horsing around..........

[addy1]

We went back to the campsite to break down our camp a month early, spent our last visit there enjoying the great weather, the beach, the lakes.

This was one of the best visits we saw! Saturday morning the beach is packed with people and open feed bags

I want those pringles!

Bertha, which bag should we go for next?

Wow this is fun! See those snacks fly! BTW the gal in the white smacked the horse on the butt and she got kicked. Trying to save her pop corn and other snacks. She did not get hurt.

The horse knows to pull the bag out, stand on it to break it open then shake.

ummmmmmmm what is in here?

They went to visit the camp ground and came back an hour or so later for more snacks.

This gal had ear buds in , a towel over her eyes, never saw the horse coming. no harm done, she was sure surprised!

 

[tbendl]

LOL That is so great!!

 

[sissy]

horses are great thieves you never hear them sneaking up on you LOL

 

[JBtheExplorer]

I want those pringles!

That is clearly a Lays can. C'mon addy!


Also, great action shot of those cheese puffs flying everywhere! ha!

 

[addy1]

That is clearly a Lays can. C'mon addy!


Also, great action shot of those cheese puffs flying everywhere! ha!

lol can you tell I don't eat them..............no clue on what the can should look like

The horse was having a hoot! It tore open a bag of popcorn first, then went for the snack stuff, don't think it was cheese puffs, some of the things look like those veggie sticks snacks. The gal kept trying to cover the snacks up with sand so it could not eat them. Everybody else was saying let the horse eat.

 

[Mmathis]

Funny! Are they wild, feral........? Very nice looking animals! Love horses!

 

[addy1]

They are all wild, they think they came from descendants of the spanish ships. They do a round up once a year to auction off some of the ponies to control the size of the herd. ow they are left alone.
Virginia does the round up, maryland darts the mares with contraceptive.


Assateague wild ponies have roamed the beaches, pine forest, and salt marsh of Assateague Island since the 1600's. Assateague Island National Seashore has a combined total of over 300 wild ponies in Maryland and Virginia. Some people believe the horses arrived on Assateague's shores when a Spanish galleon ship (with a cargo of horses) sank offshore. Others believe the horses arrived by early colonial settlers that allowed them to graze there. A Spanish ship wreck was discovered recently in the waters off Assateague which lends credit to the first theory.

The ponies have become well-adapted and enjoy the solitude Assateague Island offers. Marsh and sand dune grasses, rosehips, bayberry twigs, and persimmons supply the bulk of their food. Assateague ponies are often found feeding on the salt marsh cordgrass along Assateague's western shoreline. When traveling by boat, you may encounter Assateague ponies along extensive bay habitats and pine forest of the 37 mile barrier island .

Both Maryland and Virginia sides of Assateague have wild ponies, each has a herd of about 160. A fence at the Maryland/Virginia state line separates the two herds. The wild ponies of Assateague are usually seen in groups of about 5-10 animals. The National Park Service and Fish & Wildlife Service have conducted resource management studies to ensure the wild horse population is maintained at a level the seashore environment of Assateague can tolerate.

Resource management techniques are different in Maryland than in Virginia when it comes to maintaining a healthy population of wild ponies. In Maryland, some female horses annually undergo a contraceptive vaccine administered through a dart gun. This has proven to reduce high pregnancy rates with no harmful side effects. Wild horses in Virginia are part of the Annual Pony Swim (started in 1924). Approx. 150 wild horses are rounded up on Assateague the last Wednesday in July. The horses swim across the Assateague Channel to Chincoteague Island where an auction takes place to reduce their numbers on Assateague. After many of the foals are sold, the remaining herd swims back to Assateague a couple days later. These management techniques reduce the impact the horses pose to their natural environment and help provide a sustainable resource for future generations.

 

[Mmathis]

WOW, Addy, thanks for that! So, are these the famous ponies from the story I read as a child? Almost makes me wish I lived up there as I'm sure I would have adopted one, or two..... What are their personalities like?

 

[addy1]

They seem pretty calm really used to people. I have heard of people adopting them and saying they are good horses, but no experience.

Yep the ponies from the story.

 

[Mmathis]

They seem pretty calm really used to people. I have heard of people adopting them and saying they are good horses, but no experience.

Yep the ponies from the story.

How exciting! I was the typical horse-crazy little girl [still am to some extent] and if I'd know back then, when I read the book that I was actually going to KNOW someone who lives there and is acquainted with the ponies......!!!!

 

[addy1]

We visited the island all of the time when we were kids, a LOT LESS people were there then.

These are the salt flats they graze a lot in.

 

[Nepen]

wow wow, thanks for sharing Addy!

 

[CometKeith]

Addy. Thanks for sharing. Now I have another place to add to my list of places to go!

 

[Dave 54]

addy if you ever get the chance come and visit Dartmoor Devon UK about 10 miles or so from where we live and see the dartmoor ponies on the moor, You'll be in for a treat if you ever do .
@RobAmy you'd love the place you really would

Dave

 

[Mmathis]

addy if you ever get the chance come and visit Dartmoor Devon UK about 10 miles or so from where we live and see the dartmoor ponies on the moor, You'll be in for a treat if you ever do .
@RobAmy you'd love the place you really would

Dave

I think I would love that as well! Love horses!