A Cowboy of Chincoteague's Pony Express

By Karen Hart
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, July 22, 2007

It's all about the ponies at Chincoteague's Pony Swim and Auction, an annual event that takes place on Virginia's Eastern Shore in July. But while the four-legged youngsters made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 children's book "Misty of Chincoteague" are the stars of the show -- drawing approximately 40,000 to 50,000 tourists -- the Pony Swim wouldn't happen without the 50 or so saltwater cowboys who round them up.

These men, most of them firefighters, help the ponies swim across the narrow channel between Assateague and Chincoteague islands and herd them ashore, where they are auctioned to benefit the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.

Eddie Thornton, a construction superintendent by day, has been a saltwater cowboy for the past 10 years. We caught up with Thornton, 46, to find out a little more about Chincoteague's saltwater cowboys and the pony roundup.

Where did the term "saltwater cowboy" originate?

Well, they used to call them "gumboot cowboys" because the older fellas used to go out on their horses and they'd have on the ol' rubber hip boots. And then somehow it got switched up to "saltwater cowboy."

Do all saltwater cowboys have to read "Misty of Chincoteague"?

[Laughs.] No. But I'm sure that most of them have!

What kind of training does it take?

There's really no training. I mean, you have to be capable of riding a horse and know how to control a horse. And really I'm in it because I'm a member of the fire company, and the fire company owns the ponies.

What's the single most important skill a saltwater cowboy must have?

You have to be a decent horseback rider. If you get someone who doesn't really know how to ride a horse, well, you can't round up the ponies.

So if someone who wasn't a part of the fire company wanted to be a saltwater cowboy, how would they go about joining the roundup?

They would have to talk to the pony committee chairman and tell them how long they've been riding. And if they have an available spot, they may be able to go, they may not.

How far do the ponies have to swim to get to Chincoteague?

Oh, I guess it's about three to four hundred feet. It's really not that far.

Do you know approximately how many ponies you round up?

About 150. . . . Well, actually it's a little more than that, because they have the foals with 'em. But we keep a herd of about 150.

Do the crowds help or hinder getting the ponies ashore and to the auction site?

In a way they help because they create a fence, you know?

Has a Chincoteague pony ever bitten you?

No, but my own horse has bit me.

Any scary incidents with the ponies?

Not really scary, but I was afraid that I was going to lose my horse one day on a swim. My horse got into some real soft mud and had gone in up to her neck, and I had to get off of her and into the mud myself so she could get herself out. But that's about the worst thing.

Is that pretty common?

It can and does happen once in a while when we're running the ponies across the marsh.

What is the most dangerous aspect of the roundup?

Well, there is always a danger when you're on a horse. You know, a horse is a big animal that weighs up to about 1,200 pounds. And if you're chasing a pony and not paying attention, you could hit a limb of a tree and take you off your horse, you know? Anytime you're on a horse, anything can happen.

What are the highest and lowest prices a pony will go for?

The highest we've ever had is $10,500, and the lowest is about seven to eight hundred.

Do all of the ponies always sell at the auction?

Yeah, all of the foals are sold.

And then the parents of the foals go back to the island, correct?

Yeah.

I read that some people or groups think you mistreat the animals. Do you know why they think this?

Everyone is entitled to an opinion, I guess. But we are members of the Humane Society of the United States and the SPCA [Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals], and they've both been out there and watched us do everything, and they've had no problem with us. . . . We probably spend between $25,000 and $30,000 a year on veterinarians. It isn't like we just let them go and never see them again during the year. We are checking in on them all the time. If they need their hooves trimmed, they get their hooves trimmed. They get more shots than my horse gets.

Have you ever been tempted to bid on a pony yourself?

I've been tempted a couple of times but never have.

Pony Swim is Wednesday, sometime between

7 and 11 a.m., viewable from Memorial Park on Eastside Road (shuttles available). Auction is Thursday at 8 a.m. at the Carnival Grounds, on Main Street in Chincoteague. Both are free for spectators. The first colt to come ashore will be raffled off. For more information, call 757-336-6161 or visithttp://www.chincoteague.com/pony.