CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — Preparations are underway for the 101st annual Chincoteague Pony Swim, as volunteers and officials work behind the scenes to get ready for one of the Delmarva’s most well-known traditions.
The Saltwater Cowboys have already completed the roundup of both herds of wild ponies from Assateague Island. The ponies have also completed their traditional beach walk, with veterinary checks underway ahead of Wednesday’s swim.
Hunter Leonard with the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company says hundreds of volunteers help make the event possible each year.
“I often tell people like, this is the one week where everyone in the fire company is busy all week, the entire week, no breaks,” Leonard said.
Leonard says the work involves many different teams, including cowboys on horseback, boat crews, veterinary teams and volunteers helping manage the ponies.
“The volunteer fire department is literally this week, hundreds and hundreds of people who are putting this event on and making this event go,” Leonard said. “And so there's cowboys on horseback, there's cowboys and boats, there's vet teams, there's, you know, people on the ground that are helping us in the corrals, helping us everywhere.”
Cody McLafferty, a veterinary technician helping with the event, says the ponies go through health checks before the swim.
“We'll run through and check everybody,” McLafferty said. “And then the vet check days will actually bring them through the chutes one by one, and give them all a closer look and a closer run through.”
Visitors from across Delmarva and the country are also making their way to Chincoteague ahead of Wednesday’s event.
Debbie Viscuglia of Magnolia, Delaware, stopped by while on vacation and says seeing the ponies up close was a memorable experience.
“The foals, and the colts and and some of them are looking for their moms and interacting, and it's just amazing to see,” Viscuglia told WBOC.
She says she appreciates the work that goes into caring for the ponies and maintaining the tradition.
“I think it's wonderful that they bring them in and they maintain them and they take good care of them,” Viscuglia said. “And obviously the ponies are used to the area. And I just think it's totally wonderful what they do.”
Jill Glodzik traveled from Pennsylvania for her fourth consecutive Pony Swim. She says the experience is something she continues to enjoy returning to.
“Seeing them swim, I mean, it's a short distance, but it's neat. It's something you don't forget. And…it's fun,” Glodzik said.
Glodzik says returning each year allows her to learn more about the tradition and build connections with other visitors.
“You get more and more knowledge. You meet more and more people, you develop more friendships with everyone. And…it's a lifelong thing,” Glodzik said.
The 101st annual Chincoteague Pony Swim is scheduled for Wednesday, with officials expecting visitors from across the region and beyond to attend the historic event.
