THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, July 25, 1996 TAG: 9607250363
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY WENDY GROSSMAN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHINCOTEAGUE LENGTH: 81 lines
Satoshi Atsuchi drove up from Norfolk on Tuesday night and slept in his car. He woke at 4 a.m. to take a prime spot behind the dock to see the 71st annual pony penning.
Atsuchi was among thousands sinking knee-deep into the mud lining the murky water, waiting for the wild ponies to swim across the 250-yard Assateague channel. Others waded into the water, perched in trees or pulled up their speedboats to get even closer.
As the sun crept higher, Atsuchi dozed on his camera case in between fighting off mosquitoes the size of quarters.
At 9:55 a.m., the Coast Guard let rip a red flare and the ponies came trotting down the shore of Assateague Island.
Herded by 60 ``saltwater cowboys,'' all volunteer firefighters, about 160 ponies plunged into the chilly water. Only the tips of their ears and their nostrils were visible.
``Sometimes they're not in a big hurry,'' Phil Lucich, a Chincoteague volunteer firefighter, told the crowd gathered around the dock. ``Some of them don't want to go in the water. So the `saltwater cowboys' have to crack their whips over top their heads - just enough to get their attention. Once the old-timers start, the rest of them follow. ''
Except one little pony, who made it about 10 feet before turning around and chugging back to Assateague.
Three minutes and 10 seconds later, the first pony hit the beach at Chincoteague, saltwater shimmering off his chocolatey coat.
A few foals nursed after coming ashore. Others cried for mothers they couldn't find. Colts reared and bit each other. A white pony spent 15 minutes rolling and rolling and rolling to get dry.
After an hour's rest, and a checkup from the vet, the ponies clip-clopped down Main Street to the carnival grounds, where about 60 were expected to be auctioned off this morning. The rest will return to Assateague.
Typically, the colts, mares and studs bring between $900 and $3,000 each, said Roe Terry, a member of the Pony Committee.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department owns the wild ponies that live on an 1,800-acre federal wildlife refuge. The island's ecosystem can only support about 150 ponies, so the department holds the yearly auction to thin the herd and raise money for rescue equipment.
``We call it Chincoteague's Mardi Gras,'' said Terry's 22-year-old son, Ryan. ``It's a three-day party.''
Many came to the penning because they'd fallen in love with Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel, ``Misty of Chincoteague.''
``We read the book, and we'd always wanted to do this since we were kids,'' said Helga Mahlmann, 45, who came from San Francisco to see the ponies. ``I've never seen anything so moving. I'd love to buy (a pony), but it would be hard to transport across country.''
Vicky Sumney of Washington, Pa., another ``Misty'' fan, bought a Chincoteague pony at the auction seven years ago. This year she came back with her 16-year-old daughter and a videocamera.
``There's only one place I'd ever wanted to go - I just wanted to see the ponies swim,'' she said.
Seven-year-old Samantha Mohan of Covington, Tenn., came for more than simply a sight of the ponies swimming.
For 1,004 miles, her dad, John, had hauled a trailer, halter, bucket of oats, hay and feed. ``I`m going home with a pony,'' he said. At any cost.
Terrill Anderson, 53, of Altadena, Calif., didn't make such elaborate plans to see the ponies. He didn't need any.
``My wife kidnapped me,'' Anderson said. ``They told me we were going to the Bahamas.''
Elliot Phillips' dad made him come with his sister - all the way from Cleveland. He didn't have any fun.
``It's boring,'' said Elliot, 7, leaning on his elbows on the dock. ``You don't get to pet 'em. You just get to watch 'em walk across the grass - and I can't even see 'em.''
On Friday morning, the ponies that weren't auctioned will swim back across. The event won't be nearly as well-attended. ``And you'll be looking at the other end of the pony,'' Lucich said. ILLUSTRATION: Color photos by CANDICE C. CUSIC, The Virginian-Pilot
About 160 wild ponies, their heads bobbing up and down, made the
crossing from Assateague to Chincoteague on Wednesday morning.
With a little coaxing from ``saltwater cowboys,'' the ponies were
herded down Main Street to the carnival grounds, where about 60 of
them will be auctioned off today. by CNB