Jill's Journal: Yesterday was our first full day on Assateague Island and three major things stand out to me as I look back.
1). The Atlantic Ocean! Three little girls could have chased waves all day long. The laughter, the happy squeals, the pure joy…as hard as it can be to travel with children (and trust me, it can be
hard), that made it all worth it. They were in heaven. I thought we’d just dip our toes in (hence clothing instead of bathing suits), but the strong waves knocked all three over repeatedly (which they loved) and they were drenched from head to toe. And the sand…how does sand migrate to places on children “where the sun don’t shine”? Ugh.
One more note…how often does one get to play in the waves with ponies just 50 feet away, also cooling their toes?
2). Ospreys. We decided for the first time ever to make hot dogs. And s’mores. And do it over a campfire. Imagine our shock and surprise when a bold osprey (or sea-hawk) swooped down and stole three hot dogs off the plate! It all happened in the blink of an eye. Erika was a little traumatized, but I think the s’mores soon erased any worries. :)
3). Ponies, ponies, ponies everywhere, including a small herd that took a particular liking to our campsite. One stallion, four mares, one foal. We all watched in wonder for quite some time. The foal was incredibly playful…running, neighing, chewing on our car, and trying to steal the girls’ Cinderella scooter! They got a huge kick out of that.
We made the girls come inside and stand in the doorway of the fifth wheel…close enough that they could have touched the ponies if we’d let them, but safe enough that we could have whisked them out of harm’s way in an instant. Although we’ve seen many people do otherwise, ranger-enforceable law on this island is that these ponies are not to be touched. They are wild and do not share the same responses to people that domesticated horses do. When people touch them, they not only endanger themselves (we’ve heard many stories of people getting severely bitten), but they also remove any fear or respect these animals have for humans. And these ponies are scavengers – they go after people’s food and will attack, just like a bear or other wild animal.
These wild ponies are actually the descendants of horses and are technically small, pony-sized horses. It is believed about 300 years ago, a Spanish galleon with a load of horses shipwrecked just off the coast and the horses swam ashore. They mixed with local stock – nearby farmers on the mainland would “hide” their horses on the island to avoid taxation of livestock. They had to be hardy to survive here with the harsh summers and harsh winters and little food. Eventually over time, they began “shrinking” to make best use of the little food they did have and are now the size of large ponies.
The current horses here are left completely wild, with no veterinary care or other intervention, except a contraceptive dart to alternating mares. The state of Maryland tries to keep the numbers at around 150-175, since the island can’t fully support more than that. The ponies all have bloated bellies because they drink about twice the amount of water as normal horses due to their salty, marshy diet.
And they're just so darn cute!
We’ve seen two stallions clashing on more than one occasion, with one trying to steal what appears to be a 2-year-old filly from the other’s herd. We can now identify the lead mares. We’ve seen them all “chatting” around the figurative water cooler. And it’s so interesting how unaffected these wild horses are by people. They show humans complete indifference, just as a domesticated horse would ignore a bird or cat in his paddock. One night Rob and I were sitting outside enjoying a cool beverage after the girls were in bed. A herd came trotting through our campsite, one getting so close he brushed Rob. I’ve never seen a regular horse disrespect personal space like that -- these guys know they own the island! Fascinating stuff. 
Yesterday while Rob dealt with some of the RV battery issues, I took the girls off the island to see some different animals at the Salisbury Zoo, about half an hour away. It was hot there too, but the car’s air conditioner on the way sure felt good! It was the perfect little zoo for my girls’ ages. Just 13 acres, with lots of interesting smaller animals (they especially adored the playful river otters and prairie dogs), and free! Can’t beat that.
