Chincoteague Ponies on Assateague Island

Chincoteague Ponies on Assateague Island... more

by Belinda Greb

Title

Chincoteague Ponies on Assateague Island

Artist

Belinda Greb

Medium

Photograph - Photograph, Photography

Description

Chincoteague Ponies on Assateague Island

The Chincoteague Ponies also know as the Assateague Horses are feral horses that live on Assateague Island in Maryland and Virgina. The horses are strictly wild in Maryland with the only intervention being contraceptives, while in Virginia, the horses are part of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge but owned technically by the volunteer Chincoteague Fire Company since 1925 with twice a year veterinary visits. All the first year foals are auctioned, with a portion of them being buy-back sales, meaning they remaining with the herd.

They are technically horses, but called ponies as the poor habitat and nourishment of the island results in their smaller size. They are rumored to be descendants of horses that swam to shore after a Spanish galleon wrecked off shore, but there also has been interbreeding with horses that were domestic which helped to improve their conformation. There are solids and many of them have beautiful pinto patterns.

Copyrighted - Belinda Greb
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Nature, animals, beauty have been a source of nourishment throughout my life. Photography allows me to capture, interpret, and share that world of wonder I see about me, and sometimes use what I capture as an inspiration to create something new, by incorporating other exposures, textures or brushwork.

Uploaded

June 2nd, 2015