Near Berlin in Worcester County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Wild Ponies
With luck, you will see ponies during your visit. Please watch from a distance. Wild ponies kick and bite, even though they may look tame. Feeding them is dangerous and unlawful.
Two Herds
The ponies usually live in small groups or "bands." Bands living on the northern section of the island belong to the Maryland herd. The National Park Service maintains these horses in their wild state with minimal human interference.
The larger Virginia herd - the Chincoteague Ponies - graze under permit on the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. A fence at the state boundary keeps the herds separated.
Shipwreck Survivors?
How did the ponies arrive at Assateague? Some may have been shipwrecked here long ago as legend contends, but no documented evidence has yet been found.
Research does show that English planters pastured horses and other kinds of livestock on barrier islands here in the 1600s to avoid the expenses of fencing and taxes. Perhaps some of today's ponies have descended from these pioneers.
The Roundup
Every year on the last Wednesday and Thursday in July, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (owner and manager of the Virginia herd) sponsors its festive roundup. Horseback riders gather the ponies and drive them across the channel to the Chincoteague carnival ground where some are sold at auction. The rest are returned to the island.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Animals.
Location. 38° 14.965′ N, 75° 9.351′ W. Marker is near Berlin, Maryland, in Worcester County. Marker is at the intersection of National Seashore Lane and Stephen Decatur Highway (Maryland Highway 611), on the right when traveling north on National Seashore Lane. Marker is located next to the visitors center for the Assateague Island National Seashore. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7206 National Seashore Lane, Berlin MD 21811, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Beach to Bay Indian Trail (a few steps from this marker); Treasures from the Past (a few steps from this marker); Caring for the Bay (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sheltered Waters (about 700 feet away); You're looking out over… A Productive Nursery (about 700 feet away); Berlin / Snow Hill / Wallops Flight Facility / Chincoteague (about 700 feet away); Verrazano Bridge (approx. ¼ mile away); Stephen Tyng Mather (approx. ¼ mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Berlin.
More about this marker. Illustrations on the marker include a kicking pony, ponies swimming during the roundup, and ponies swimming ashore from a shipwreck. A map in the lower center indicates how the state boundary splits the island.
Also see . . . Assateague's Wild Ponies. National Park Service page discussing the ponies. (Submitted on June 15, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.)
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on June 15, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,244 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on June 15, 2008, by Craig Swain of Leesburg, Virginia.