CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - The Saltwater Cowboys of Chincoteague have announced a record-setting 102nd wild pony foal born this year, but the appearance of newborn #102 is puzzling pony caretakers.
According to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, the newest addition to the Chincoteague ponies was spotted by a Cowboy Cruise Company tour standing with adult mare Marsh Mallow on Assateague Island early Tuesday, Aug. 26. The fire company’s own Captain Hunter Leonard was conducting the boat tour and immediately knew something was off, according to the Saltwater Cowboys - Marsh Mallow had already given birth to a foal in May. This newborn couldn’t be hers.
The cowboys say they were then faced with numerous questions such as where the mother was, why Marsh Mallow was acting like her mother even though she already had a foal this year, and what mare could it have been that gave birth.
(Chincoteague Vol. Fire Co.)
Officials say they had to work quickly. Marsh Mallow was out of milk, according to a veterinarian, putting the new foal in danger of dehydration. Following the veterinarian’s advice, the fire company decided to capture the foal and either locate the real mother or bring the young pony to a mare who could care for her.
Despite some protective aggression from Marsh Mallow, the Saltwater Cowboys say they were able to capture the filly and bring her to their herd on Leonard Farm. There, fire company officials decided to introduce the newborn to their mare EJ. EJ reportedly had a foal that was just weaned days ago, and previously took in an orphaned foal. According to the fire company, the meeting couldn’t have gone better.
“We put her in there expecting some resistance, and within ten seconds she smelled the foal, spun around and let her nurse right away,” the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company wrote on social media. “We were blown away, how could this go so well again, it defied common sense.”
With the foal now cared for and safe, the Saltwater Cowboys say they are now trying to locate the mother based on the process of elimination, as there are only a few mares that hadn’t yet given birth this season, and even fewer that could produce a foal with #102’s coloring.
Captain Hunter Leonard previously told WBOC that 98 foals in a year was the previous record for the Chincoteague ponies. This season’s 100th foal was born just ahead of the 100th Annual Pony Swim, according to the fire company. This year continues to set a new record now with foal #102’s mysterious yet ultimately positive appearance.
“Sometimes it feels like a story that you read as a kid, like your very own Misty of Chincoteague but to all the members of the fire company, it would be a normal days work,” the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company wrote. “When all is said and done these ponies are the thing that brings us all together and we strive to give them the absolute best.”
