The Island of Freedom: 'Misty of Chincoteague' and the Annual Pony Swim

"...for Assateague belonged to the wild things, and the wild ponies whose ancestors had lived on it since the days of the Spanish galleon."

Perhaps nowhere else in children's literature is the idea of freedom versus captivity for animals so movingly explored as in Misty of Chincoteague.

Written by Marguerite Henry, the story begins with the strange cry of a stallion locked in the hold of a Spanish galleon. As the stallion tries to free himself and the mares from the confining stalls, he is aware that a dangerous storm is coming. And it is not only the storm that threatens the little Moor ponies. They are on their way to a future working endless hours in a Peruvian mine.

What happens next sets the tone of the book. I recently read Misty of Chincoteague again for the first time since childhood. I could empathize with the two children in the story and their longing to have an Assateague foal for their own. Yet, I found my sympathies were all with the wild things.

Marguerite Henry does a masterful job keeping that tension strung tight throughout her story. Published in 1947, Misty of Chincoteague brought international attention to the small horses inhabiting Assateague Island off the coast of Maryland and Virginia. A centuries-old legend tells of the Moor ponies that escaped from the Spanish galleon into sunlight and freedom.

A less colorful account records settlers grazing their horses on Assateague Island to keep from paying taxes due to fencing laws. Some of the horses turned feral and formed bands on the Island.

I do prefer to believe the old legend, along with Grandpa Beebe in the story:

"...legends be the only stories as is true!" He stopped to find the right words. "Facts are fine, fer as they go...Legends, now--they go deep down and bring up the heart of the story."

What actually happened is lost to us now. What we do know is that for centuries, wild horses have roamed Assateague Island, becoming small, shaggy, and round-bellied from living among the salt marshlands.

"Pony Penning Day always comes on the last Thursday of July..."

From Misty of Chincoteague

Pony Penning Day and other family events are held on Chincoteague Island on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. According to their website, 2025 marks the 100th anniversary of the island pony swim.

The small horses, affectionately known as ponies, are rounded up: stallions, mares, and foals. In a scene made famous by Misty of Chincoteague, the ponies swim across the channel from wild Assateague Island to Chincoteague. There they are penned and the foals auctioned off to prevent overcrowding and to raise funds for the Chincoteague Fire Department.

I knew Misty of Chincoteague featured actual people and used their real names in the story. I didn't know until recently that the author actually purchased Misty from the Beebe family. The small horse was brought to live in Wayne, Illinois, far from the sea, as a model the author used for her book.

According to the website article, "History of Misty of Chincoteague," Misty stayed with Mrs. Henry for over ten years and made appearances for children and all her fans at venues including schools, movie theaters, museums, libraries, and horse shows.

In 1957, Mrs. Henry returned Misty to the Beebe family ranch on Chincoteague Island. Misty could once again feel the wind off the Atlantic Ocean and taste the saltwater grasses. You can find a wealth of information and pictures at the website, Misty's Heaven.

In her book, Marguerite Henry describes one of the descendants of the little Moor ponies as "a piece of wind and sky." That untamed image is the one I want to remember after turning the last page of Misty of Chincoteague.

#Authors #BooksandReading #Islands

Sources:

Henry, Marguerite, and Wesley Dennis (Illustrator). Misty of Chincoteague. Aladdin Paperbacks, An Imprint Of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing Division, 2006.

Henry, Marguerite. A Pictorial Life Story of Misty. Childrens Press, 1986.

“History of Misty of Chincoteague.” Misty’s Heaven, www.mistysheaven.com/historyofmisty.html#/.

“Pony Swim.” Chincoteague, 15 Nov. 2024, www.chincoteague.com/pony-swim/.