Correction: This article has been updated with the correct date of the 2020 event (July 29).

This summer marked the 94th year of Chincoteague’s annual Pony Swim. The Chincoteague Pony Swim was made famous by Marguerite Henry’s book Misty of Chincoteague. Each year, tens of thousands of spectators from around the world gather on Chincoteague Island to witness this annual tradition.

But what is a Chincoteague pony? The Chincoteague ponies are actually known as the wild horses of Assateague. Most people learned about their existence through the well-known children’s story Misty of Chincoteague. Although many believe the ponies are wild animals, they are actually feral animals, descended from domestic horses that reverted to a non-domestic state. These horses have created a unique herd and have survived adverse weather conditions, inferior food sources, insect proliferation, and isolation on a barrier island that can be desolate and dangerous at times.

Although local folklore suggests that the Chincoteague ponies actually survived a shipwreck off the Virginia coast (a distant relative wasn’t so lucky!), there are no records to confirm this dramatic tale. The explanation offered by those who have extensively researched the history of these horses points to 17th Century property owners who were attempting to evade the taxation of livestock as well as the local fencing laws.

There are two main herds of these horses, one on the Maryland side and the other on the Virginia side on the island of Assateague. There is a fence that separates them at the state lines of Maryland and Virginia. The Maryland herd is managed by the National Park Service while the Virginia herd is owned and managed by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. A special use permit is issued on an annual basis by the US Fish and Wildlife Service to enable the Virginia herd to occupy and graze on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. In order to protect and maintain the natural resources of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the permit limits the herd to 150 horses. The Virginia herd is often recognized as the Chincoteague ponies.

A mature Chincoteague pony is approximately 12 to 13 hands (about 4 feet) tall. A horse that stands less than 14 hands is recognized as a pony; a hand is a measurement of four inches. The Chincoteague pony is a sturdy, stocky animal with short legs; thick mane; and large, round bellies.

In order to maintain the herd at 150, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department initiated an event called the Pony Swim and Pony Round-Up. This highly anticipated and well-attended event is held each year during the month of July. The world famous Saltwater Cowboys drive the herd of ponies off their island at slack tide, (a term used to define calm currents for the ponies to safely swim), through the ocean water channel to Virginia. On the last Wednesday of every July, the ponies are rounded up and sold the following day. The young foals are auctioned off to the highest bidder. The auction has approximately 60 foals born the previous year, with proceeds serving as a fundraiser for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

The CVFC maintains and cares for the ponies at a cost of $30,000 to $40,000 per year. In 2019, 57 ponies were auctioned off, and the sale once again broke its all-time record for gross profits, with a total of $271,700, surpassing last year’s total of $229,700. The average bid per pony was approximately $4,300. The highest winning bid was $17,000 (the highest of all time was $25,000 in 2015). Following the auction, the ponies leave their corral at 11 am on Friday and are back in the water by noon, returning to their native homes.

Not all of the foals are taken home by their buyers. A “buyback” pony is auctioned off with the understanding that it will be donated back to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire company and returned to Assateague to replenish the herd.

Let’s not forget Marguerite Henry’s children’s book, Misty of Chincoteague, second only to Anne Sewell’s best-selling classic Black Beauty, that captured generations of fans who fell in love with the fictional Misty, bringing enormous attention to the wild ponies living on a windswept barrier island. The real Misty was born on July 20, 1946, at the Beebe Ranch on Chincoteague Island and was owned by Clarence and Ida Beebe.

Marguerite Henry wanted to purchase Misty to use as the central character for her book. Clarence Beebe initially refused, but they acquiesced after Mrs Henry promised to include his grandchildren, Maureen and Paul Beebe, in the book. Misty stayed with Mrs Henry for more than ten years, appearing for her fans at schools, museums, libraries, and horse shows. Misty was sent back to the Beebe Ranch in 1957 to bear her foals. Clarence Beebe died shortly after Misty’s return, and Ida Beebe asked their son, Ralph, to take care of Misty.

Misty died in her sleep on October 16, 1972, at age 26.

So on July 29, 2020, when the US Coast Guard officer sets off the flare signaling slack tide and orange smoke billows on the horizon, the world famous Saltwater Cowboys will kick off the Pony Swim and Round-Up. I hope you’ll be a part of the international crowd that celebrates the pony swim — but get there early to find the best seat in the house to witnesses that magical moment when a slice of Americana is reinvented once again. Another piece of advice: keep your hands away from your wallet-the foals are very hard to resist!

Margaret A. Reed, PhD, is the coauthor of the best-selling book, The Dogs of Camelot; an AKC dog show judge; a thoroughbred racehorse owner; principal of Canine Training and Behavior Services LLC; and she serves on the board of Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine, James A Baker Institute for Animal Health.