Wild, Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away

Wild ponies have been on my bucket list for many a year and there is no better place to view and be up close and personal than to be with the wild horses on Assateague Island, a northern barrier island in Maryland.

The "wild" horses on Assateague are actually feral animals, meaning that they are descendants of domestic animals that have reverted to a wild state. Horses tough enough to survive the scorching heat, abundant mosquitoes, stormy weather and poor quality food found on this remote, windswept barrier island have formed a unique wild horse society.

Local folklore describes the Assateague horses as survivors of a shipwreck off the Virginia coast. While this wild anddramatic tale of struggle and survival is popular, there are no records yet that confirm it. The most plausible explanation is that they are the descendants of horses that were brought to barrier islands like Assateague in the late 17th century by mainland owners to avoid fencing laws and taxation of livestock.

The horses are split into two main herds, one on the Virginia side and one on the Maryland side of Assateague. They are separated by a fence at the Virginia/Maryland State line. These herds have divided themselves into bands of two to twelve animals and each band occupies a home range. The National Park Service manages the Maryland herd. The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd, which is allowed to graze on Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, through a special use permit issued by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The permit restricts the size of the herd to approximately 150 adult animals in order to protect the other natural resources of the wildlife refuge. It is the Virginia herd which is often referred to as the "Chincoteague" ponies.

On the last Wednesday of July, the Virginia herd of horses is rounded up and swum from Assateague Island to nearby Chincoteague Island. On the following day most of the young foals are auctioned off. Proceeds from the sale benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.

My time on Assateague Island is split between the National Park campground and the State Park. The camping on the bay side made for a mosquito and fly infestation. We escaped for a bit to explore the little town of Berlin, Maryland. Strolling down Main Street was like traveling back in time. It was the path taken by the Assateague and Pocomoke Indians well before Colonial times. It also was the filming location for Runaway Bride with Richard Gere and Julia Roberts.

Back over at the seashore we move camp to the State Park. The ocean side comes with a great breeze and sounds of ocean waves just over the dune with a viewing of an extraordinary full moon.

My third day on the island the breeze turns into wind and chill. Sitka and I hopped in the van for a day trip down to Chincoteague Island to find the Assateague lighthouse and a NASA station; most likely my granddaughter, Myla’s future employer. The NASA station at Wallops is primarily an unmanned rocket research facility.

Once back at the campsite, I meet a couple women trying to set up a tent in that pretty fierce wind. With all of us pitching in we get it up and secured. In the meantime, two horses wander into my camp and just push me aside to make their way into the neighbors screen tent and destroy it and the next 2 down the line! Such naughty ponies!

Next morning, I keep a close watch on weather. Another couple hurricanes are spinning out in the Atlantic. I figure if I keep moving I might be able to dodge them. Hoping to rendezvous with another female traveler friend, I decide to hang out on the mainland side of the Outer Banks. We find a campground in Waterlily on the Currituck Sound. I secure a water site and I am the only one in six empty sites…What a perfect place to get laundry done and make some jewelry before moving on.