Chincoteague Pony Penning?

Question

I have been thinking about going to the penning's, and I've heard alot about them. First, where are the penning's held? Second, are the ponies hard to train to ride and get close to? I am going to look through the auctions, but I don't want to get a foal. Is it possible to get an adult pony? Third, what is the general asking price? Can I get a good price, or is it an extremely large ammount to pay for a wild pony? Thanks for all who answer!!!

Answer 1

This year, the pony swim will be held on Wednesday, July 30 and the auction will be on Thursday, July 31.  As a general rule, these happen the last week of the month where it is possible to have both the swim (always Wednesday) and auction (always Thursday) both happen in July.

Yes, at first, the ponies are hard to approach, touch and train.  They are truly wild and have never been handled, let alone trained in any way, when you purchase them.  This is not a task to be taken on by someone without experience with young horses or a lot of patience and time to invest in them.  With time and energy put into them, however, they are no harder to train than any other foal once you have gained their trust.

The vast majority of the horses sold at the auction are weanlings.  Some years they also sell some yearlings that were not sold the previous years -- but keep in mind that the yearlings are wild, too.  They have not been handled or trained at all, so they simply have another year of getting bigger and wilder behind them.

Most of the foals at auction begin with a bid of $1000, but some will start at lower bids.  The average price is around $2000, but some go for as much as $10000 or more.  It is possible to get one for a good price (i.e., closer to $1000) but you'd have to be fairly flexible on the color of the foal (pintos tend to go for more than solid colors).  Keep in mind that a purebred Chincoteague purchased from a breeder (not off the island) will cost you more than this.  Although some people consider this to be very expensive, consider that you are purchasing a purebred -- and a rare breed.

It is possible to purchase ponies of an older age from private breeders (you can look around online and find some) but often these are ponies who were purchased by enthusiastic people who had neither the experience nor the time to bring them along.  As a result, be very careful about any Chincoteague you might purchase after it is older -- many of them are nearly as wild as they were when they were little, but they have more muscle behind it.  Also, beware of "Chincoteague" ponies who are unregistered.  It's not unusual for an unscrupulous seller to label a pony (particularly a small pinto) as a Chincoteague simply to be able to ask for a higher sales price.  Chincoteagues can be registered, and if they don't have papers, don't believe it's a legitimate purebred.

I have a Chincoteague from the 2001 auction.  She is now 7 years old and the sweetest and quietest pony I've ever worked with.  I've done 99% of her training myself, and I am actually starting a business to help people select, purchase and train Chincoteagues of their own.  I think they are a fantastic breed, and I'm always thrilled to hear people are getting excited about them.  Best of luck in your endeavor!

Answer 2

Zephania is right.  Get a nice pony elsewhere and you might even find an adult Chincoteague pony for sale.  There are no good deals at the pony penning, just lots of people there because they like the idea of owning their own Misty.

I've got a Chincoteague pony who was "King Neptune" in 1981 - the first foal to swim to shore, which they raffle off.  I wasn't the raffle winner, I got him when he was 3.  He was easy to train after three years of being nothing but a pet and companion to the owner's horse.

Answer 3

Chincoteague Pony Penning is held once a year, at Chincoteague, Va.  This year's is July 30 and 31.

ONLY the foals are auctioned.  The rest go back to Assateague Island, where they live year round.

Because they only auction this year's foals, they're weanlings, and easier to train and get close to then older horses would be.  

It's an exorbitant amount for a weanling pony.  I think the AVERAGE is around $2,000.  Most sell in the $1500-$3000 range; the record IIIRC was $19,000.

Some sell for less, but most of those are the ones designated to be given back for breeding on the island - in other words, you get the prestige of owning it, but you don't get anything else.

Here's a website:  

http://www.chincoteaguechamber.com/pony-...