Off the coast of Virginia, the islands of Assateague and Chincoteague are home to a feral horse - the Chincoteague Pony. Over two hundred ponies live in a national park on the Assateague Island and they are protected by the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service. Their day-to-day care and breed management has been entrusted to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.

The Chincoteague Pony is normally a pinto coloring, but can come in a wide variety of colors and markings. Though a feral pony, the hindquarters and general shape has been improved through selective breeding programs and the introduction of various stallions, including Welsh and Shetland Ponies, to upgrade the stock.

Once a year, some foals and yearlings are auctioned off to the public in an effort to raise money for the management of the herd and control popularion growth. As the only indigenous pony group in the United States, the Cincoteague has some notoriety and this annual event has become quite popular. The pony is well-known and is often purchased as a child's pony. Because of their size and gentle temperament, they are well suited to the job.

It's believed that the Chincoteague came from escaped Spanish stock sometime in the seventeenth century. But, the existence of these feral ponies did not become widely known until the 1920s. Island caretakers began to take interest in the degenerated breed, and by introducing crossbreed stallions, they were able to root out various congenital diseases and poor bone structures.

Today, the Chincoteague is a well loved and popular pony, protected by its keepers and known throughout the United States.

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Chincoteague - Horses for Sale