Theories abound regarding how the small-framed horses—most of them shorter than 14 hands—came to call Assateague home, but the true story of one palomino pinto named Misty continues to lure people to Chincoteague’s annual summer pony roundup. In 1947, author and animal lover Marguerite Henry published the acclaimed children’s book Misty of Chincoteague, the first in a series of novels inspired by the festivities.
“The book has brought a lot of people to Chincoteague,” says Denise Bowden, a longtime member of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company who helps care for the ponies. “Our event is what I call good, old-fashioned Americana that you just don’t see anywhere else in the United States.”
