What is the Chincoteague Pony Swim?

The Chincoteague Island Pony Swim

The Chincoteague Pony Swim also known as Pony Penning, or Pony Penning Days, is an annual event held in Chincoteague, Virginia on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The event dates back to the 1800s and features the wild horses swimming across the Assateague Channel when the tide is “slack calm” so the young ponies, which are born during spring or early summer, are safe from any strong currents.

The pony swim event is hosted by the Chincoteague Fire Department and consists of a pony swim on Wednesday and a pony auction on Thursday. For the pony swim, the Saltwater Cowboys round up feral Chincoteague ponies from Assateague Island and drive them across the Assateague Channel to Veteran’s Memorial Park on Chincoteague Island. Once on Chincoteague Island, the Saltwater Cowboys herd the ponies to pens on the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds where some of the foals are auctioned off on Thursday.

100 Years

2025 is the 100 year of the annual pony swim! The spectator turn out is expected to be Huge. We suggest you book your trip to Chincoteague early if you’d like to witness this spectacular event.

Pro tip: The swim back is the calmest and slowest of the week and very similar to the swim. It is not as crowded since it takes place at the end of the day when most people have returned home. 

Chincoteague Ponies

The Chincoteague pony is also known as the Assateague horse. They are a breed of horse that developed, and now lives, within a semi-feral or feral population on Assateague Island. The breed was made famous by the Misty of Chincoteague novels, written by pony book author Marguerite Henry, and first published in 1947.

Although these horses are popularly known as Chincoteague ponies, the feral ponies live on Assateague Island. The entire island is owned by the federal government and is split by a fence at the Maryland/Virginia state line, with a herd of around 150 ponies living on the Virginia side of the fence, and 80 on the Maryland side.

The herds live on land managed by two different federal agencies with very different management strategies. Ponies from the Maryland herd are called Assateague horses. They live within Assateague Island National Seashore. They are generally treated as wild animals, given no more or less assistance than any other species on the island, other than contraceptive treatments to curb overpopulation. The Virginia herd are known as Chincoteague ponies. They live within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge which is owned by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

Check out our Pony Swim Guide for the weeklong itinerary and events!