“As to the actual details, we don’t really know,” says Denise Bowden, who works for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company and is the announcer for the swim. “So here we are 93 years later, and as far as the swim itself, nothing has changed.”
Each July, saltwater cowboys—many of whom double as firefighters—herd the animals so they swim across the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague. About 35,000 visitors brave the humid heat and biting mosquitoes to watch from boats and the crowded shore.
“When the first pony hits the water, the crowd goes nuts, and it gives me chills every time,” says Bowden. After the swim, the ponies receive checkups from veterinarians. They are also weighed and measured.
Some swim back to the island, while others are auctioned off to new owners. This is beneficial for both the ponies and the island, which can only sustain a population of about 150 ponies. The auction also raises funds for the fire company, which cares for the ponies year-round.
Bowden was born and raised on Chincoteague, and grew up watching the pony swim every year. To her, it’s unmissable. “I never want to be anywhere else in the whole wide world except right there on that dock on pony swim day,” she says.