July 2022 Issue

Page 4 July 2022 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Moonshadow and her filly Moonbeam on Assateague Island. The two were struck by a car and injured in June 2021. Moonshadow was later found dead and, despite a non-interference policy, Moonbeam was rehomed. Photo courtesy of Assateague Island National Seashore NPS By Lois Szymanski Chincoteague Ponies were in- troduced to the world in the book “Misty of Chincoteague,” but have you met the Assateague Po- nies? They’re not as well known, though they both live on the same 33-mile barrier island along the coast of Maryland and Virginia. Crowds flock to the pony auction on Chincoteague each July to see and purchase Chin- coteague Pony foals, but there’s no public record of an Assateague Pony going to a private home. Now, one special filly named Moonbeam has done just that, moving to her forever home in Hughesville, PA in late February. Moonbeam’s journey to Stoney Creek Chincoteagues is like a best-selling novel, with tragedy and loss, twists and turns, and thankfully, a happy ending. Feral ponies living on As- sateague Island are split into two herds by a fence at the state line. The National Park Service over- sees the Maryland herd. The Chin- In Rare Move, Injured and Orphaned Assateague Filly Rehomed coteague Volunteer Fire Company owns and manages the Virginia herd with a special use “grazing” permit from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Population control in Vir- ginia is managed by an annual foal auction, while the Maryland side uses birth control darts, allowing only a few foals annually. Moonbeam was born on April 2, 2021 to a mare called Moonshadow. Her life was idyl- lic, until late June, when the mare and foal were struck by a car along Bayberry Drive. “Both horses sustained inju- ries and were being monitored by National Park Service staff,” said Liz Davis (Chief of Interpretation and Education on the Maryland side). “The mare, N2BHS-CKP [Moonshadow] had a large swelling on her left side but was observed by park staff moving around normally.” Then, on Tuesday, July 6, Moonshadow was found dead by a park employee. The foal had sus- tained cuts to the lower left front leg but was able to move around and take some weight on the leg. Although the Maryland herd is managed with a no interference policy, Davis said, “in certain circumstances we may intervene to address human-caused inju- ries. Given that the incident that caused this 3-month-old foal to be orphaned was human-caused, it was determined that human intervention under these unique circumstances was warranted.” As staff on the Maryland side worked with Davis to develop a plan for the foal, the public was stewing. The filly had a follow- ing of pony-lovers whose outcry could be seen on social media. Then, a plan was announced. “Park staff considered several options for the foal, including leaving her in the wild with her band, euthanasia, or relocation to a suitable location,” Davis said. “The preferred option was to relocate her to the Virginia herd at the Chincote- ague National Wildlife Refuge.” According to Davis, since recordkeeping began many years ago, Maryland’s National Park Services has transferred owner- ship of 33 Assateague ponies to the Chincoteague herd. Moon- beam became the first foal to go. Denise Bowden is the Public Relations Officer for the Chin- coteague fire company. She’d been following the filly’s prog- ress and said she was “overjoyed” when she heard the filly was coming to Chincoteague. When they went to pick up Moonbeam, pony committee member Dennie Savage said he noticed right way that she wasn’t very big compared to foals her age in the Virginia herd. “She had a stone up in her hoof that we think got there in the accident,” Savage said. “We thought that was it, but after we got it out, she started limping again. So, the vet ground off that piece of the hoof and opened up a little pocket in there so it wouldn’t get infection in it, and so she wouldn’t get an abscess.” Meanwhile, Moonbeam’s Maryland followers worried. Shir- ley McKibbon of West Ocean City, MD said she has loved Moonbeam since the day she was born. “I was heartbroken when she was hit, and again when they took her out of the park. She was my first favorite horse. I loved her as soon as I laid her eyes on her. A lot of the girls who hang there were devastated, too. We came up with the name Moonbeam.” Follower, Zoe Newman of Lexington Park, MD was happy for her move. “I believe the National Park Service made the best decision for her,” she said. At first, McKibbon worried she would never see Moonbeam again, but she did, visiting her on the fire company’s carnival grounds. Meanwhile, her caretakers noticed Moonbeam’s growth was stunted. Her limp came and went. “She received her normal shots and was fully checked as soon as we got her from Mary- land,” Bowden said. “She was fed a healthy diet, had x-rays, and the vet worked with her to make sure her leg was healing, but for some reason she still seemed a little lame on that leg and of course, she is very tiny. The guys decided that she was just too fragile to even try to put her back in the wild. They felt that she needed a more stable environment where she could get lots of attention. The bottom (Continued on page 5)