Allison Dotzel and Tipson Meyers with Summer's foal, a colt born after pony penning and sold over the winter to one of their clients.
In 1947, the world was introduced to Chincoteague Ponies through “Misty of Chincoteague,” Marguerite Henry’s novel for children. While reading about Paul and Maureen Beebe’s efforts to purchase a wild pony foal, readers across the nation learned of the tiny island off the coast of Virginia and its wild pony roundup, swim, and auction. For many, a dream was born.
Tipson Myers of Hughesville, PA was one of those kids.
Today, Myers offers a unique service from her 40-stall 45 acre farm, Stoney Creek Chincoteagues. Working with veterinarian Allison Dotzel of Laurel Highland Veterinary Clinic, Myers guides clients in choosing and bidding on wild pony foals at Pony Penning, the last full week of July annually. Additional services include hauling, boarding, and gentling newly weaned foals.
Because Chincoteague ponies can range in height from 12.2 to 15 hands with temperaments that vary, choosing a foal can be hit or miss for the inexperienced. Prior to formation of the Chincoteague Pony Registry, Mustang and Arab lines were added to the herd. Those with a Mustang background mature to a stockier build, while the Arab lines are more refined.
Myers, who began riding at the age of 6, has a BS degree in Equine Studies from Centenary University. She is assistant coach at Penn State University for the Western Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) team and is a coach for the Stoney Creek Stables Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) high school team. She opened Stoney Creek Stables in 1997 with a focus on mostly AQHA and APHA horses. Then, in 2009, she purchased her first Chincoteague Pony, Cody, and fell in love with the common-sense temperament of these easy-keeper ponies.
Veterinarian Allison Dotzel was Tipson’s first client in 2015, bringing home her Chincoteague Pony, Finn.
“Allison has such a wealth of knowledge of the entire herd and the bloodlines,” said Myers. “While we both are excellent on the topic of conformation, I really enjoy figuring out a foal’s personality and what discipline they’ll be best suited for. Together, we try to find the best match for both the foal and the client.”
A business that started small has grown to 19 clients in 2019. Clients reserve their own place to stay for Pony Penning. Then, they are guided to Facebook to follow the DSC Photography page or the I Love Chincoteague Ponies page where photos of newborn foals are regularly posted by hiker Darcy Cole and others.
Once on the island, Myers provides each client with a copy of DSC Photography’s annual foal book so they can make notes and mark their favorite foals.
“Allison and I take them to the pens, and we go through the book together,” Myers said.
She and Dotzel ask a lot of questions, including preferred sex and color choice, and whether the foal is for a child or an adult.
“We also ask them about their level of experience, [the] intended use of the pony, desired size range etc.,” Dotzel said. “It helps if we know what they are looking for so we can steer them towards foals that are more likely to meet their needs.”
Myers spends a lot of time observing foals to assess their personalities.
“If they are doing flying lead changes, they are extremely balanced,” Myers said. “If they want an English pony, the length of the shoulder - which goes into the stride length - is important. I look for a bigger stride and a longer neck. The bloodlines are important too. Finn for example, he is not much of a Western horse, but boy could he do dressage. Then, with that, comes a bigger attitude too.”
Myers relies on Dotzel and her encyclopedic brain for equine background, sire and dam and previous foal data.
“I usually tell the buyer what I know about the foal’s parents and anything [I know] about foals they’ve thrown before, [including] personality and height. Once we get a look at all the foals on the buyer’s list, Tipson and I consult with them, and then help them come up with a bidding game plan. What will they do if one of their other choices comes up before their favorite? I am usually quick at identifying each foal as they come in, so we cluster the buyers we’re helping around me, so I can call out which foal is up.”
Choosing a Foal
Alyssa Ronco of Mifflinburg, PA has dreamed of owning a Chincoteague Pony since she read “Misty of Chincoteague” as a child. After she lost her favorite horse, Poco, she found Dotzel on a Chincoteague Pony Facebook page.
“They literally helped us through the process of choosing a foal,” Ronco said. “We wanted one that would grow to a larger size, so it would be a lifetime pony, and we really were specific about color - a buckskin or buckskin paint or a black. They recommended we make a list. They met us at the fence to help us make decisions based on bloodlines. Then, they had us choose a budget. We didn’t want to go over $3,000 and that is exactly what we spent.”
Ronco said she’s had background information on every other horse she and her family has purchased.
“But here, you just don’t know,” she said. “It would have been a stab in the dark without Tipson and Allison. They know the bloodlines, the strategy. Allison can see hernias, whether the legs are straight, and that sort of thing.”
In hindsight, she believes she got exactly the right horse. Sometimes, she even thinks Poco – the horse she lost - was reincarnated in her Chincoteague Pony, Tesoro.
“I think we made a good choice,” she said. “He is a little bit hot, but once you get him to focus, he can do amazing things. He is so much like Poco that it’s crazy. They are both so mischievous. He knows how to open doors. He just wants you to pay attention to him.”
Donna Gensel of Hughesville, PA works for Tipson. She was there when Cody, and then Finn came home. In 2018, she decided she wanted one for her 11 grandchildren. She talked to Myers, and then set to work making a chart of every baby as it was born.
“I think 69 were born that year, so I started with 69 on my list,” she said with a laugh. “When I still had 69 on my list 10 days before Pony Penning, Tipson said, ‘That’s too many’. She started asking questions.”
Tipson realized this pony needed to be solid and gentle – a kids’ pony. She had Gensel narrow the list again. She crossed off all the fillies.
“I didn’t want a moody girl,” she said. “Then, I crossed off all the palomino pintos. We had two here and I saw how dirty they got. I liked Riptide, so I started looking at all of his foals. At the corral, they helped me with conformation and what they’d look like when they finished out.”
Gensel said the pair pointed out Secret Feather’s foal by Riptide several times. That bay with a wide blaze stuck in her head. But, at auction, it took a long time for him to come out, worrying Myers and Dotzel.
“Allison said, ‘If you keep waiting you might end up with nothing,’ but I decided to wait. He came out #47. It was me and one other lady in a bidding war, but I got him, for $4,800.”
Gensel said the colt, Swizzle, is everything she wanted.
“Anything I ask of him, he is willing,” she said. “Nothing fazed him this year [at the Horse World Expo breed demo] except a few moments with a green trashcan. Even then, he just walked around it. He’s willing to do anything I ask of him. I’d wanted him to be calm enough for all 11 grandkids and he is just what I had hoped for.”
Myers and Dotzel love what they do.
“The transition from a completely wild foal to a domestic one can be difficult and challenging, but also very rewarding,” Myers said. “Their personalities are so different. When I got Cody, it took me three weeks to get his halter on. I’d look at him and he would climb up the wall. But Swizzle literally wanted to crawl into my lap.”
Dotzel said they each have a story all their own. She loves that you can bring one home and turn it into a great pony.
“I also like that they are so versatile and have the talent and potential to excel in many different disciplines.”
Myers agreed.
“It makes me sad that there is a need for a Chincoteague Pony Rescue. I hope through my business of helping people pick the perfect pony and getting them started correctly, that all the foals that leave the island end up in a good situation.”
For more information, call Stoney Creek Chincoteagues at (570) 419-6110 or find them on Facebook.
In a Wild Herd, How are Sires Determined?
Several people document the wild Chincoteague Pony herds daily. Foremost is Darcy Cole of DSC Photography, who hikes over 100 miles each week, observing the ponies. Members keep spreadsheets based on her reports, of which mare was with which stallion on nearly every day of the year. Still, the term "Probable Sire" is used, as there could be an hour here or there that a mare sneaks away.
Two genetics experts weigh in at the end of the year as the group reviews the list of foals. If there is a debate, color and pattern could come into play. For example, two solids can't produce a pinto, or if it has a blue eye, it likely has a splash gene and that narrows it down.