The equine thread

[elbkup]

The annual pony swim took place at low tide from Assateague and Chinqoteage Islands across Chesapeake Bay to mainland Virginia July 27 .. the first since the pandemic. About 150 ponies made the swim; the first pony on land is crowned King or Queen Neptune.. I remember when this was a little known event with few spectators, me among them photographing from a distance. As you can see that has changed!

NPR on Instagram: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel as the annual Pony Swim event returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁠ ⁠

62K likes, 3,103 comments - npr on July 28, 2022: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel a..."

www.instagram.com

 

[elbkup]

Harmony and April chow down..
Enjoy the sweet grass while it lasts..

 

[elbkup]

LES Haven Ranch on Instagram: "UPDATE: I turned the comments off as I was getting majority sweet comments but had quite of few stating how unsafe this technique was and how I have the lead. So I’m going to explain WHY I did it this way rather than ke

LES Haven Ranch shared a post on Instagram: "UPDATE: I turned the comments off as I was getting majority sweet comments but had quite of few stating how unsafe this technique was and how I have the lead. So I’m going to explain WHY I did it this way rather than keeping the lead tight to where he...

www.instagram.com

 

[Johar]

Good luck in the Kentucky Derby today.

 

[Johar]

Mage won the Kentucky Derby

 

[elbkup]

Mage won the Kentucky Derby

Celebration of course tinged with sadness with several deaths leading up to the event.. will not belabour the topic , too heartbreaking for words..
I love the name Mage. Prayers for health and safety in upcoming events

 

[Diana Delafield]

The annual pony swim took place at low tide from Assateague and Chinqoteage Islands across Chesapeake Bay to mainland Virginia July 27 .. the first since the pandemic. About 150 ponies made the swim; the first pony on land is crowned King or Queen Neptune.. I remember when this was a little known event with few spectators, me among them photographing from a distance. As you can see that has changed!

NPR on Instagram: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel as the annual Pony Swim event returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁠ ⁠

62K likes, 3,103 comments - npr on July 28, 2022: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel a..."

www.instagram.com

The annual pony swim took place at low tide from Assateague and Chinqoteage Islands across Chesapeake Bay to mainland Virginia July 27 .. the first since the pandemic. About 150 ponies made the swim; the first pony on land is crowned King or Queen Neptune.. I remember when this was a little known event with few spectators, me among them photographing from a distance. As you can see that has changed!

NPR on Instagram: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel as the annual Pony Swim event returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁠ ⁠

62K likes, 3,103 comments - npr on July 28, 2022: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel a..."

www.instagram.com

One of my favourite books as a kid was Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague". Made me want to learn to ride, encouraged by a grandmother who had been a competitive equestrienne. We were both disappointed when I turned out to be allergic to the straw and hay in the stables and had to give up riding lessons. No allergies in skating rinks, though!

 

[Diana Delafield]

Celebration of course tinged with sadness with several deaths leading up to the event.. will not belabour the topic , too heartbreaking for words..
I love the name Mage. Prayers for health and safety in upcoming events

I only follow racing in print, not on TV. How is "Mage" pronounced? Soft g or hard? Short a or long?

 

[iluvtodd]

Soft g, long a

 

[elbkup]

I only follow racing in print, not on TV. How is "Mage" pronounced? Soft g or hard? Short a or long?

It is the root of Magic and Magician..
I can’t help but think of Prosporo but M not P must have been the letter in his birth year

 

[elbkup]

One of my favourite books as a kid was Marguerite Henry's "Misty of Chincoteague". Made me want to learn to ride, encouraged by a grandmother who had been a competitive equestrienne. We were both disappointed when I turned out to be allergic to the straw and hay in the stables and had to give up riding lessons. No allergies in skating rinks, though!

PS. Marguerite Henry also wrote another horse story King of the Wind.. still have my old copy
And another favorite Cinnibar the One O’Clock Fox

 

[Diana Delafield]

PS. Marguerite Henry also wrote another horse story King of the Wind.. still have my old copy
And another favorite Cinnibar the One O’Clock Fox

I had King of the Wind also. I think it's been passed down to the grandkid who rides. I don't remember the Cinnibar one. I'll have to look for it, thanks!

 

[elbkup]

I had King of the Wind also. I think it's been passed down to the grandkid who rides. I don't remember the Cinnibar one. I'll have to look for it, thanks!

Then there is the Misty series..

 

[Diana Delafield]

Then there is the Misty series..

Loved the illustrations for her books as much as the stories themselves.

 

[moonvine]

Too bad I didn't put money down. I actually picked Mage as I was sitting there being shocked that the name was available. It's so cool that he is owned by a consortium. Of course now I want to purchase shares in such a consortium.

 

[elbkup]

Chincoteague pony joins Oregon’s Skydog Sanctuary..

27K views · 9.6K likes | Skydog Sanctuary on Instagram: "And just like that … a little chincoteague pony joins the Skydog Oregon sanctuary ❤️♥️ It’s probably lucky I wasn’t there to scare him with my squeals of delight so it’s a quiet, curious and n

9,618 likes, 549 comments - skydogsanctuary on July 6, 2023: "And just like that … a little chincoteague pony joins the Skydog Oregon sanctuary ❤️♥️ It’s probably lucky I wasn’t there t..."

www.instagram.com

 

[Diana Delafield]

Chincoteague pony joins Oregon’s Skydog Sanctuary..

27K views · 9.6K likes | Skydog Sanctuary on Instagram: "And just like that … a little chincoteague pony joins the Skydog Oregon sanctuary ❤️♥️ It’s probably lucky I wasn’t there to scare him with my squeals of delight so it’s a quiet, curious and n

9,618 likes, 549 comments - skydogsanctuary on July 6, 2023: "And just like that … a little chincoteague pony joins the Skydog Oregon sanctuary ❤️♥️ It’s probably lucky I wasn’t there t..."

www.instagram.com

I love the delicate way he moves, like a dancer.

 

[moonvine]

The annual pony swim took place at low tide from Assateague and Chinqoteage Islands across Chesapeake Bay to mainland Virginia July 27 .. the first since the pandemic. About 150 ponies made the swim; the first pony on land is crowned King or Queen Neptune.. I remember when this was a little known event with few spectators, me among them photographing from a distance. As you can see that has changed!

NPR on Instagram: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel as the annual Pony Swim event returned after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.⁠ ⁠

62K likes, 3,103 comments - npr on July 28, 2022: "Spectators gathered on the eastern shores of Virginia early Wednesday, July 27, to watch wild ponies swim across the Assateague Channel a..."

www.instagram.com

How long ago was that? We went when I was a child. My dad had a boat so we could see them really well. Then there was some sort of fair thing where they were auctioned.

 

[elbkup]

How long ago was that? We went when I was a child. My dad had a boat so we could see them really well. Then there was some sort of fair thing where they were auctioned.

The film was last year I believe?
I went years and years ago through a group called Earthwatch that offered trips to unusual places for photography..
It certainly was NOT like the film..
kind of felt sorry for the horses..
Yes they are auctioned I think to benefit the local fire department.. the swim occurs to thin the island horse population which gives me pause.. you want them all to be safe and go to loving homes.. right?

Sable Island in Canada also has wild horses said to be the direct descendants of the island’s original equine population; it is a National Park and the horses are protected..
The situation on Chincoteague may and hopefully will change but America does not revere its wild horse populations.. free roaming Mustangs are a case in point victims so often of BLM’s mishandling..

Horses

Sable Island is well known for its population of wild horses.

parks.canada.ca

 

[moonvine]

The film was last year I believe?
I went years and years ago through a group called Earthwatch that offered trips to unusual places for photography..
It certainly was NOT like the film..
kind of felt sorry for the horses..
Yes they are auctioned I think to benefit the local fire department.. the swim occurs to thin the island horse population which gives me pause.. you want them all to be safe and go to loving homes.. right?

Sable Island in Canada also has wild horses said to be the direct descendants of the island’s original equine population; it is a National Park and the horses are protected..
The situation on Chincoteague may and hopefully will change but America does not revere its wild horse populations.. free roaming Mustangs are a case in point victims so often of BLM’s mishandling..

Horses

Sable Island is well known for its population of wild horses.

parks.canada.ca

The Chincoteague ponies are cared for far better than the wild mustangs, which I don't think receive much in the way of care. Actually there are two different herds, one on the Maryland side, which are also called Assateague horses, and one on the Virginia side, called Chincoteague ponies. The one on the Maryland side receives no care. Unfortunately some probably die of illness due to lack of vet care, some drown in storms, some wander into the road and get killed (the Chincoteague ponies are fenced off from the road). I was reading that awhile back - the 90s? a bunch of previously purchased Chincoteague ponies were brought back and set loose on Assateague because the numbers had gotten so low over there.
The ponies on the Chincoteague side are rounded up twice a year for veterinary care and are monitored over the year to identify and treat any minor injuries. I remember at the auction a lady let me go up with her and look at a pony she was interested in buying and the pony allowed it's feet to be picked up and be examined. The proceeds go to the Fire Department because they are the ones who take care of the ponies. Also, some of them are "buybacks" - people buy them and send them back to the island to live for life. Which doesn't accomplish thinning of the herd, so I'm not sure what purpose that serves.
Anyway, that's what I know about it in a nutshell. The ponies have to go somewhere, they need to keep the size of the herd stable. Chincoteague Island can support about 150 ponies and about 75 foals are born each year. I guess they could neuter the males, but then eventually they would all die off. Money is needed for their vet care and supplemental feeding in the winter. I'm not sure what else could be done with them other than auctioning them off.
The Sable Island horses aren't cared for, they are treated as wild animals. (Also I'm thinking Sable Island is a lot larger than Chincoteague, which is a barrier island). I tried to look it up, but it was all in km and ha and I don't grok that measurement system.
I prefer the idea of the horses being managed and provided vet care, it makes me kind of sick to think of them suffering and dying without vet care, although yes, it is nature. I'd rather take a chance at auctioning them off. People who pay thousands of dollars for a horse are unlikely to mistreat it.