We traveled to Chincoteague, Va. on July 27, 2004 to watch the 79th annual pony swim conducted by the volunteer fire department. They herd the ponies from Assateague Island across a narrow channel of water to Chincoteague Island where they are auctioned off the next day to provide funding for the fire department. There were about 150 ponies in the swim.
Chincoteague normally has a population of about 1,500. Spectators for this annual event numbered about 60,000! The businesses love it. The locals well........ Traffic is absolutely impossible.
There had been heavy rains for several days before the swim and shortly after the swim it began to rain again, about 3 inches worth. The mud was beyond belief.
We stayed at the Tall Pines campground in Sanford about 20 miles from Chincoteague.
We took the jeep to commute to Chhincoteague Island to join the crowds waiting for the swim. We arrived about 9:00 AM and the swim was scheduled for the noon slack tide, As you can see, we were not the first to arrive. Motels are booked full many months in advance for this event.
This photo and the one above were taken from quite different areas. Everyplace we looked there was a sea of people. We talked to visitors from as far away as Canada, Florida, and Michigan who came just for the pony swim.
Even in the trees.
Some people arrived at 5:00 AM to get a prime spot and took a nap while waiting.
Did I mention the mud? These two were lucky, in some places the mud was knee deep but that didn't stop people from wading though it to get a good vantage point. Afterwards, on the way downtown, some residents were renting their hose for rinsing off, 25 cents per person. Knowledgable folks were throw-away shoes.
These are two of the famed "saltwater cowboys" who herd the ponies across the channel and to the carnival grounds for the auction.
The ponies have just entered the water on the other side.
I believe you could walk from one side of the channel to the other on the boats.
Here is the first one to make it ashore.
Now they are really scrambling ashore (and the person in the middle is scrambling to get out of the way).
All ponies are safely ashore. They are held here while the cowboys are transported from the other side by barge to herd them to the fairgrounds by way of Main Street.
As soon as they come ashore, the horses start doing one of the two things they do best, eat.
The waiting time also gives the spectators time to walk from the vicinity of Memorial Park to Main Street.
At last the parade starts lead by the saltwater cowboys.
Occasionally one of the ponies gets away from the herd or starts going the wrong way.
Mostly they just follow the leader.
After arriving at the corrals on the carnival grounds they rest and eat and....
give their opinions of the event.
or just roll their eyes.
Send me your comments
Visit me at:
If you plan on attending a future pony swim, I highly recommend wearing rubber boots and have lots of insect repellent handy.
