Assateague Visitor Center

In the morning we checked out the Visitor Center back on the mainland. Very nice place with all the prerequisite info stations. We watched a 20 minute movie about the Island and the wildlife. Mostly about the ponies.

There are two herds. In VA the Chincateague Volunteer Fire Dept owns the herd and they have the famous pony swim every year when they herd the horses off the island and sell the foals as a fundraiser. They also provide some care for them throughout the year.

In MD the herd is completely wild and therefore very different. The Park Service maintains the herd size by vaccinating the mares to prevent all but one pregnancy per mare.

Very interesting how different the two herds are.