Chincoteague wild ponies make a splash in Virginia’s one centesimal annual swim

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (AP) — Thousands gathered in Virginia to observe the Chincoteague wild ponies make their annual swim throughout the Assateague Channel within the one centesimal anniversary of the favored custom.

Foal No. 36 was the champion of the quick channel swim on Wednesday and topped “King Neptune,” the title given every year to the first to complete the swim, based on the Chincoteague Fire Department.

The horses had been made well-known within the 1947 basic kids’s novel “Misty of Chincoteague” by writer Marguerite Henry.

“Saltwater Cowboys” on horseback spherical up the ponies, who then swim the channel and are available ashore on the east aspect of Chincoteague Island.

The occasion hosted by the Chincoteague Fire Department consists of an public sale of a number of the foals to assist management the dimensions of the herd and preserve a wholesome pony inhabitants on Assateague Island, the place the ponies reside many of the yr. The public sale can also be the most important annual fundraiser for the fireplace division, which manages the wild pony herd.

The custom started in 1925 as a technique to increase cash for Chincoteague’s volunteer fireplace firm. Interest within the pony swim grew, and guests started coming from throughout the nation for the annual occasion.

“Misty of Chincoteague” made the occasion well-known world wide.