Wild ponies living on a barrier island off the coast of Virginia

Living among shorebirds, sika deer, and Del Marva fox squirrels, Chincoteague ponies live wild on Assateague Island as made famous by Marguerite Henry’s Misty of Chincoteague,

In order to ensure their population remains stable, an annual round-up and Pony Swim to the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds takes place, where people from all over the country travel to bid on a Chincoteague Pony foal of their very own.

Not all the foals are auctioned off to new homes; the few ponies carefully selected by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department to stay and live out their lives on the shore are called buybacks, and are adored from afar by many.