August/Septemer 2026 Issue

August/September 2026 | EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN 33 imals, heavily pregnant mares, mares with very young foals and ponies with health concerns. Green marked buyback foals and their dams, while pink or purple identified fall-pickup foals that would remain with their dams until age-ap- propriate collection dates. Tuesday evening brought a surprise when Bella gave birth at the south pens to foal #88, a buckskin pinto colt by Twist. Mother and foal were moved to the carnival pens for observa- tion. Eighty-eight foals had been born by Pony Penning, seven of which died in the wild. On Wednesday, the first foal ashore was named King Neptune. Ten-year-old Fiona Maloney of South Carolina won the raffle for the buckskin pinto colt out of Mayli Mist by Maverick. Fire company public information officer and pony committee member Hunter Leonard praised the weather and the team’s quick response to problems. A veterinarian stationed on the Assateague side noticed that Ms. Peg was limping before the swim. She was sedated, moved by barge and trailer, and sent to New Bolton, where a full recovery is expected. Thursday’s auction sold 80 foals and raised $635,600 for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Funds help cover vacci- nations, emergency care, hay drops and veterinary expenses. The seven buybacks generated $237,200, including a $60,000 bid for Tuney’s black filly. The highest-priced take-home foal was Ginger- snap’s palomino pinto filly at $10,500. Another successful Pony Penning showed both the enduring magic of the tradition and the extraordinary care given to Chin- coteague’s wild ponies. Photos Courtesy of Chincoteague Pony Swim.