The equine thread

[elbkup]

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. I do not know how they keep the island from being overrun, 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. 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.

What a nice memory you have visiting the island with your Dad. The event is all very romantic but care wise the practicalities need to be addressed and it seems to be handled on Chincoteague better than most. I did not know about the Assateague side of things .. sad; I think the Sable Island horses are similar. No human contact whatsoever so nature does the culling.. a hard life for them. I wonder how and why the little pony found its way to Skydog in Oregon.. she doesn’t say in the note with the video. But, since Skydog is mainly a Mustang Sanctuary, with donkeys and the occasional Zebra, the Chinciteague pony will eventually be released to run with Mustangs. Fingers crossed it goes well but it has a good chance.. anyway..

 

[moonvine]

What a nice memory you have visiting the island with your Dad. The event is all very romantic but care wise the practicalities need to be addressed and it seems to be handled on Chincoteague better than most. I did not know about the Assateague side of things .. sad; I think the Sable Island horses are similar. No human contact whatsoever so nature does the culling.. a hard life for them. I wonder how and why the little pony found its way to Skydog in Oregon.. she doesn’t say in the note with the video. But, since Skydog is mainly a Mustang Sanctuary, with donkeys and the occasional Zebra, the Chinciteague pony will eventually be released to run with Mustangs. Fingers crossed it goes well but it has a good chance.. anyway..

Some people believe wildlife should be wild...but horses/ponies are typically domesticated animals. It seems no one knows for sure where they came from. The shipwreck story in the Misty books is one theory. There are others. But whatever theory one subscribes to, they all seem to point to the ancestors of the ponies being domesticated at one point in time. A lot of people place a high value on "freedom" for animals. I think freedom is a human construct. Animals know if they have food to eat, water to drink. They know if they are dying in a storm or worse, dying of an untreated injury or illness. If they were owned animals it would be abuse to treat them like this, but since they are feral animals it isn't. Anyway, I digress.
A ZEBRA? What do they do with the Zebras? Do they run with the mustangs? I'm fascinated now.

 

[elbkup]

Some people believe wildlife should be wild...but horses/ponies are typically domesticated animals. It seems no one knows for sure where they came from. The shipwreck story in the Misty books is one theory. There are others. But whatever theory one subscribes to, they all seem to point to the ancestors of the ponies being domesticated at one point in time. A lot of people place a high value on "freedom" for animals. I think freedom is a human construct. Animals know if they have food to eat, water to drink. They know if they are dying in a storm or worse, dying of an untreated injury or illness. If they were owned animals it would be abuse to treat them like this, but since they are feral animals it isn't. Anyway, I digress.
A ZEBRA? What do they do with the Zebras? Do they run with the mustangs? I'm fascinated now.

Skydog has a few locations and is private land. Horses free range, lead “horse lives” but are monitored so have their needs met and are cared for. I like the arrangement though they do have their critics…
They are Zorses.. zebras that have been cross bred with horses .. or donkeys.. (a practice that should be outlawed imo) or bred as hunting fodder
and then abandoned or sent to kill pens.
Skydog rescues them and they live out their lives in safety. So much good could come from the human-animal connection but as it stands now that connection can be tragic; it could do with complete reassessment but that would take enormous evolution.. still, incremental strides forward are made every day for which we can be grateful.
It slowly gets better with each passing decade thanks to those of us who love have their best interests at heart

 

[elbkup]

For Duende
American Mustang
Age 16
Passed too soon..

The Horse Whisperer - Video&Music

Les 2 titres de la bande originale (dans l'ordre):1) The Rhythm of the Horse (0:00 - 2:33 min) 2) Percheron Stallion (2:34 - 4:32 min)BO "The Horse Whispere...

youtu.be