This message is from: Rhonda Taylor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subject: Chincoteague
I often stay with friends on Assateague Island, just across the way from Chincateague, Virginia. Just a note I thought you might find interesting. Yes, the fire department has the "pony swim and auction" each year, which allows culling of the island pony herd. In the 1980's, the herd was divided, and there are actually 3 separate herds, to reduce too close inbreeding. Herd mares and offspring are identified and rotated between the stallions. The biggest problem with introducting "new blood" is the marsh grass is very high in salt - over the years the island ponies have developed the ability to tolerate it. Other horses introduced onto the island aren't able to survive on it without supplementation. R.Taylor, Straw Hat Stables
