The tradition was made famous by Marguerite Henry’s 1947 fictional book “Misty of Chincoteague“, which is based on the event.
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About 150 ponies were mustered into the water as the tide slackened, allowing the animals to make the swim from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island.
A band of horses in the saltmarsh at Assateague Island National Seashore. Wild ponies were rounded up on the national wildlife refuge and herded across the channel to be auctioned off by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company during the 90th annual event.
CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.- Tens of thousands of people are expected to turn out for Wednesday’s 90th Annual Pony Swim in Chincoteague. After a 45 minute rest, the Saltwater Cowboys started to herd the ponies to the carnival grounds where the auction will take place. The pony swim route is near Memorial Park, where spectators can watch the highly-anticipated annual equine event.
Some islanders called him the Misty of his day.
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Several devastating fires had occurred during the early 1900s, and since Chincoteague Island was isolated from the mainland with no bridges, the town needed protection. Organizers said spectators can catch the ponies ashore at the end of Pony Swim Lane. During his 23 years, Surfer Dude often led the swim to Chincoteague. A statue in the stallion’s honor at the local carnival grounds has been painted to look like Surfer Dude – the figure even boasts one blue eye and one brown eye.
