By Tiffany Amber Stockton
This is it! It's finally July. And that means a special trip with my daughter to the 100th anniversary of the first official Pony Penning Day on Chincoteague Island. I haven't been back to the island where my grandfather was born for nearly ten years, and I just discovered a potential B&B owned by distant family members. If you missed last month's post about some of my family legacy on Chincoteague, you can view it here.
The History of Pony Penning Day on Chincoteague & Assateague Islands
Wild ponies have inhabited Assateague Island for hundreds of years. A lot of evidence says they are the descendants of the survivors of a Spanish galleon which wrecked off the coast of Assateague. This story, which has been passed from generation to generation on Chincoteague Island, is stronger than fiction. :) I heard it myself from my grandfather, and it's common lore among island residents.
If you ever view a shipwreck map of the mid Atlantic coastline, you'll see a remarkable number of shipwrecks. Before modern navigation, ships used lighthouses and the stars to navigate at night. It worked well until a bad storm came up or heavy fog set in, which impaired visibility. This caused ships to get off course and hit sandbars along the coast, which resulted in a lot of wrecks all up and down the eastern coastlines.
These wrecks would usually occur during a storm, and the large waves would beat the wooden ship apart. The large number of shipwrecks, together with it being common for ships to be transporting ponies to the Colonies or South America, makes it very likely that ponies originally got to Assateague from a shipwreck.
A book written in 2007 by Mr. John Amrhein, The Hidden Galleon, suggests the local story about the Spanish galleon is true. In the book, he describes the wreck of the La Galga in 1750, its location, the circumstances surrounding the voyage, the great storm of 1749 which decimated all the livestock on Assateague Island prior to the La Galga wreck, and the appearance of "Beach" Ponies shortly after the demise of the La Galga, along with other evidence. This might not be 100% provable, but the circumstantial evidence he presents is very powerful. You can easily see why this story has been favored for passing down the line. For more information, go to www.thehiddengalleon.com.
History of Pony Penning
Penning began as a way for livestock owners to claim, brand, break and harness their loose herds. By the 1700's it had become an annual event, complete with drinking, eating, and plenty of revelry by the entire community. The earliest known description of Pony Penning was published in 1835. The practice was then already an "ancient" custom held in June on Assateague Island. Penning on Chincoteague Island is not mentioned in print until the mid-1800's, and it's believed to have been begun by two islanders who owned large herds that grazed on Chincoteague.
The penning continued on both islands for years. By 1885, they were held on Assateague one day and Chincoteague the next. Assateague also had a Sheep Penning, which is believed to be a custom even older than the others. Word of the events began to spread, and hotels and boarding houses were booked for the festivities. In 1909, the last Wednesday and Thursday of July were set as the official dates for the yearly events. As Pony Penning increased in popularity, Assateague's Sheep Penning wound down and was discontinued by 1914.
Modern Day Pony Penning
After a string of disastrous fires in the Town of Chincoteague, the villagers realized their fire fighting equipment was seriously inadequate. In 1925, the town authorized the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to hold a carnival during Pony Penning to raise funds. That year, over 15 colts were sold to benefit the fire company, and the carnival was a huge success. Bolstered by the interest in the pony swim, visitors began arriving from across the country for the annual penning.
The crowd in 1937 was estimated at 25,000. The increased revenue from the carnivals and auctions enabled the fire company to modernize its equipment and facilities, and in 1947 it began to build its own herd by purchasing ponies from local owners. They moved the herd to Assateague where the government allowed publicly owned herds to graze on the newly established Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge.
That same year, 1947, Marguerite Henry published Misty of Chincoteague, the story that made Pony Penning internationally famous. A movie followed, as did several sequel books. The tale of the wild pony Phantom, her foal Misty, and the children who buy and raise her was awarded the Newbery Medal of Honor and has become a classic, still loved and enjoyed by each new generation.
Pony Penning is still held in July during the Chincoteague Volunteer Firemen's Carnival. "Saltwater Cowboys" herd the horses across the narrowest part of Assateague Channel at slack tide (between low and high tides), after which they are again examined by veterinarians. After a resting period, they are herded through town to a corral at the Carnival Grounds where they stay until the next day's auction.
The Pony Auction not only provides a source of revenue for the fire company, but it also serves to trim the herd's numbers. To retain the permit to graze on the refuge, the herd must not exceed 150 horses, so they hold this annual event to keep the herd within limits.
Each year thousands of people flock to Chincoteague Island to watch the Pony Penning and enjoy the Firemen's Carnival. For many of them, the trek to the shores of Assateague Channel on the last Wednesday and Thursday of July has become an annual event, an opportunity to participate in a tradition older than the country itself.
This year, they're projecting nearly 50,000 people in attendance. What have I gotten myself into?
NOW IT'S YOUR TURN:
* Have you ever attended Pony Penning Day on Chincoteague, or is it on your bucket list? What would you most look forward to seeing?
* What do you think makes traditions like Pony Penning so enduring and beloved, even 100 years later?
* The story of the shipwrecked Spanish ponies has been passed down for generations. Do you believe it’s fact, folklore, or a powerful mix of both? Why?
Leave answers to these questions or any comments on the post below.
** This note is for our email readers. Please do not reply via email with any comments. View the blog online and scroll down to the comments section.
Come back on the 9th of each month for my next foray into historical tidbits to share.
BIO
Tiffany Amber Stockton has embellished stories since childhood, thanks to a very active imagination and notations of talking entirely too much. Honing those skills led her to careers as an award-winning and best-selling author and speaker, while also working as a professional copywriter/copyeditor. She loves to share life-changing products and ideas with others to help them just get rooted and live a life of purpose.
