with a black mane and tail and white socks. The cowboys bring them out with their arms wrapped around their necks to hold them, so we purchased him.”

Then came another sign. “We were super excited. We went over to the pens to see him afterward, and he turned around and had one white marking on his neck in the shape of a feather. So that’s the story.”

For the next decade, Suplee continued buying ponies for children until her cancer returned.

“When we knew, she wasn’t going to survive, we talked to her and said we wanted to continue doing this in her honor,” Meyers said.

The Pony Fund Today

Today, Suplee’s legacy lives on through The Pony Fund, giving more children the opportunity to own a Chincoteague pony.

Meyers, the first child to receive a pony through Suplee’s generosity, calls the experience “the most amazing thing” and “a dream come true.” Now, she gets to witness that same joy in other children.

“When they win the bid and they’re crying and everybody’s crying, that’s what it’s about,” Meyers said. “Then seeing how the ponies impact their lives when they take them home. They always seem to fill a void for the kids who need them.”

This year, three girls were selected to receive ponies through the fund.

Lily Hall couldn’t contain her excitement. “I am so excited,” Hall said. “I haven’t slept the past two nights.”

For Hall, receiving a pony means more than simply owning an animal.

“I’m most excited to have a pony to call my own and have something that gives me a sense of security and grows up with me,” she said, reflecting on her years in foster care.

Hall already has her eye on one particular foal. “I have my heart set on Little Miss Sunshine’s colt,” she said. “I’ve watched him in the corrals. He’s so spunky. I couldn’t really get a fair idea of his conformation because he never stands still in any of the photos. I just fell in love with him.”

The next recipient, Katy Loughney, has dreamed of owning a pony for years.

“I’m probably most excited to teach it,” Loughney said.

To help raise money, Loughney baked muffins that sold for hundreds of dollars at auction. “Happy,” she said when asked how it felt. “Happy that someone bought some of my muffins I baked.”

The third recipient, Daphne Trivette, said receiving a pony fulfills a lifelong dream.

“I just love Chincoteague ponies,” Trivette said. “I came here when I was little on a boat tour and got to see them. Recently, I’ve been riding a Chincoteague pony at my barn.”

She hopes to train her pony herself. “I’m excited to do training and teach it my own things and be able to ride it one day,” she said.

Trivette said this wasn’t her first time applying to the program.

“Last year I applied, but I didn’t get it,” she said. “This year I did so much more research and explained how much I really wanted one. Having a bond with your own horse is special to me.”

A Fund That Changes Lives

“The ponies are special. They’re historic. There’s just something about them. They’re wild and mystical,” Meyers said.

She says the organization has become about much more than ponies.

“I tear up every year as they’re winning because I know the journey they’re about to go on,” Meyers said. “It’s not just about the ponies anymore.”

John Price, who received a pony through the fund in 2018, said the experience changed his life.

“It means the world to me,” Price said. “Everybody says the Feather Fund family, and it truly is a family.”

Price said the program inspired him to pursue a career working with horses.

“The Feather Fund gave me the opportunity to train my own wild foal,” he said. “It was a dream come true. Now I do that every day. I went to school to train horses, so it’s really amazing.”

The Pony Fund also benefits the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Every pony purchased at the annual auction helps support the organization that cares for the island’s famous wild herd year-round.

“They use the funds to take care of the ponies,” Meyers said. “It’s a really cool full-circle moment that we’re helping kids while also helping the fire company.”

If you would like to learn more about the pony fund, Carollynn’s story, or apply to the feather fund, check out the Feather Fund.