Chincoteague Pony Penning

Wednesday, 7/26/23

Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company-

"All the ponies are across the channel safe and sound!"

(View Pony Penning activities:)

2023 Pony Swim Events Schedule & Shuttle Packet 3.pdf (chincoteaguechamber.com)

87th Chincoteague Island Pony Penning ~ 2012

The first foal to step ashore during the 2012 Chincogeague Island Pony Penning was crowned King Neptune.  He wore the number 53 on the tag around his neck.  I couldn't find him in penned area on the Chincoteague grounds.  But that little guy raised over $5,800 for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

Not only could I not find him the firemen and Saltwater Cowboys  couldn't seem to get him to appear on stage at the carnival grounds. But lucky KaylaJo McDanolds didn't seem to care when Denise called the winning number.  So, unless KaylaJo  decides to give King Neptune back to the fire department this little foal will travel to Bangor, Pennsylvania to live.

Chincoteague Pony Penning began 87 years ago (1925) as a way to raise money for new firefighting equipment.  It is part of the tradition to hold the auction of the ponies the following day of their arrival to the carnival grounds.


Pony Penning auction for 2012 raised over $90,000 for the Chincoteague Vol. Fire Company.  Of the sixtyseven ponies bought Thursday morning at the auction eight were "buy-back" ponies.  These ponies are re-released to live with the herd on Assateague.

Finally, today, following tradition, the Saltwater Cowboys will round up the remaining ponies from the carnival grounds and herd them down the streets to Assateague Channel where they make their swim back to their home. 

I've lived on the Eastern Shore all my life and have never witnessed a Pony Penning but I have been to their return.  I'm sure there's less hoopla and fanfare on returning day  but nonetheless exciting to see.  Whether you want to see the actual swim back or just The Saltwater Cowboys herd them down Main Street and around the corner to the channel it's still awesome.  In fact, you can sit right across the street from the carnival grounds and watch them leave. 

The pony return will be today around 10:00 a.m. - depending on slack tide.

Even though the ponies are gone from the carnival grounds until next year there is still another tradition in full swing on Chincoteague Island!  The carnival!

There's still a few more days left!!

Chincoteague Island Pony Penning

There is not a more exciting week on Chincoteague Island than Pony Penning!  Sources say to be ON the island by 5:30 a.m. if you want to catch the shuttle to the swim site.  Keep an eye out for the first foal to come ashore.



Photo/Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce



Pony Swim Day

Wednesday July 25, 2012 At "slack tide", sometime between 8:30 and 9:30 a.m., the Chincoteague Ponies will swim across the Assateague Channel just south of Memorial Park (7427 Memorial Park Dr,  Chincoteague Island, VA  23336) on the east side of Chincoteague Island.  There is no charge by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company for parking or seeing the ponies swim.  The ONLY parking at Memorial Park, however, is designated for handicap use.  All other folks coming in just for the day are encouraged to go to Chincoteague Combined School (4586 Main St. Chincoteague Island, VA  23336) and catch the free shuttle. There is also a handicap accessible bus for your convenience (click here for shuttle information).  Those staying on the island may catch a shuttle bus near their lodging. The first foal to come ashore will be named King or Queen Neptune and will be given away in a raffle drawing at the carnival grounds later in the day (time to be announced).  Tickets are sold each night at the carnival and amongst the crowd while waiting for the swim to occur.  You must have a ticket and you must be present to win. After swimming the short distance across the channel, the ponies will rest for approximately 45 minutes to an hour before “parading” to the carnival grounds on Main Street. See shuttle bus map for parade route.  The carnival will open at 7:00 p.m. with rides, games, and lots of good food. Note: Pets are not permitted in Memorial Park or the Carnival Grounds.Coast Guard on Alert for Illegal Charter Boats During Chincoteague Pony Swim (The Coast Guard is cautioning tourists attending the pony swim to avoid boats that do not have licensed captains, and in some cases have not been inspected by the Coast Guard.) 7:00 p.m. - Carnival attractions. Click here for detailed map of event

Source:

PONY PENNING: SWIM DAY

Taking photos during Pony Penning is not easy. To see some amazing photos of the swim click onto the link below.

P.S. It's not easy attending a pony swim. Those who travel to Chincoteague Island for the beauty and thrill of the yearly swim will go to great pains to catch a glimpse of the creatures most of us have seen all of our lives roaming the beaches of Assateague.

I can't help but wonder how many children's hearts will be broken because they couldn't take a pony home with them.

Enjoy.

PONY PENNING: SWIM DAY

Last Ponies Walked Ashore At 12:02 PM

(2007 photo) CHINCOTEAGUE -- The first of an estimated 120 ponies swam ashore at exactly noon on Wednesday while a large crowd of onlookers cheered at the 85th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim.

"That's so cool," said Dawn Wagner, who lives in Point Pleasant, N.J., and Locustville, Va., and was attending her second swim with her family.

The U.S. Coast Guard set of a red flare at 11:42 a.m., signaling to an eager crowd that the slack tide had arrived and the swim was near.

The ponies hit the water in the channel at 11:57 a.m. The last ponies walked ashore at 12:02 p.m.

The swim was the climax of a long morning spend waiting. Because the animals must swim at slack tide, when the water doesn't move, the event is time-specific.

A welcome breeze helped keep the large crowd gathered at Memorial Park and surrounding areas cool.

Still, Chincoteague emergency medical technicians were called to assist at least two people who developed health problems while on one of scores of boats that lined Assateague Channel.

They were taken from the area on a stretcher.

After the ponies rest for approximately an hour in a holding pen, they will be paraded down Beebe Road and Main Street toward the carnival grounds, where the annual auction will be held tomorrow.

Spectators will line the streets for one of the Pony Penning's signature events.

But for now, the majesty and allure is on full display for a crowd of onlookers.

"Look at the lead horse," said Wagner, pointing, during the swim. "This is a good spot."

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Being A Pony Penning Volunteer

CHINCOTEAGUE -- Roe Terry intricately understands the annual Chincoteague Pony Penning from every angle.

Terry, a 34-year member of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns and manages the herd of ponies, knows the importance of the event's tradition and cares deeply for the welfare of the animals.

As the company's public relations officer and media representative, Terry helps television and print reporters get access to the ponies and the volunteers who are so important to this week's activities.

The result is that Wednesday's 85th annual Pony Swim and Thursday's Pony Auction will get worldwide coverage and have a dedicated following of enthusiasts.

"It's a juggling job," Terry said recently from his decoy carving shop on North Main Street. "You've got to be diplomatic."

Terry also understands the impact of Pony Penning on Chincoteague Island. The event helps local businesses and restaurants. And the proceeds of the pony sale and annual Fireman's Carnival help the fire company.

Long after the ponies are sold and crowds are gone, the funding helps meet the operating expenses for firetrucks, ambulances and more.

"Chincoteague's very lucky because we have the ponies," he said.

This year has been no different from others. Terry has been in contact with a reporter from Europe who recently spent time on the island documenting the ponies, and a television reporter from Japan who is expected to attend the event.

Last year, he was particularly proud that Horse Racing Television came to town to film the event and produce a segment. And Terry enjoys recounting when Spencer Christian, the "Good Morning America" weatherman, interviewed him live on national television while the ponies swam in the background.

"You learn, through your trials, what to do," he said. Terry always gives credit to the volunteers and firefighters who came before him and thanks Donald Leonard for being his mentor as the company's public relations point person.

Terry's involvement with the event, however, lasts far more than one week. Caring for the ponies, organizing the swim and auction and preparing for the carnival is a year-round process.

He waves off attention and deflects the credit to all the dedicated volunteers in the fire company and Saltwater Cowboys who give their time and talents to make the event a success.

"Everybody does it, not just me," he said. "It's a tremendous amount of work."

Terry's background

Terry, 57, joined the Navy after high school in Chincoteague and then worked at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Terry and his wife, Monnie, have two grown children, Ryan and Irene.

For a decade, beginning in the early 1980s, he was a full-time decoy carver.

Terry has been a carver ever since he was 15. He credits a neighbor, Doug Jester Jr., with fostering a love of the outdoors.

"He took me clamming, fishing, hunting," he said of Jester.

After carving 5,751 pieces in a little more than nine years, he went back to NOAA as an electronic technician, saying he "decided I better get some retirement and health insurance."

Still, Terry enjoys carving -- he works 42 hours a week at his full-time job and carves another 20-25 hours a week behind his house in a shop where he shows and sells his intricate, detailed birds.

These days, Terry produces about 200 pieces a year and donates some of them to worthy causes like the new Chincoteague Island Library for fundraisers. He also gives 40 talks a year to groups like Elderhostel on carving and wildfowl.

Dedication to volunteering

It seems Terry likely won't get much carving done in the coming days as volunteers coordinate the swim and auction. He'll be speaking with the media and granting access to the swim site. Like many others who help with the event, he takes vacation time from work so he can volunteer for the storied event.

Volunteering is dear to Terry, whether it involves the Pony Penning, helping on a wintertime house fire or with any other organization. He bristles at people who complain about volunteers.

"Don't complain about your volunteers," said Terry, who keeps his firefighting gear in his pickup truck. "Be a volunteer."

That's exactly what people will see Terry and the other Chincoteague firefighters and Saltwater Cowboys doing, not only in the coming days, but all year long.

"It's a satisfying job because you're a volunteer," he said.

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