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The Assateauge and the
Chincoteague are basically the same pony, found mainly on the island
of Assateague, and on the neighboring island of Chincoteague, which
both lie off the coast of Virginia, America. The ponies live a feral
existence, and there is some mystery surrounding how they came to
be on the islands. One interesting theory is that they are the descendants
of horses that survived a shipwreck during the 16th century
and swam ashore to the islands. It is more likely, however, that
they are the result of Spanish and North African horses that escaped,
or were abandoned, in early colonial times, or that they were purposely
taken out to the islands by the colonials after the introduction
of horse taxes on the mainland in 1669.
Although the ponies are
small in stature, standing usually around 12 hh, they do feature
some horse-like characteristics, especially in the head and in the
length of the cannon bone, which indicates that they are descendants
of early horses. Their existence did not become widely known until
the 1920s, but now the ponies fall under the protection of the Chincoteague
Fire Department, which is responsible for managing the islands.
They gained popularity in 1947 with Marguerite Henry's classic children's
book Misty of Chincoteague.
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Absorbine Green Wound Gel

Orican Neck Cover
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