CHINOCOTEAGUE, Va. - Pony Penning, or more commonly known as the Pony Swim, will be celebrating its 99th year of festivities on Chincoteague Island. Thousands of viewers will gather on Wednesday to watch the ponies swim from their home on Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island, however, Pony Penning has had a centuries-long history.
Pony Swim Beginnings:
According to Chincoteague's website, the wild ponies have inhabited Assateague Island for hundreds of years. The Pony Swim began for livestock owners to claim and brand loose herds. By the 1700’s, pony penning became an annual event for the community. The earliest known description of the Pony Swim was in 1835 and, by then, the event was already a custom on Assateague Island.
However, Pony penning on Chincoteague Island was not mentioned until the mid-1800s and is believed to have begun by two islanders on Chincoteague.
Chincoteague's Pony Swim guide explains that penning had continued on both islands and by 1885 the Assateague Pony Penning was on one day and Chincoteague’s happened on the next. Assateague included Sheep Penning in their festivities, however as pony penning became more popular, the sheep penning event was eventually discontinued by 1914.
Modern-Day Pony Swim:
After many fires in Chincoteague, the locals discovered their equipment no longer worked well. According to Chincoteague's website, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company held a carnival in 1925 during the Pony Swim to raise money.
It has been described that during the carnival, 15 colts were sold to benefit the fire company and the carnival was a success. Visitors began arriving for the annual pony swim. It was reported that the crowd of the 1937 pony swim contained around 25,000 people.
In 1947, Marguerite Henry published "Misty of Chincoteague" which skyrocketed the Pony Swim’s fame.
2024 Pony Swim:
From 1947 to now, the Pony Swim has become a week-long event.
The festivities began with the Southern Herd Roundup on Saturday, July 20, and will end on Friday, July 26, when the ponies swim back to Assateague. The Chincoteague Fireman’s Carnival will be open each night beginning at 7 p.m. and will have rides, games, raffles and food.
