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A Better Life Now for Rescued Chincoteague Ponies

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By Robert Boswell
Publisher, Wild Pony Tales

The three Chincoteague ponies who were rescued by Debbie Ober and her husband, Tom, from an auction barn in Pennsylvania in September are nearly back to full health. As a result of our stories some donations have come in and so have requests for adoption.

More donations are needed though. See the information at the end of the story.

The moment the three Chincoteague ponies she had rescued from near slaughter came out of the trailer Debbie had sent to get them is not a time she will ever forget. She still can’t talk about it without her voice breaking up. 
Saturday, November 5, with our writer/photographers Misty Thornton and Kate White, we traveled the two hours from near Chincoteague to the Ober’s Hawkeye Stables in Ridgely, Maryland. There was more to the story, we knew, of what goes on at the Ober horse farm where Debbie cares for 20 ponies. Some of them are Misty of Chincoteague descendants and most are closely connected to the famous Chincoteague wild ponies.
The three rescues were all bought at the 2001 Chincoteague pony auction but little is known about where they spent their years until now. All three are registered Chincoteague ponies, sired by island stallions.

Debbie had earlier described what confronted her when the rescued ponies arrived at her place. There was Clipper, a small bay gelding, who had no hair from under his jaw to his chin with pus oozing from a dozen sores. When he came out of the trailer he laid down, unable to get up.

Ginger, a big chestnut mare, was very thin and weak from starvation and parasites. And Captain, a bay pinto gelding, was very thin too. He had the worst parasite problem of the three, so bad he had stopped eating.

From communicating with Debbie, we knew they were much better but we didn’t really know what to expect. Because they had all come down with strangles, a pneumonia-like illness the rescue ponies had been quarantined in their own pasture and shelter.

Upon arrival we followed Debbie from the barn area to the rescues’ pasture with her pulling a small wagon with hay, grain buckets, brushes and, if needed, halters.

As we neared the fence she asked, “Are you ready?” In a minute we had climbed through the fence and set up cameras. The ponies, however, were nowhere in sight. But with a call from Debbie, three specks in a distance, actually three pastures away, began moving toward us at a gallop. It was the three rescues, who did not slow up until they reached us.

Two things were obvious. They were ready to eat and they were glad to see Debbie.

Debbie spends several hours each day hugging and caring for her horses. She is devoted to them, spending more time with them than she does with people, more time outside with them, she says, than inside her house.

She has a routine.

“I check all of them daily from head to tail. Making sure there are no kicks, cuts, etc. Also, I make sure they eat their grain in a reasonable time. If they don’t eat, I know I have a problem. I always check noses, especially this time of year. The foals tend to get a runny nose, but unless they run a fever, my vet suggests that I let it run its course without interference to build immunity. I always check halters on the young stock. They can be fine one day and too tight the next as they seem to grow in spurts.”

Imagine this and she left out mucking stalls, driving two hours for hay every few weeks, and of course her house work.

When Captain, Ginger and Clipper arrived they were in poor shape. Debbie spent most of the next three nights with these Chincoteagues, making a bed for herself under the shelter and wrapping up in a horse blanket to stay warm. Debbie changed her clothes several times a day to keep strangles from spreading to her other horses.

Who knows what the three ponies think has happened to them, but they have to know someone now cares. Since coming to the Ober home they have not been a day without proper food, medications, and lots of hugs and kindness. They can thank Debbie and Tom, but also others who helped put up money for their rescue, including Debbie Elliott-Fisk and other members of the Buyback Babes, friends and family.

While our time with the rescues has its special memories, they were not the only ones we brought back from the Ober farm.

One pony rehabilitated by Debbie is the majestic Tornado which has sired many foals born on Assateague Island. Tornado is the sire of Prince, bought by the Buyback Babes in 2007 for $17,500, the most ever paid for a pony at the Chincoteague auction.

In 2008 Tornado was injured while on the Assateague range and the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which owns the Virginia herd, decided to remove him from the herd and arranged with the Obers to care for him the rest of his life. In an article that ran in the Caroline Review in July 2010 the Obers wrote, “Though he inhabited the sandy beaches of Assateague made famous by “Misty of Chincoteague” Tornado became a legend of his own. He is one of the most photographed stallions on the island.”

Tornado is a buckskin pinto stallion born in 1988. He might have been a wild stallion for 20 years, but around us he was just another friendly head to pat, nose to rub. Or maybe he just wanted Kate to take his picture again. She was clearly his favorite visitor on this day.

The other memory we will have forever was provided by Tornado’s newest offspring, one of four now with the Obers. She is a nine day old filly Debbie calls Freckles due to her red leopard coloring. We have video of this baby making her second trip outside her stall, trying to make up her mind how far to venture. It is precious and we will share it with you soon.

Meanwhile, Debbie is in need of financial help for these rescues and future ones. “We would be grateful for donations to go toward feed and care,” Debbie said. She said if anyone knows of a Chincoteague pony in need, she can be reached at hawkeye@goeaston.net. Her cell is 410-829-3026 and messages may be left on her Facebook page. The mailing address is P.O. Box 125, Ridgely, MD 21660.

The Obers are looking for personal and corporate sponsorships for the ponies and the rescue organization. Corporate sponsors will be listed on the horse trailer and elsewhere, she said. A new website will be chincoteagueponyrescue.org and it is expected to be up and running soon.

The writer is publisher of www.wildponytales.info, a web magazine that covers Chincoteague and Assateague Islands in Virginia. 

Editor’s note: A photo gallery and video clips will be posted with this story soon.
 

 

 

Beach Parking Plan, Camp Ground Purchase Wrong Way to Go

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This article appeared as a Letter to the Editor in the Eastern Shore News and Chincoteague Beacon, newspapers published in Accomack County, Virginia.

Dear Editor,

As a concerned citizen, business owner, member of the Chincoteague Vol Fire Company and a  recreational beach-goer I know that I can no longer remain silent and behind the scenes on this whole beach parking issue.  I represent the fire company on the Town’s Beach Access Committee and on the Citizens Beach Access Committee and there have been many hours of meetings and lots of work being done on this issue.  I have only been a small part of this due to my work responsibilities and I appreciate all the work being done by these two committees to help save our way of life as we know it.  But this letter is written by me, from my heart and does not in any way reflect on any organization or committee that I belong to.  These are my thoughts and my opinions only.

With that being said those of you who know me, know what comes up, generally comes out.  Some times to a fault!!    Here we are in the worst economic times that my generation has ever seen.  Our government is out of control from the state levels to the federal level.  Jobs, jobs, jobs are all every congressman and our president yaps about.  And that’s all it is, yapping.  Neither the island of Chincoteague nor the Eastern Shore ever received a big government bailout.  God knows we could have used one given that our two counties are two of the poorest ones in the state of Virginia.  But, we here on the Shore are resourceful, make our own way, don’t ask for hand-outs and try to earn a decent honest living.  And what do we get for that??  A big kick in the pants from the US Fish and Wildlife Service that’s what. 

How in the world can the federal government justify spending $7 million bucks on a campground, then spend thousands more to make it acceptable for parking, then spend even thousands more to out-fit trolley’s, gas, insurance for the trolley’s and payroll for the drivers, yet can’t find $200 thousand to replenish beach parking on the island of Assateague itself?  They can’t justify it all in the name of conservation. 

Mr. Hinds and several others have spoken about sea level rise.  That’s all we have heard for months and no doubt there has been sea level rise in some areas but there has been no rise in other places.  In fact, one study I’ve read that the Fish and Wildlife did about 20 years ago said that the current location of the parking lots now would be under water by the year 2000.  Well here it is folks, the summer of 2011 and it’s not under water.  That just proves to me that no one can predict what will happen.  

The town just recently proposed to increase the hotel tax by 1% much to the dislike of several hotel/motel owners, with thoughts of giving that money to the Fish and Wildlife to help repair the parking lots in case of storm damage.  Now, I’m no genius but giving the government any money for anything other than taxes is just plain crazy. For one, they probably would have to do some kind of study to see if they could accept it and then spend months if not years, telling us that they can’t accept it.  I appreciate the efforts of our town leaders for trying to come up with some kind of possible solution but another tax isn’t it.

Several of my friends and family work for the USFWS, in fact my Uncle worked there right out of high school until his retirement.  I have a great deal of respect for them and what they do.  Our natural resources must be protected; however they can also co-exist together as well.  Removing all beach parking or removing some beach parking will have a devastating impact on this town and the Eastern Shore as we know it.  And not just Virginia’s Eastern Shore either.  It will also impact Worcester and Somerset Counties in Maryland too.  The trickledown effect it will have on all businesses will be felt all around.  All those jobs the government is yapping about?  They will be gone.  The hotel house-keeping staff’s, the restaurant staffs, the bike shops, the front desk clerks, the mini golf course attendants, the store owners, the grocery store employees, the town employees, construction carpenters, the newspaper staff, nurses, the pharmacy staff, hair stylists, charter boat captains, marina dock hands, mechanics, landscapers, lawn care employees, seafood market staff, convenience store clerks, campgrounds staff, HVAC employees, house painters, bank tellers and yes, florist.  Have I made my point?  The surveys taken last year proved that if the parking at the beach is eliminated, people would stop coming to Chincoteague and find another place to enjoy the beach.  The trickledown effect is this:  If a restaurant doesn’t serve as many people as they did before, they will lay off employees.  Those laid off employees can’t afford to get their hair done or buy extra groceries or hire someone to cut their grass or paint their house or buy flowers for someone’s birthday.  And trust me folks, the trickledown effect doesn’t trickle, it pours down like a monsoon!!!

Anyone and everyone who has a stake in this, and lets’ face it if you are a resident, land owner, home owner, business owner, vacationer or what not; you have a stake in this.  Please, contact our congressmen.   There  is Lynn Lewis on the local level, Mark Warner and Jim Webb on the state level and Scott Rigell and Bob Northam on the district level.  You can Google their names and all the information you need to e-mail them, call them or write them is right there.  Please do it today!!!  It only takes a few minutes to do this to save our way of life as we know it.

As far as Maddox Campground being sold…………..sigh, I can understand they want to sell.  Who wouldn’t want $7 million bucks?  The Maddox’s have worked and worked hard all their lives.  I know them personally.  They are good customers of mine.  My dad used to ride horses with their family up where the Piney Island housing development is now.  Wyle Maddox is the guy who made it possible in the first place to be able to drive cars over to Assateague.  The road leading to Assateague is named after them.  And now the possibility of that beautiful piece of land where many families have camped for generations could fall into the hands of the federal government is just hard to handle.  I hope that the Maddox family will have a change of heart.  I hope they will realize what will come of Chincoteague and the Eastern Shore if their campground is used for a parking lot, a parking lot that I feel will be very empty because no one in their right mind will gather up coolers, umbrellas, beach toys, boogie boards, beach bags not to mention little Johnny who is screaming his head off because his sister has taken his beach toy and lug all that to the beach on a trolley.  Oh yeah, I can picture the excitement of that right now.

Folk’s this country has gotten way out of line.  We are sending billions of dollars overseas to countries who want nothing but to attack and kill us.  Billions in aid to other’s because their government could care less if their people starve or not.  Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t recall other countries coming to our aid when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf States.  In the meantime, our seniors are choosing between buying medicine or food.  Our military personnel are coming home in flagged draped boxes and those lucky enough to survive have to come home and fight again to get the benefits entitled to them and their families.  A one term congressman gets benefits for the rest of his life.  Full retirement and pension and all that good stuff.  Our military personnel doesn’t, they only get a portion.  A portion!!  For protecting us and keeping us free!!    But no, we sent millions of dollars to Pakistan so they can keep Bin Laden comfy. How long do you think they laughed at us over that?  But leave it to the American Soldier to take care of it.  He or she doesn’t see dollar signs, they only see a murderer through the scope of that rifle and with two shots took care of what billions sent to them didn’t.  Disgusting isn’t it?

You know, I’m not very political.  I’m certainly not politically correct by no means.  I don’t like to tip-toe around issues.  It’s either black or white, right or wrong with me.  I’ve been known to vote Democrat and Republican and probably will continue to do so until someone gets it right, which I may never live long enough to see.  This country needs help.  We need to get off our butts, get out and vote and push for term limits so these yapping people of government know they only have a certain amount of time to do it and do it right.  We’ve become too lazy and too politically correct.  Just because someone out there doesn’t believe in God doesn’t mean you have to punish me for wanting to pray or have a nativity scene at Christmas.  I don’t try to tell anyone out there they can’t practice their religion.  You don’t like what I’m doing?  Don’t look. 

Our schools in this country are in a sad state.  No Child Left Behind Law?  Worthless.  A kid can be passed on to the next grade without even knowing the essentials of the last grade he was in.  When is the last time you heard of kid failing a grade and having to repeat it?  These days and times, it doesn’t matter if you can’t read well.  Our teachers are not permitted to take a lot of time with the students these days.  What our teachers are teaching on Monday, teacher s in that same grade everywhere are teaching the same thing.  Now that is a group of people who deserve every cent and more of their pay.  If you think their job is 8-3 everyday with summers off then try it for yourself.  It’s a 24/7 all the time.  And the politics of school are just as bad.  God has certainly been left behind in school; we threw him out and let all the bad stuff in.  All in the name of not wanting to offend anyone.  Don’t mind offending God though do we?

I’m sorry I’m on a roll with all this, I just had to get it out that we are a country in distress.  Both financially and emotionally.  We may not be able to fix the world or even the rest of the country but we can start here and we can start today.   This beach parking issue is not going away and we just can’t rely on a couple of committees to come and save us.  It’s got to be a collective effort on all our parts.  Please, contact, write or e-mail anyone in our government to let them know our concerns so we may be able to keep what little is left of the Great American way of life.

Thank you for listening.

Denise Bowden

Breathtaking Scenes in a Foot of Fresh Powder

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By Tammy Rickman

On Saturday, January 30, 2010, winter made its presence known to the islands. The storm moved in late Friday night and the snow began to fall somewhere around dawn Saturday morning. Weather reports were calling for somewhere between 8 to 14 inches, a rarity along barrier islands which lay just off the coast line of the Eastern shore of Virginia and Maryland at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean.

The snow continued to fall throughout the day and grew in intensity causing near whiteout conditions at about a quarter of a mile. As the snow fell, I ventured out and about taking what pictures visibility allowed, of scenes like the ducks huddled in large groups in unfrozen canals. The Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge gates were down so pictures and an investigation would have to wait.

Sunday dawned bright and clear. A crisp sharp wind blew and even though the sun shown bright temperatures never reached above 22 degrees. The scene was like something from a winter wonderland as evergreens hung heavy with heavy fluffy snow and the island was almost hushed in the early morning hours beneath a foot of snow. While taking it all in, the pristine…untouched hand of God, of nature, one became suddenly aware of how out of place it all felt.

A brief drive around the island found only more snow and out of place scenes. Hoping the refuge had been opened I headed out Beach Road and rejoiced when I found the entry gates in an upward reach and pushed forward. The scenes along beach road on Assateague were breath taking. Woodland floors were blanketed in a foot of fresh powder, evergreens hung heavy with fluff, and a quiet hush lay in the air…everything was fresh clean and new….

Wildlife ventured out into strange surrounding. Egrets tested ice sheets in the canal along the road and ponies grazed on tall grasses reaching through the snow. They looked oddly comfortable and out of place all at once. They created a beautiful scene in the snow covered marshes.

The beach was a mix of blown sand and snow drifts. A scene unlike anything I’d ever seen. Of course, I grew up in Mississippi. Walking was a chore at times because a light layer of sand covered portions of the snow creating an allusion of solid ground. As you attempted to step on the sand you sunk to your waist in a snow drift several feet thick. Wind and water created rippling effects in the landscape. Sand and snow mixed, mingled, danced, twirled, separated, and began the cycle over and over again as far as the eye could see.

Barrier islands are ever changing. They grow and shrink then rise and fall… their fate at the hands of the winds and waters that carve and shape them. The snow storm is just another reminder of how miraculous and surprising life here can be.

That said, the weather was not done throwing punches at us and the very next weekend February came roaring. Friday afternoon, February 5 a wet snow began to blow; occasionally sticking to the ground but not the roads or sidewalks.

Later, it turned to rain and the nor’easter dumped a couple inches of rain, melted snow from both storms, and caused some flooding.  Winds howled somewhere around a sustained 45 mph with gusts reaching near 60 mph. 

The winds blew into Saturday and temperatures fell, turning rain back into snow. The rain waters and melted snows began to freeze and the snow began to mount. The winds whipped the wet sticky snow and at times it almost seemed as if we had been transported to some foreign land in the middle of a blizzard.

Around 2  p.m. we lost power. Near dark the heat began to wear off. We opted to take a ride around the island before deciding whether to tough it out with the fireplace and wet wood or opt for a hotel.

We soon discovered that large parts of the island were out of power. The power company and Chincoteague Fire Department personnel were riding around inspecting the island. We decided riding around looking for down trees in a warm car was better than sitting in a cold dark house.

We did eventually find a tree down on Sunnywood and reported it about 8 p.m. but once they cut it down and tried to fire the power back up the lights flickered and then went out again. Somewhere in the blowing snow and darkness was another problem.

The snow slowed to a few floating flakes and I noticed the stars blinking brilliantly in a velvet black sky. The air was fresh and crisp and the world was quiet.

About 9 p.m. they finally found and fixed the problem and the lights went on and we returned home.

Sunday was clear and brilliantly bright. The sun sparkled on pristine snow. It seems Jack Frost is determined to make his icy presence known before giving way to a spring thaw. But if the weather forecast for the upcoming days are any indication, he’s not done yet….