Wild Horses
Date: June 12, 2025 — Assateague Island National Park, Maryland
I still don’t think I can pronounce Assateague correctly. Here is how to pronounce it.
According to Wikipedia, the island is probably named after the Assateague people—a tribe that no longer exists.
The horses—more accurately known as Chincoteague ponies—are considered feral. They roam the island freely and are basically treated as wildlife.
As soon as we drove across the bridge and turned right, we spotted a horse grazing right by the road. Just a few miles further, we saw even more—and we hadn’t even reached the entrance to the paid area yet.
The main part of the park costs $25 per vehicle as of 2025. After entering, we received a map of the drivable area, which turned out to be surprisingly small compared to the free zone. We spent hours trying to find more ponies inside, but didn’t come across many.
We joked that the horses outside the fee area were the “Maneki-horses,” inspired by 招き猫, the Japanese lucky cat, and attract tourists into the paid area.
Eventually, on another loop through the ocean-side road, we stumbled upon a happy pony family. Here are the photos:
Article tags: Personal