The Story Of Delmarva's Assateague Horses
by Katelyn Buckner
Assateague Island is a barrier island off the Delmarva Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the United States. Delmarva is occupied by most of the State of Delaware as well as parts of Maryland and Virginia. The Assateague horses form a population of feral horses in the Maryland portion of the island. The term, "feral" refers to the fact that they were once domesticated and reverted to a wild life, rather than being fully wild. They are referred to as the Chincoteague ponies on the Virginia side of the island. The two terms are used synonymously herein.
The Chincoteague/Assateague dichotomy is not the only controversy surrounding these strange beasts. There are arguments over whether they should be classified as horses or as ponies. The official rule to distinguish between the two categories for competition purposes relies on a measurement of height. Traditionally, specimens standing higher than 14.2 hands (58 inches or 147 centimeters) are classified as horses while anything shorter is regarded as a pony.
Although the Chincoteague ponies do fall below the minimum height, there are those who feel the animals display phenotypic features of a horse in other ways. These features include such characteristics as conformation and temperament. Their diminutive stature may be the product of a poor-quality diet as a result of occupying a salt marsh habitat.
Legend has it that they swam to shore from a shipwrecked Spanish galleon called the Santo Cristo on its voyage to Peru in 1600. They were destined for sale to the Viceroy there. Their origin has been variously described as Moor ponies as well as Arabian horses. The more likely, and less glamorous, explanation is that they were dispatched into the wild by a rancher who did not wish to pay the required livestock tax on the animals.
The herd living on the Maryland side of the island, is owned by the Maryland Park Service and consists of around 140 head. The Chincoteague herd dwells on the Virginia side of the island and is owned by Chinoteague Volunteer Fire Department. This herd numbers around 130. The two herds are physically separated by a fence along the Maryland/Virginia border.
The legend behind this breed of animals, somewhat stodgy in shape due to retention of water from a high-salt diet, was immortalized in the children's novel, "Misty of Chincoteague". The author of the book, published in 1947, was Marguerite Henry, who followed it with two sequels. The legend was brought to the silver screen in a movie called simply, "Misty" in 1961.
It has been claimed that Misty was foaled in domesticity on Chincoteague Island and not captured in the wild as told in the book. Chincoteague Island, resting entirely in the State of Virginia, is separated from the barrier island of Assateague by a tiny inlet. Misty and her foal, Stormy, are both on display as taxidermy at Beebe Ranch in Chincoteague, Virginia.
Whichever tale you choose to believe about their arrival on the island, the story of the <A href="http://www.intheherd.com">Assateague horses</A> is a fascinating one. The National Chincoteague Pony Association in Bellingham, Washington, was founded in 1980 with a mission to improve and promote the breeding of these intriguing animals. The location of the association in the State of Washington is proof that the once local herd has attracted national attention.
If you would like to learn more about Assateague horses and their environment, check out <a href="http://www.intheherd.com">www.intheherd.com</a>. You will find some exciting images when you visit us at http://www.intheherd.com today.
---------------------------------------------------
You are receiving this because you signed up for it on 2011-08-23 from IP
To fine-tune your selection of which articles to receive, just login here:
http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/bloggers/
using your username:
To unsubscribe please use the following link:
http://www.uniquearticlewizard.com/unsubscribe.php?mail=kidloveme.huyen@blogger.com&code=b83952f8ca040e326c958cbc4b8fd96e
---------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------
New Unique Article!
Title: The Story Of Delmarva's Assateague Horses
Author: Katelyn Buckner
Email: nathanwebster335@live.com
Keywords: photography, pictures, images, photos
Word Count: 550
Category: Hobbies
---------------------------------
No comments:
Post a Comment