CHINCOTEAGUE PONY SWIM: Safety zone maintained by Coast Guard to leave plenty of room for roundup
The ponies complete the annual swim from Assateague to Chincoteague Island, Virginia, during the 91st Pony Swim on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, July 27, 2016. Crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Station Chincoteague enforced the safety zone where thousands of spectators gathered for the event. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn)
Saltwater Cowboys work to stay hydrated ashore while U.S. Coast Guard Station Chincoteague crew members aboard a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft do the same during 91st Annual Pony Swim between Assateague and Chincoteague Island, Virginia, July 27, 2016. Thousands of spectators gathered for the event on shore and on the water. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn)
The ponies make the annual swim from Assateague Island, Va., to Chincoteague Island, Va., during the 90th Pony Swim on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, Wednesday, July 29, 2015. Crew members from U.S. Coast Guard Station Chincoteague enforced the safety zone where thousands of spectators gathered for the event. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Nate Littlejohn)
CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. – The 82nd Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim featured more than 200 wild ponies swimming across the Assateague Channel into Chincoteague July 25, 2007. According to legend, the horses are believed to have arrived on Assateague Island when a Spanish galleon with a cargo of wild mustangs sunk off the coast of Virginia. The surviving animals swam to shore and are the ancestors of today’s herds. Coast Guard Station Chincoteague provided a security zone for the event which attracted many boaters and spectators from all over the country. U.S. Coast Guard photo by PA2 Christopher Evanson.