CHINCOTEAGUE, Va.- The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company said that one of the ponies that participated in the Chincoteague Pony Swim Wednesday morning died tragically Thursday.
In a post to its Facebook page, the fire company said a pony named Riptide was chasing Butterfly Kisses in the pen at the carnival grounds when Butterfly Kisses slipped. They said she slid into a fence, where she broke her neck. The veterinarian and cowboys were helping the pony within minutes of the incident, but the fire company said there was "no chance of survival."
Butterfly Kisses was euthanized and she was brought back to Assateague Island, where she was buried.
The fire company also said that Butterfly Kisses' foal was bought by a local family who owns horses. They already took the baby home.
The 93rd annual Chincoteague Pony Swim kicked off Wednesday, where about 120 ponies living on Assateague Island swam to Chincoteague. The ponies were then paraded down Main Street to the carnival grounds. Foals were auctioned off Thursday morning. The rest of the ponies will make the swim back to Assateague Friday.
The event raises money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, which takes care of those ponies.