ASSATEAGUE ISLAND — A century long tradition.
The 100th annual pony swim from Assateague to Chincoteague Island took place Wednesday morning.
Officials expected their biggest crowd to date, despite recent threats made against the event.
Some ponies will be auctioned off Thursday, while others swim back home to Assateague on Friday.
Two herds of wild horses reside on the island at the Maryland-Virginia line.
The National Park Service runs the Maryland side, while the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company handles things in Virginia.
As for the pony swim and auction, the Chincoteague Fire Company hosts one each year to comply with a National Fish & Wildlife permit that allows no more than 150 ponies to roam the island at a time.
According to Chincoteague's official webpage, an average 70 new foals are born every spring, on the Virginia side.
Each year, a few foals are chosen to become buyback ponies, where the buyer agrees to one day donate them back to the Fire Company to keep the island herd replenished.
