Tag Archives: Chincoteague

To See Chincoteague Ponies, Wildlife Assateague Bus Tour Is Best Bet

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By Cyndel Brunell

”What kind of bird is that?”

“How much smaller are the Chincoteague ponies from regular sized horses?”

“Are there any foals this time of year?”

“How deep is the water they swim in?”

If you want answers to these questions and many more you should take the bus tour out into the wilderness of Assateague Island on the East Coast of Virginia. On this ride you will see the world famous Chincoteague ponies and other wildlife in their natural habitat. 

The tour bus begins it 2012 schedule April 6 with a Friday trip at 4 p.m. For current information regarding wildlife tours, or to purchase tickets, inquire at the refuge visitor center or call the CNHA office at (757) 336-3696

The CNHA offers visitors the opportunity to tour the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge during the months of April to November. The tour accesses areas of the refuge that are normally only open to foot traffic. The tour covers approximately 15 miles and lasts about 90 minutes.

Depending on the time of year, foals may be frolicking in the vast forest and bush of the island or mares may be grazing in the saltwater grasses. Always standing guard nearby, is the stallion who commands a band of mares and foals. The bus leaves from near the information center and has now been in operation for a little over six years. In October I went on my first bus tour. The tours are ran by the Chincoteague Natural History Association, a large group of volunteers that supports agencies that run this national park in many ways.

The bus takes you 7 ½ miles out into the wilderness. Inside the bus there is a wheelchair lift, two double seated flip up benches, and individual seats two next to each other going down the aisle. Each seat has a very large window with hatches so you can take pictures without the interference of glass. Some drivers will tell you not to open the hatches, however. Many people from around the world go to the refuge to experience this tour of the island trails.

You can see many ponies of the larger northern herd on this trip, the herd that is kept out of sight of the public until Pony Penning. This is the big event that draws thousands to Chincoteague and Assateague each July. Ponies are not the only animals you will see on this relaxing yet exciting nearly two-hour journey. The smaller southern herd of wild ponies is sometimes seen right from your car on the right side of Beach Road, on the way out to the Atlantic Ocean.

On your bus trip you may also see sika elk, white tailed deer, turtles, egrets, snow geese, hawks, eagles, Canada geese, the glossy ibis and other migrating birds. With any luck you might see a Delmarva fox squirrel, an endangered animal that gets lots of attention from park managers. And in the nesting season you might get a distant look at a piping plover cage that provides protection against predators. The piping plover is a small at risk bird. Each trip promises something new.

The driver will stop or slow down whenever they see something and will normally give you a description of the animal. On rare occasions however, there can be a few surprises that you may not see regularly. Horses sometimes interact with other animals, or a predator bird catching food in a near-view. There are always unexpected happenings on this tour.

One thing is for certain though, you are sure to learn a lot about this historic barrier island from the driver-tour guides. The drivers are very well informed and just full of interesting details. You will most likely be with people from all over the country and even other countries. The questions above the first paragraph were asked on a tour this past summer by guests from Annapolis, Md., Long Island, New York; Michigan and Accomack County.

This is not a rushed tour and it is not expensive. For tour times and prices go to www.assateague.com. One word of caution, there are nice, clean restrooms at the information center where you buy your tickets, but this is the last one you will see until you return. Passengers are not allowed to get off the bus.

The information center which now runs the bus tours is where you buy tickets. It is a good idea to call in advance, because many trips are sold out. Officials of the historical association have talked about getting another bus. Also they run special tours upon request in advance. I hope I have inspired some readers to consider going on this tour. It is the only way, really, to be sure you will see the wild ponies up close by traveling on land. Unless, of course you want to hike the seven miles out, which some people do. The drivers and tour guides are well informed. I will assure you that you will at least be stunned, marveled, fascinated or surprised at things you may see or learn. I know I enjoyed this wilderness adventure and hope you will too.

 

Training My Own Chincoteague Pony

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By Sonora Hannah

In 2010, a non-profit organization called the Feather Fund made my life-long dream come true when they bought a four month old colt for me at the famous Pony Penning auction in Chincoteague Island, VA. That colt was my pony Mincaye (Min-KY-yee) who is literally my childhood dream come to life! And because of him, I am living yet another dream come true…training my own horse.

Hannah teaches Min how to shake hands.

The first step in Min’s training was for me to gain his trust. He was very nervous and frightened in the beginning and would turn tail to me every time I entered his stall. I desensitized him to touch by rubbing him all over with my hand, then with a lead rope; and then I built on that by tossing the lead over his back and around his legs. Once he realized that I was not going to hurt him, his fear began to melt away. I spent hours reading books aloud to him or just talking to him, getting him used to my voice and presence. I also introduced grooming tools to him and worked on the concepts of standing tied, leading, and picking up his feet. There is an entire world of things to teach a horse even when he is too young to ride!

When I first started working with Min, I had a tendency to become so frustrated with myself for not knowing how to deal with a situation that I would often wallow in a complete sense of hopelessness. I have since realized that I am much better off forgiving myself for my mistakes and persevering to acquire the knowledge I need to fix a problem. It is inevitable that I will make mistakes in training my first horse, but my biggest regret has been that I did not begin “formal” groundwork as soon as I had Min’s trust. I now feel it is very important to have a training program to follow in order to know what it is you are doing and what goals you are headed towards in your pony’s training. At first I simply took bits and pieces of advice from anywhere I could get it, but it wasn’t until I found world-renowned trainer Clinton Anderson and his program that I really began to make headway in Mincaye’s training. Unfortunately by the time I found Clinton, I had already allowed Min to develop some bad habits; thankfully, by following his method, I am beginning to see those bad habits unravel and disappear.

Mincaye has always been highly curious, full of energy, and just a tad bit devious. He is the smartest equine I have ever met, which in the one sense is in my favor, but it also means I need to study hard so that I will know what to do in any given situation when working with him. The pushy, disrespectful behavior I allowed him to develop in the beginning has proved to be one of my biggest challenges. However I am learning to become the kind of leader Mincaye can respect, and that is, I believe, the key to being a good horse trainer. Being consistently clear and concise with your cues, always rewarding the horse for giving the correct response, and taking the time to build on his successes (never expecting too much too soon) are all important things to remember in training horses. Body language, too, plays a monumental role in communicating with horses, because that is the language they use with each other. Horses are amazingly intelligent creatures, and they learn very quickly when we take the time to “speak” to them in their own language rather than enforcing our ideas on them without so much as asking.

The first thing I ever really taught Mincaye was how to shake hands. I can still remember the absolute thrill I felt when I saw that he had made the connection between my cue and the action of lifting his foreleg! I continue to feel an overwhelming sense of joy and accomplishment whenever I teach Mincaye something new. I work with him every day that I can, but with the snowy, soggy winter weather and no arena or round pen, I have to be careful of slippery footing. For this reason I am anticipating the coming of sunny weather more than ever! When things dry out again, I hope to work with Mincaye as many as six days a week as he will soon be two years old and I am eager to prepare him to start under saddle. The time I have spent and have yet to spend working with Min from the ground is an invaluable part of training him to become a good riding horse; but most of all it provides a wonderful opportunity to build  a friendship which will last a lifetime.

Training my own Chincoteague Pony is proving to be every bit as magical an adventure as I thought it would be! My ultimate goal in Mincaye’s training is to ride him bareback and bridleless, but in the meantime I choose to glory in our journey as we continue to learn and grow together. Mincaye is beyond the shadow of a doubt my dream horse, and with him, every day is a priceless treasure.

Feather Fund Makes Another Dream Come True

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THE BOOMERANG COLT

By Sonora Hannah

I would like to dedicate this, my first published work, to God, my Heavenly Father, and to my mother, Genna, and my Aunt Laure… because without them, this story never could have happened.

“I believe that in the moment God created me, He put in my soul a love and a passion for horses. It is something I was born with… a part of me that has always existed, even before I discovered it was there.”

Sonora Hannah

When I sent my application to the Feather Fund in the spring of 2010, I pretty much felt sick to my stomach. I thought that after I sent it, I’d finally be able to stop thinking about it and get some relief from the rollercoaster of emotions I’d been living with for months. That turned out to be wishful thinking because now that I didn’t have the application to work on, all I had were my thoughts.

 What made the waiting worse was that I had already applied to the Feather Fund the year before and remembered the pain of disappointment that had plagued me when I did not win. I was determined to shield myself from that kind of disappointment so to protect myself, I chose to believe in the improbability of my winning a foal. But despite everything, I kept hoping that the odds of my winning might not be so slim after all. I dreamed night and day about what it would be like to raise and train a wild Chincoteague Pony foal from the windswept island of Assateague.

 I had told the Feather Fund in my essay, “I look at all of the people around me who have their own horses; they have a chance to grow together and become permanently bonded in spirit. Sometimes I wonder if they realize just how blessed they are. My heart aches with the desire to have that strong bond of love, trust, and friendship that comes from having traveled a long road together; my heart yearns to start out on the road that will earn me the love, trust, and friendship of one special horse… my horse.”

Mid-May came… the time when I was to find out if I was or was not going to embark on that road. I checked the Feather Fund’s website daily and I tended to get rather nervous when the phone rang. But no news came either on the website or by phone. I was discouraged, but at the same time hopeful. If no winners had been posted, maybe that still meant I had a chance! Even though I tried to tell myself I very likely would not win a foal, I couldn’t seem to really believe it. There had to be a chance for me, especially because this was the last year I would be eligible to apply because of my age. I tried not to feel defeated by that thought; I knew that if I did not win, that it must mean that God had a different plan in mind for me. I wanted to have the strength of heart to trust Him that His plan was what was best for me, and that is something I had been learning to do since the first time I had applied for a foal. In my essay I had said:

“This whole Feather Fund experience has been a lesson for me in trusting God. I want it SO very badly that there are not enough words in this world to fully express the intensity of my desire. It is a feeling so deep and strong that it can only be felt, not spoken. This I can tell you: If I should be awarded a foal it would be the answer to my heart’s prayer of many years, and I would work for all I’m worth to keep that foal healthy and happy in body, mind, and spirit for all of its life. And in return, that foal would be giving me an ongoing purpose, a reason for working and living with all of my heart, and a chance for healing in my life.

“A foal of my own would mean the WORLD and beyond to me. It would be a priceless gift that I would work hard to ever deserve. I leave you in no doubt, I hope, of the sincerity of my heart’s prayer and desire and I want you to know that I would not take ownership of a foal lightly. I have waited most my whole life for the day that the miracle of my own horse would come. My heart is bursting with love to be given away to the one little horse I may call my own.”

I told Feather Fund board member Lois Szymanki, who is now one of my dearest friends, “The day you called is the day I gave up.”

It was June 7 and I had hung onto hope for several weeks past the time when I had thought the winners would be announced. But that day something inside me snapped. My pet rabbit had gone into labor and we rushed her to the emergency room when it became apparent that she was having trouble. The vet gave me a long list of procedures they might have to perform to save Jane and any unborn babies… and it wasn’t going to be cheap. The only money I had to spend on such a big vet bill was what I had been saving back for my pony. I told the vet we’d do whatever it took to save Jane. What else could I do? I said to my mom, “I’m not getting a pony anyway.”

I was pretty shocked to hear myself admitting to it, but I figured I’d better get used to the fact that it was true… I wasn’t getting a pony.

I was in pretty low spirits when I came home that evening with a stillborn baby bunny to be buried and my dream of winning a Feather Fund foal to be buried with it. I dug a grave and lined it with ferns and other spring greenery and then came up to the house to invite my mother to come for the burial. My mom was squinting at the phone when I came in. She asked me to read the missed call for her, because she couldn’t see it very well. I took the phone and read the name on the screen. My mouth dropped and I looked up at my mom, speechless. Mom says she’ll never forget my face; she knew as soon as she looked at me who the missed caller must have been.

And so it was I went to Chincoteague Island, Virginia for Pony Penning, an event I had only ever dreamed of attending! I saw the wild ponies swim the channel from their home on Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island where the foals would be auctioned off to the public to maintain a healthy number of ponies on the wildlife refuge and to benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company who care for the ponies all year round. The days before the swim were spent meeting my new Feather Fund family and searching the pens on Assateague for my top favorite foals to bid on at the auction. I found three I decided to keep in mind, but I really didn’t know which of them my favorite was. I had decided I wanted a filly rather than a colt, so I chose a tall liver chestnut paint filly as my number one to bid on. But nothing really felt definite in my heart, even though I had decided it in my mind.

Auction day arrived. My calm exterior belied the intensity of my nervousness. Joy and relief consumed me when my fellow 2010 Feather Fund winner placed the winning bid on the pony of her dreams. And I realized, it would be my turn next. When the liver chestnut filly I had chosen as my favorite came out into the ring, I felt a flurry of excitement, but something about it didn’t feel real, didn’t feel right. Then it was announced that this foal was to be auctioned off as a buyback, a foal which would be sold for a high price to benefit the fire company or a charity, but would be returned to Assateague Island to live wild for the rest of its days. My Feather Fund family and my mom sympathized with me when the news came over the loudspeakers. But strangely, I didn’t feel much disappointment. Instead I felt that it was a message from God saying that this filly wasn’t the one for me. There must be another one out there with my name on it, I thought.

There were only 57 foals to be sold at the 2010 auction. By foal number 52 I was beginning to fear that I wouldn’t be getting a foal at all. I looked at each foal to come out. I watched their mannerisms; I looked into their eyes, searching for some glimmer of a connection between us. I almost bid once or twice out of fear of not getting the chance to bid at all… but I couldn’t do it. Something felt empty. It felt wrong. None of the foals spoke to my heart; none felt like they could be the pony of my dreams. Then I saw him.

He was rearing, plunging against the weight of the wranglers who held him. He was lost to sight as he dragged them along, trying to escape the prison of their arms and bodies. But I had already recognized him! He was on my list of top favorites, the first of my favorites I had seen since the paint filly early on in the auction.

The flashy pinto markings against his dark red/brown coat made him easy to identify. The boomerang marking at the top of his neck on his right side were why I had dubbed him the Boomerang Colt. Excitement welled up in my heart as he was finally escorted into the ring. Before I knew it I was in a bidding war for him. Somebody else had taken a fancy to him, too. I knew in my heart I couldn’t lose him. This was it! He was the one! I only wondered why I hadn’t seen it before. The price on his head went up and up, but I was encouraged to keep bidding. I raised my feather high and finally stood up in desperation.

“Please!! Please,” I said.

The bidding slowed. Then it stopped. It was the longest few seconds of my life before the auctioneer bellowed, “SOLD!” and pointed to me.

Sold! The Feather Fund had purchased him for me for $2,500!!!

My eyes welled up with tears of joy. In disbelief I realized that my dream had just come true. In one little fleeting moment, my dream had been fulfilled for a lifetime.

Even before the Boomerang Colt had come into sight, Lois had leaned over and said to me, “I don’t know why, but I think you are going to get the Boomerang Colt.”

More than once she said it, saying she didn’t understand why, but she felt that it was so.

I wondered at it, but I was so caught up in the auction and searching over the foals that I didn’t give it too much thought. I kept thinking about the little bay and white foal with the butterfly marking on its rump.

 Interesting story: foal number 52 was this foal, but I did not recognize it. I believe that God shielded me from recognizing it because He knew that if I had, I was feeling so desperate that I very well might have taken the plunge and jumped in on the bidding. How thankful I am that I did not get either one of those foals I had chosen for myself! What God had chosen for me was better than anything I could have imagined or dreamed of. Here’s more proof that the Boomerang Colt is God’s gift to me: one of his flashy pinto markings is in the shape of my profile!! No kidding!

The Boomerang Colt’s name is now Mincaye (Min-KY-yee). People are usually pretty curious as to where that name came from and the significance of it to me. To save time explaining, I usually just tell them it is a name that comes from a tribe in Ecuador. Truth is, there is a lot more to it than that. But that is another story…

Sonora Hannah is a high school graduate with dreams of becoming a writer, artist, and horse trainer. She resides in Washington State where she cares for her menagerie of animals which include a Chincoteague pony, a Shetland sheepdog, and a Bengal-mix cat.

From Jean Bonde, Another Report on 2011 Pony Week

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Editor’s note: Jean is the spokesperson and one of the founders of the group of women that has become known as the Buyback Babes. She and her husband, Wayne, are Chincoteague Island residents. Keeping up with the ponies is her passion and her emails go out to the 50 unofficial members of the group. This year for the second time the BBBs paid the highest amount for a pony at the Chincoteague pony auction, an event attended by bidders and visitors from all over the U.S. In addition, the BBBs as individuals bought eight more ponies this year. In all, the BBBs have now purchased 10 buyback ponies. Jean’s account of the 2011 pony week events helps tell the story of this famous event, so we asked if we could include it with our own stories of the swim and auction. The BBBs get to name their buyback foals but they also give names to the other ponies so they can write about them and keep track of them. Also, for those not familiar with the whole pony routine, there are two herds, one that lives on the southern range, usually seen from a distance on the way to the Atlantic beach, and a second that lives on the northern range several miles out in the Assateague wilderness. This herd can only be seen by boat, on the tour bus run by the Chincoteague Natural History Assn., or by hikers. And there are three round ups a year, fall, spring and the July Pony Penning.

 By Jean Bonde

So starting off with the pony roundups.  I was not here for the roundups, first time in 15 years I missed them, but had a party up in Pennsylvania that I couldn’t miss, talk about being torn between the two.

But I was here for the rest of the festivities.  I didn’t hear about anything happening during the roundups, so presume they got thru them OK.  They did miss getting Witch Doctor in during the roundup but that was the best thing to happen as he is getting old and is being picked on by other stallions.  The cowboys missed a set of horses but went back and got them in as there were foals in that group. 

The walk on the beach went well.  It was probably too darn hot for many of the horses to make trouble.  They did take a few horse trouble makers right back up north and all then went pretty smooth.  One troublemaker was the 2007 young buckskin stallion  Little Tornado.  He kept stirring up the pot and causing trouble, so north he went.   I heard one story from the corrals that Surfer Dude (old stallion) was on one side of the corrals and his 2 year old son  Rip Tide was on the other side of the corrals when some of the other stallions started to pick on Rip Tide. I guess Rip Tide  hollered, and Surfer Dude, came running to  protect his son and settled it with all the other stallions.  These horses never cease to amaze me, although Surfer and Rip Tide are vying for the same mare now they are inseparatable..

The swim Wednesday went smooth although the cowboy barge that the cowboys carry their horses over on had sunk on the day they put it in the water but it was repaired in time for the swim.  If not, not sure how the cowboys would have gotten their own horses over, (they do not swim with the ponies). Ken and Ace were the first horses into the carnival grounds  This is the second time for Ace.  He thinks it’s his own show with people yelling and clapping

Thursday, auction day. At this point we really hadn’t totally firmed up on which pony (we would buy) because we usually never know how it is going to go, if our picks will be buybacks, what order they will come out for sale, etc. It all makes a difference, but we were hoping for Freckles foal.

 We asked the Pony Association if they could mark the buy-backs and they did by putting a marker around their necks so at least we knew which ones they had picked . First there were five, then there were six and then there were seven and eight designed as buy-backs. Earlier we had talked over which ones we liked the best and put them in sort of an order by want. 

The one we liked best, Freckles’ baby, was the first buy-back out in the auction and so we bought  her and we were extremely happy, picture of them above is Freckles and baby Splash of Freckles, or may be called Lil/Little Freckles or Dotti. She was the most expensive buy back in the sale, $6,700.  Next expensive foal was the foal belonging to my ET, she went for $6,500 so I will be able to watch her grow up. That was exciting. There were 69 foals sold, eight kept for buy-backs and the rest, 61, go home with hopefully loving parents. The buybacks and the young foals too young to go home, whose owners will return in October to pick them up, are at the fairgrounds. The mares are out relaxing on the refuge peacefully with no foals left to worry about until next year. Total sale for all ponies was $$93,725.

Besides a margarita night at Betsy’s on Sunday afternoon after the north pony roundup, a fantastic dinner on Tuesday night cooked by Kathy Robinson, next was the Lasagna dinner and naming the new baby, which is always our Thursday night project.  About 50 people were here for dinner but only people who put money in the pot to buy get to vote. A great time was had by all anyway. All went well and we all look forward to next year.  A whole new year and a wonder of what it holds for everyone.  

FROM AN EMAIL TO WILD PONY TALES

Now something that nobody knew was that this little freckled foal was the 4th generation of that linage that BBB’s paid for thru the years.  First buy-back was mare “Carol’s Little Freedom” purchased by BBB, Carol Smith in 1999.  Little Freedom then had buy-back daughter “Marks Island Liberty” paid for by BBB Susan Wilson Sanders in 2002. (Liberty now deceased)  We paid for  buy-back  “Freckles” in 2006, daughter of Marks Island Liberty and now we have paid for buy back “Splash of Freckles,” 2011, daughter of Freckles..How wonderful is that? 

Did you see the water spigots around the southern corrals and the fairgrounds – how wonderful it is,  I was elated to see them.  Thanks Pony Association.  So it was another great Pony Penning.  Here is to many more. 

P.S.  Kelly Lidard just released a new book of all the ponies, pictures of both sides, mares and stallions, names of all the horses that are out on the refuge as of July 2011, some names I didn’t even know about. Its $20 for each.  I will have them for Kelly here at my house so if anyone wants one while they are visiting here on Chincoteague, let me know, 336-1936.  BBB Jean.

See other stories about the BBB’s elsewhere on this website.

$6,700 Highest Bid at Chincoteague Pony Auction

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By Zackrey Hoverson

          Hands flying up, the auctioneer talking so fast it sounds like gibberish and little foals whinnying, trying to escape their wranglers. These are some of the things that stay in your memory after attending the Chincoteague Pony Auction.

          The purpose of the auction is to raise money for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department, and to maintain the size of the herd that lives year-round on nearby Assateague Island. A grazing permit issued by the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge allows about 150 adult ponies to stay there.

         On Thursday, July 29, 2011, 69 foals were auctioned off , bringing in $99,500 for the fire company.

          The annual auction begins at 8 a.m. But by 6 a.m., almost and nearly all the good spots are reserved with fold out chairs, many put out the night before. Even the bleachers have towels and names taped on them reserving seats for prospective bidders and visitors. With each passing minute the auction ring and surrounding area come to life.

          While the soft drink vendors are setting up behind the seats, and various officials begin arriving, the Salt Water Cowboys and volunteers are beginning their work. The foals to be auctioned off to new owners have to be separated from their mothers. The cowboys are old hands at this operation. To the rear of the auction ring is a row of pens with a long runway in front. The ponies are herded into the runway and when a foal comes along a gate is opened. The mother usually runs on ahead while her foal is shooed into the open gate. This process is repeated until all the foals are separated from the mares who are then let out into the big corral where they and all the other ponies have spent the night.

          Bidders who have not gotten their eye on the pony they want are allowed up close enough to see the little ones as they come by.

           The actual auction is run with a simple routine that can often have hilarious moments of foals trying to be independent. Inside the fenced in auction ring the foals are  held onto by wranglers who try to move the little ones around the ring so bidders can get a good look. The wranglers are cowboys and volunteer fire company members, some middle school age sons of fire officials.

           As the foals are moved around, four spotters stand at different posts around the ring, anxiously looking for any wave of a hand that could indicate a bid. The amount of each bid is passed on to the auctioneer, on a high up platform in the middle of the ring who goes on n his cadence, trying to get a higher bid.

          During the serious business of bidding the audience is kept in a lively state by the protesting foals who try to escape their handlers. One foal just laid down and came up with a wranger’s leg across her back, and needed extra help to get her around the ring.

          Early in the auction several buy back ponies came up for sale. A buy back is a pony that can be purchased and named but is released back into the herd to maintain a healthy herd size. Each year the fire company designates a charity to get the proceeds from a buy back. This year it was the Ronald McDonald House.

          The highest bid was $6,700 for a buy back. This foal was purchased by a group known as the Buy Back Babes. The reasoning for spending so much on this particular buy back was explained by the BBB spokesperson, Jean Bonde. She said, “The foal is the fourth generation of the lineage that the BBB’s had bought throughout the years.” The purchased foal was named Splash of Freckles after its mother, Freckles, a pony the buy backs purchased back in 2006. This isn’t the first time that the BBB’s made the highest bid at the pony auction. Back in 2007, the BBB’s set the all time record by purchasing Prince, a stallion for $17,500.

          Another recurring group at the auction is the Feather Fund. The Feather Fund is a non-profit organization that assists a few children chosen by the Feather Fund board in purchasing a pony. This year 15 year old Lindsay Gieson of Johnstown, Pa. bought a pony with the aid of the Feather Fund for $2,000. Several others also purchased ponies with help from the Feather Fund.

          Every foal is sold at the auction. But those deemed too young to leave their moms by their veterinarian, Dr. Charlie Cameron, will remain at the carnival grounds with their moms until the spring roundup.

Zackrey Hoverson, a senior at Nandua High School, has been a staff writer and photographer for Wild Pony Tales for five years.