Why do I write about Chincoteague? Why do vacationers flock there year after year, especially during Pony Penning week? I think it’s because the island provides a sense of “place” and a feeling of community that we so often lack. Chincoteague is family-oriented, with strong traditions, and Pony Penning is a big part of that.
That was really in evidence this year, 2026. After the ponies make the short swim from Assateague Island, they rest for about forty-five minutes. Then they parade through town to the corrals at the carnival grounds. The Saltwater Cowboys, members and friends of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department (which owns the ponies), ride along the edges of the streets with the wild ponies in the middle.
The picture above is the beginning of the “pony parade.” The man in the red, white, and blue shirt is Cowboy Jack, 93 years old. He’s been riding with the Saltwater Cowboys since he was young. The other riders, too, have deep roots on the island, with generational knowledge of the ponies and how best to (lightly) manage them. The ponies, while remaining wild, receive excellent care when they need it.
This year at the pony parade we stood in a big crowd on Main Street next to a family from Ohio with three young girls. The two older girls had been the recipients of a “Feather Fund” pony last year. The Feather Fund helps kids realize their dream of owning a Chincoteague pony. Every year at the auction a huge cheer goes up when a Feather Fund kid wins a bid.
While we waited for the ponies, it became obvious something was going on with them. The girls were weeping, the dad was comforting them, and the mom stood behind us having urgent conversations on her cell phone. Turns out their three-year-old pony at home was sick. “He was fine just last night,” the mom told me. Vets were urgently trying to help him.
Then came the worst news. The pony had to be put down. And the tears gushed out. How hard is that? To be on this happy vacation, and find out your pony at home had died?
It gets even worse. I found out this week that the family cut their vacation short, eager to get home to their remaining pony, Luna, only to discover she, too was now sick, off her feed and running a temperature. What was going on? How could two ponies get so sick so suddenly?
Stymied, the family’s Ohio vet consulted with Dr. Allison Dotzal, the lead vet for the Chincoteague herd. What had changed, she wondered? After the family left on vacation, a storm had come through and a large tree branch had fallen into the ponies’ pasture. FaceTiming, she asked to see it. It was a red maple. Dr. Dotzal then suspected that Luna had red maple toxicity.
Luna was transported to the Ohio State University’s Equine ICU, where that diagnosis was confirmed. She received multiple blood transfusions and lots of meds and excellent care until she was on the road to recovery. The family hired a tree service to remove every red maple near their pasture.
It’s a sad thing, losing a pony and almost losing another one. That’s a lot of trauma for three young girls. But now, Feather Fund supporters are coming together to help this family cover the enormous cost of saving Luna. You can read the whole story (and find a link to contribute) here: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100064845003826
That’s the kind of community spirit I’ve seen demonstrated on Chincoteague again and again. Life can be hard, but people do care, and that can help ease the sting. Somewhere in Ohio, some young girls may be learning that very thing.