Horse Talk

[BridebelieverDD]

Your photography is amazing and your horse is GORGEOUS! I love palomino's.

 

[Kusanar]

I just got back from a vacation to the Maryland side of Assateague island. Playing "find the wild ponies" is always entertaining. Oddly enough, the first one we found this year was a dead one. His name was Jester and he got hit by a car in October, we looked over a dune and found the bones.

 

[Bunnylady]

I understand that collisions with motor vehicles are a common cause of death for the banks ponies (and injury for the motorists). It's become so much of a problem, the ponies on Okracoke are no longer free-roaming. Kind of sad; the tourists who come to see them are a danger to them and endangered by them.

 

[PeepersMama]

I just got back from a vacation to the Maryland side of Assateague island. Playing "find the wild ponies" is always entertaining. Oddly enough, the first one we found this year was a dead one. His name was Jester and he got hit by a car in October, we looked over a dune and found the bones.

I want to go to Chincoteague and Assateague SO BAD e e

 

[ShrekDawg]

I just got back from a vacation to the Maryland side of Assateague island. Playing "find the wild ponies" is always entertaining. Oddly enough, the first one we found this year was a dead one. His name was Jester and he got hit by a car in October, we looked over a dune and found the bones.

Awesome! I've always wanted to go there! Sad about the pony though.

I understand that collisions with motor vehicles are a common cause of death for the banks ponies (and injury for the motorists). It's become so much of a problem, the ponies on Okracoke are no longer free-roaming. Kind of sad; the tourists who come to see them are a danger to them and endangered by them.

That's sad! Must be hard on themtoo, having been free their whole lives. I thought cars weren't allowed on the island?

Why don't they just have a tour service? Surprised they don't have one already. They could have a ranger do tours or even let a private company and then the only cars allowed over there would be for the tours so the ponies would be at less of a risk, given the drivers know how to drive to avoid them, and the ponies could go free range again, tourists would still get to see them, and they would probably make A LOT of money from the tours. The money could go back into caring for the horses and maintaining the island.

I want to go to Chincoteague and Assateague SO BAD e e

Me too!

 

[Bunnylady]

I thought cars weren't allowed on the island?

On Okracoke? There isn't a bridge to the island, only ferries, but last I heard, cars are allowed (they were the last time I was there, at any rate). Like most of the islands, Okracoke has year-round residents; there are only a few islands that I know of that are designated sanctuaries and uninhabited by people.

 

[ShrekDawg]

On Okracoke? There isn't a bridge to the island, only ferries, but last I heard, cars are allowed (they were the last time I was there, at any rate). Like most of the islands, Okracoke has year-round residents; there are only a few islands that I know of that are designated sanctuaries and uninhabited by people.

Ohhh sorry, i actually havent heard of that one. I was thinking of chincoteague amd assoteague i think

 

[Kusanar]

Ohhh sorry, i actually havent heard of that one. I was thinking of chincoteague amd assoteague i think

Assateague has cars, there is a fence across the Virginia / Maryland state line to keep the herds from mixing, but there is a bridge on each end onto Assateague and Chincateague also has a bridge, or how else would people take the ponies they bought home.

I have not been to the Va side yet, but the Maryland side has paved roads and an area where you can pay like $50 extra and drive down the beach on the sand. There are 2 (I believe) herds that can only be found by going down the beach. The others are all off of an on paved roads.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Assateague has cars, there is a fence across the Virginia / Maryland state line to keep the herds from mixing, but there is a bridge on each end onto Assateague and Chincateague also has a bridge, or how else would people take the ponies they bought home.

I have not been to the Va side yet, but the Maryland side has paved roads and an area where you can pay like $50 extra and drive down the beach on the sand. There are 2 (I believe) herds that can only be found by going down the beach. The others are all off of an on paved roads.

Wow that is awesome!!

 

[Kusanar]

Wow that is awesome!!

Check out this link. This shows quite a few of the horses (though not all to my frustration) that are on the Maryland side: http://shop.assateagueislandalliance.org/category.sc?categoryId=5

I saw a chestnut foal when we were there and I was trying to figure out which herd I was looking at, there are currently 4 foals, 2 are pintos which the one I saw was not, that leaves Mieke's Noe'lani - a filly or Sarah's SweetTea - a colt, as I didn't get close and they are all fluffy, I couldn't tell what gender the baby was, so I figured I would look up the dams of each and see if I had photos of either.... They say who the foal's dam is on each, but I cannot find photos of the dams on here at all.... frustrating to say the least... but, Sarah's SweetTea has the probable sire listed as Yankee who IS listed and I believe I have a photo of him in the herd with the baby, so I think I saw Sarah's SweetTea and Yankee's herd... though, the photo I took is from the other side of Yankee and he's in winter fluff in my photos and in summer coat in theirs, so it MAY not be him... wish they supplied more photos showing facial markings and both sides.... and all named horses...

One thing I found impressive though is that a mare I saw last year and again this year was born in 1988... she's 29, almost 30 years old (assuming a spring baby)... not too bad for a wild pony! I don't anticipate her living much longer though, she and her stallion were a 2 horse herd up near the bridge and he is the one that got hit by the car and killed, she looks a lot older this year than last year. If she's still there next year when I go back I will be surprised.