Of all of the occasions that we had the prospect to take part on this weekend, the horse public sale is the one for which I needed we had arrived earlier. The fairgrounds have been packed.
The public sale started at 8:00 AM, however by the point we arrived round 7:15 AM, discovering a spot with view of the public sale pen was already inconceivable. The horses within the holding space nibbled on hay, vied for his or her most well-liked areas, or groomed each other.
@go_riding Teamwork makes the dream work … #GroomingGoals #ChincoteaguePonies #PonySwim100 #GoRiding2025 #HorseNation ♬ Wild Horses – JD Brower Band
Folding chairs dotted the fairgrounds and the gang buzzed with pleasure. This wasn’t simply any Chincoteague Pony Public sale—it was the a hundredth anniversary, and it might go down in historical past because the highest-grossing sale the island had ever seen.
In the event you’ve by no means been to the Chincoteague Pony Public sale, let me paint the image: it’s equal elements small-town custom, high-stakes public sale, and heartwarming chaos. This was my first time on the public sale, so I’m not positive if that is the way it normally feels or if it was as a result of significance of the centennial, however the crowd was big.
Photograph by DeAnn Lengthy Sloan
The Saltwater Cowboys, after rounding up the wild ponies from neighboring Assateague Island, information the herd by means of the well-known swim and into corrals on the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds. There, below tents and surrounded by spectators from throughout the nation, the ponies are auctioned off one after the other — some to eternally houses, others to be returned to the wild after a symbolic “buyback.”
A buyback pony is a foal that’s bought at public sale with the intention of returning it to the wild herd. The customer pays for the horse, earns naming rights, however donates it again to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fireplace Firm, permitting the foal to stay out its life on Assateague Island and assist maintain the herd’s inhabitants and genetics.
The public sale started a bit earlier than 8:00 AM. The primary gadgets auctioned off have been donated gadgets akin to custom-made leather-based saddle baggage, a fleece blanket, a one-of-a-kind hat and jacket, and varied prints. From the get-go it was clear that folks have been right here to bid. Every merchandise introduced in a good amount of cash, with the saddle baggage going for $2300. That’s after I acquired an inkling that this was now not an public sale of $400 ponies (I had one good friend inform me she was capable of get them for $40 when she was a child).
A considerably blurry have a look at how the ponies have been introduced. Photograph by DeAnn Lengthy Sloan.
Then the primary pony got here out — it was really lot #2, as #1 can be auctioned within the place of foals that had not made it to the public sale resulting from passing away or being held for different causes. Because the auctioneer’s chant started—”Do I hear a thousand? Now fifteen hundred, two thousand!”—the power surged. Bidders waved numbered paddles whereas spectators cheered like they have been courtside at a championship sport. It was loud, sweaty, joyful pandemonium. The primary pony, a chestnut filly by Ken and out of Kimmie Sue, went for $3400. The group cheered.
This was no joke. Enjoyable although it could have been, this was a record-breaking public sale. The primary buyback filly bought for $31,500. Then a take-home buckskin pinto filly went for $17,500. One other buyback went for $46,000. Then a take-home earned $21,500. This was a black filly, by the massively in style stallion Riptide and out of Summer time.
Individuals round me gasped, clapped, and laughed in disbelief. They have been thrilled that the ponies have been elevating this a lot cash and thrilled to participate within the pleasure.
Then data started being damaged. A buyback filly by Seaside Boy and out of Flower went for $78,000. The earlier file was $50,500. The ceiling had been shattered.
After which it was shattered once more. Lot 56, a bay pinto filly by Hidalgo and out of Marguerite, went for an astounding $100,000!!
“100 years, 100 foals, $100,000.” It was unbelievable to look at.
Past the massive numbers and bidding wars, although, the public sale stays rooted in what has at all times made it particular: neighborhood, conservation, and connection. The proceeds go on to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fireplace Firm, which manages the wild herd and helps keep its well being and sustainability. Meaning each greenback spent on a foal additionally helps protect the custom that makes this little island well-known.
For first-timers (and I used to be one), the expertise can really feel overwhelming in one of the simplest ways. Children leaned over fences, making an attempt to select their favourite pony. Onlookers advised tales in regards to the auctions that they had seen previously or shared what made them attend this 12 months’s Pony Swim and public sale. We made quick mates, certain by the kinship of loving the horses.
We’d all cheer when a very spicy foal got here into the pen.
The 2025 Chincoteague Pony Public sale raised a record-breaking $1,008,100. This consists of the cash from the sale of 94 ponies, with six of these being buybacks. The common value of a pony was $10,724, and the very best bid for a take-home pony was $50,000. That is an astounding complete that broke each earlier file and solidified the a hundredth Chincoteague Pony Public sale as a milestone within the island’s historical past.
There additionally was a sense within the air that caught with me: satisfaction, nostalgia, and deep affection for these wild, saltwater-born ponies that proceed to seize hearts era after era.
And if this 12 months’s public sale proved something, it’s that even after 100 years, the magic of Chincoteague is way from fading. The truth is, it’d simply be getting stronger.
