2023-07-28 04:00:00
The horses from the island of Assateague, between the states of Maryland and Virginia, have swum across the channel that joins the island with Chincoteague under the expectation of the attendees. Horseback “saltwater cowboys” round up the ponies, who swim down the canal and land on the east side of Chincoteague Island.
It is a journey that celebrates its 98th anniversary, and that includes the bathing of the foals and an auction for a company of volunteer firefighters. The horses were made famous in the children’s novel ‘Misty of Chincoteague’ by author Marguerite Henry in 1947. The origin of this breed is unclear, and legend has it that they are the descendants of a herd that washed ashore following a shipwreck Spanish galleon in the 18th century.
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