Pony Week schedule-

 

Good news from Chincoteague

 

CHINCOTEAGUE VOLUNTEER FIRE CO. Facebook:

How about some good news!

This is a video of two of our 2021 buybacks “Jubilation” and “Martha Lou” who contracted swamp cancer and through an extremely tedious and difficult process have been brought back from a disgusting and formerly fatal disease. This is a short video of them enjoying a bit of turn out after being cooped up undergoing treatments. 

(Video:)

https://www.facebook.com/p/CHINCOTEAGUE-VOLUNTEER-FIRE-CO-100064844702052/

We are happy to report that all four of the ponies that contracted swamp cancer this year are doing great and should recover well. With a lot of help from very very dedicated veterinarians and pony experts this has truly turned the tide in our fight to preserve the ponies for the future here in the wild.

One of the ‘23 buyback fillies “Mimi” had a slight injury to her left eye that was thought to also need some additional care to avoid losing the eye or the filly going blind some decided to send her to a clinic as well to get that taken care of. I am also happy to report that she is also doing well!

2021 Chincoteague Pony Auction

 

For the second year in a row, The Chincoteague Pony Auction will be held as an online only event.  The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company had to make the difficult decision in the spring, when restrictions were still high.  The auction will again be hosted by SportHorseAuctions.com, the same company that held the auction in 2020. 

Chincoteague Pony Auction

Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company

• Bidding Opens July 22
• Bidding Closes July 29

View more info:

Chincoteague (sporthorseauctions.com)

Early Pony Swim...

According to Suzanne Taylor of the Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, the ponies are expected to make their swim Wednesday morning between 8:30 and 9:30 am. The Chincoteague Fire Company's salt water cowboys allow the ponies to rest and make sure the tide has stopped running completely before herding them across the channel.

As is customary the ponies will then be herded to the carnival grounds where they will rest and receive medical treatment before Thursday morning's auction. WESR will have live reports from the swim on Wednesday and Thursday's auction.

Parking will be very limited at the event and those who are headed to watch the annual event are encouraged to park at the High School and ride a bus to Tom's Cove. The Chincoteague Trolley will also be operating throughout the island.

The Chincotegue Volunteer Fireman's Carnival will be open during the day of the swim and the auction and will open evenings through Saturday night this week and will open for their final weekend Augut 2, 3 and 4.

Source:

2012 'Spring Pony Roundup' On Assateague

The Spring Pony Roundup will take place April 13 & 14, 2012.

The Chincoteague Ponies will be rounded up on Assateague Island to be seen by veterinarians.



2011 Pony Spring Roundup
PHOTO/ Chincoteague.com

 During the 'Spring Pony Roundup' the southern pony herd will be visible to the public in the southern corral, which is just off the main road that goes out to the beach. The South herd roundup will take place Friday April 13, 2012 at 4pm.

The North herd roundup will take place Saturday April 14, 2012 at 10am.

For more info go to http://www.chincoteague.com/

Miscellaneous Information-

Assateague Island will be CLOSED tomorrow (Friday) until after the storm or possibly longer depending on the damage.  Ponies will be allowed to move to higher ground and will monitored very closely!  And folks, you can count on that!

Ocean City Jeep Week Off-Road Event - cancelled due to closure of Ocean City for Hurricane Irene.
This includes the Jeep activities scheduled at the Pocomoke City Fairgrounds for Saturday.

HURRICANE CENTER PREDICTS CONDITIONS TO WORSEN SAT NIGHT INTO SUNDAY. COASTAL FLOODING IS EXPECTED WITH STORM SURGE 6-7 FT DURING HIGH TIDE. VOLUNTARY EVACUATIONS BEGIN FRI WITH MANDATORY EVACUATIONS SAT. THE CAUSEWAY WILL CLOSE AT THE LATEST POSSIBLE TIME AS WATER RISES. PLEASE HEED ALL WARNINGS: IF YOU STAY & BECOME ILL OR INJURED, WE WILL NOT BE ABLE TO GET TO YOU DURING THE WORST OF THE STORM. ALL LOW LYING AREAS (OCEAN BREEZE) NEED TO EVACUATE.
　RAIN OF 12" OR MORE IS EXPECTED WITH TROPICAL FORCE WINDS OF 6-7 HRS AND THEN HURRICANE FORCE WINDS FOR 8-9 HRS DURING HEIGHT OF STORM. PLEASE MAKE SURE YOU HAVE ENOUGH CAN FOOD, WATER, MEDICINE AND PLEASE, PLEASE MAKE SURE YOUR PETS ARE TAKEN CARE OF. DON'T LEAVE THEM BEHIND. ACRCADIA MIDDLE/HIGH SCHOOLS WILL BE THE SHELTERS AVAILABLE.
　THE BEACH WILL BE CLOSED TOMORROW. THE GATES FOR THE COMPOUNDS WILL BE OPENED AFTER LUNCH TOMORROW TO ALLOW ALL THE PONIES TO GO TO THE HIGHEST GROUND ON ASSATEAGUE. THEY WILL BE MONITORED CLOSELY.
PLEASE KEEP SAFE AND HEED ALL EVACUATION WARNINGS. LOCAL MEDIA COVERAGE INCLUDED LOCAL RADIO STATIONS WCTG-96.5 AND WESR 103.3.

This is all for today.......much to do tomorrow. 

Any information concerning the storm can be left here.  Anyone with photos they want posted send them to either email address for us listed on the blog.

  Stay safe.

PLEASE Don't Feed The Wild Animals

If you've lived on the Eastern Shore long enough and you love the beach you have seen the wild ponies that live on the beaches of Assateague on both Maryland and Virginia.  And if you've traveled there enough times you have no doubt witnessed the stubborness of these beautiful wild creatures.  It is not uncommon for them to be lured to a cooler on the beach, turn it over and search for food- your food. 

But then we've also seen them at the hands those that do not know they shouldn't  have popcorn, bread, candy, chips nor anything that is consumed by humans.  No, not even fruits!

So, my guess of all these years of being at  the hands of improper feeders has gotten this poor guy with the addiction that he is being treated for.

Here is the link that will take you to see Fabio and get a kind look at the wonderful "rehab" he's in.
http://www.humanesociety.org/news/news/2011/08/fabio_assateague_ddhrac_081111.html

Horse is exiled from Assateague

Fabio

Written by  Charlene Sharpe

BERLIN -- After a horse was removed from Assateague Island because he fixated on taking food from campsites and visitors, he is showing potential at a horse rescue center in Texas.

Eighteen-year-old former stallion Fabio, removed from Assateague Island National Seashore's herd of 114 horses in late June, is undergoing training at the Doris Day Horse Rescue and Adoption Center in Texas. With a reputation for aggressive behavior like biting and charging preceding him, trainers at the adoption center were concerned about Fabio -- until they began working with him.

"We were so pleasantly surprised, and pleased that very quickly he showed himself to be gentle," said Anne Rathbun-Favre, director of the center.

Staff members at the center have been working with Fabio since his arrival in mid-July. Officials at Assateague Island National Seashore determined in June that the stallion was getting too aggressive to remain in the park.

"He was getting to the point where there was the risk of someone being seriously injured," said Allison Turner, a biological technician at Assateague.

She said nearly two decades of being fed junk food by visitors and plundering campsites for food had made the already dominant horse too pushy. Charging at park visitors with his teeth bared and even biting some led to the decision to remove him.

In the past, Assateague equines with aggressive behavior like Fabio have been admitted into the Chincoteague herd, in a wildlife refuge where no camping is permitted and there is no access to roads for begging tourists. Chincoteague's herd is limited by a grazing permit, however, and could not accommodate Fabio, Turner said.

Instead, park staff coaxed the stallion into a corral with his favorite food, hamburger buns, and castrated him, something that can help quiet down an unruly horse. Again using hamburger buns as a lure, Fabio was loaded onto a trailer and sent to the new Doris Day Horse Rescue and Adoption Center. Turner said the center was equipped to deal with an essentially wild 18-year-old horse.



FABIO At his new facility.



She said the Doris Day facility, which just opened in May, is part of the Cleveland Amory Black Beauty Ranch, a sanctuary where the horse could spend the rest of his days if deemed unsuitable for adoption.

While Fabio may end up joining the sanctuary's herd of 600 horses and burros, staff say he is showing potential for adoption.

"When he came we weren't quite sure," said Ben Callison, director of Black Beauty Ranch, "but we let the horse define that for us."

Although his small stature does not lend him to under-saddle use, Favre said Fabio was showing promise as a companion animal, used to keep other horses company.

Favre said since Fabio's arrival staff had had few difficulties with the horse. His initial refusal to eat hay or grain --because aside from his penchant for camping fare, he lived solely on grass at Assateague -- ended when staff used applesauce and molasses to make the fare more enticing. Once Fabio began eating regularly, trainers have stayed busy teaching him to wear a halter and learn to be handled. Although he's still feisty to lead around, Fabio is still in the beginning of the training process and Favre is optimistic that he can one day be adopted.

"The advantage is that even if he's turned out into the sanctuary, these skills will allow us to care for him," Callison added.

Although Fabio is the most recent horse to leave Assateague Island because of bad behavior, there have been a number of others.

Turner said that 39 horses have been removed from the park in its history, but it hadn't happened since 1995 until now. Although the one before Fabio went through a training process and was adopted by a family in Florida, the others were all absorbed into the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company's herd.

Turner hopes new regulations at the park -- which prohibit visitors from getting within 10 feet of a wild horse or doing anything to attract them -- will prevent other horses from becoming as aggressive as Fabio.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110818/WCT01/108180302/Horse-is-exiled-from-Assateague?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Worcester County Times|s

Blueberry Festival This Weekend

New Regulations Regarding Wild Horses On Assateague

BERLIN--Assateague Island National Seashore officials announced two new regulations to reduce harmful interactions between the public and the park’s wild horses.

One new rule prohibits park visitors from getting within 10 feet of any wild horse. The second regulation requires campers to secure any unattended food in hard sided, lockable storage (such as a vehicle) when not being used.

“We’re really hoping that visitors will take this issue seriously and help us reduce the frequency of inappropriate interactions with the horses,” Park Superintendent Trish Kicklighter said.

Officials say the new initiatives are designed to keep the park’s visitors--some of whom are bitten or kicked by its horses each year-- and its horses--who have been hit by cars as they stand by roads looking for handouts--safe.

Source;  http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110711/NEWS01/110711013/ASSATEAGUE-New-regulations-regarding-wild-horses

Concert To Benefit Assateague Island Lighthouse

CHINCOTEAGUE --A concert on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge to benefit the
Restoration Fund for the Assateague Island Lighthouse will see the debut of "The Light of Assateague," a ballad specially written for this occasion.

Bill Troxler, whose musical group Three Sheets will perform the concert, is well-known in Washington and Baltimore circles for his hammer dulcimer workshops. Troxler has now written a new ballad to celebrate the 143 years that the Assateague Light has sent its signal out over the waves.

Those years have caused weathering to windows, walls and metalwork.

Restoration was started in 2009 but more remains to be done.

The concert is set for Friday, Nov. 26, at 7 pm. Tickets are $20 and all proceeds go toward lighthouse restoration work. Tickets are available at H&H Pharmacy, Egret Moon Artworks or Chincoteague Natural History Association at 757-336-3696.

www.easternshorenews.com

Dedication Of The New Chincoteague Draw Bridge Will Be Held Staturday

CHINCOTEAGUE -- Those who attend the Saturday dedication of the new Chincoteague drawbridge will witness the formal completion of the project and have a chance to own a piece of history.

The Virginia Department of Transportation, which is organizing the 11 a.m. dedication at Robert Reed Park near the island library, will distribute commemorative keepsake plaques recognizing the event.

The plaques, which are 5 by 7 inches, will contain a piece of the old bridge. There will be 1,000 available and will be distributed while supplies last.

"We're hoping that every family will have an opportunity to have a piece of the old bridge," said Nora Chivers, VDOT spokesperson. "It's a piece of history."

Expected at the dedication will be state and local officials, including members of the state transportation board.

From noon-2 p.m., the public will be able to walk on the old swing drawbridge that is being replaced and have photos taken on it. The photos will be available on a website following the event.

The new bridge opened to traffic at 7:41 p.m. on April 1 after decades of planning and a $70 million construction project that lasted more than three years.

It replaces two bridges built in 1939 and 1940, which along with the causeway connected Chincoteague with the mainland.

The first bridge connecting the island to the mainland was finished in 1922.

The old drawbridge will remain open until the Marsh Island Connector is complete. Then it will be removed, Chivers said.

The bridge dedication is being held in conjunction with the island's annual Chili and Chowder Cook-off, which runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Reed park.

The park provides a view of the past and present for those at the bridge dedication.

www.delmarvanow.com