Playing with Ponies: Human Wildlife Interactions on Assateague Island

Beach days on Assateague Island hold treasured memories for over three million people who visit the national seashore’s coastline and estuarine waters every year, myself included. Growing up just a two-hour drive away from Assateague, I have always admired the intricate ecosystems that comprise the barrier island and its inhabitants. The best-known long-term resident species on Assateague is the wild pony, which roams the sandy beaches, saltwater marshes, and maritime forests. There are park regulations in place that make it illegal to pet, feed, or approach these animals within 40 feet of them, for both the horses’ safety and ours. Yet, on my most recent trip to Assateague in May 2026, several visitors did not follow these strict rules, and no one was there to enforce them.

History of the Pony Population on Assateague

Photo: Jordan Cox.

Among the various speculated origin stories of these feral ponies, the most plausible is that they are descendants of domesticated horses from the 17th century that were taken to Assateague. As of March 2026, there are 83 wild horses living on Assateague Island in the Maryland herd, including 34 stallions and 49 mares. The Assateague Island National Seashore team (part of the National Park Service) has kept the current population within their target range of 80-100 individuals to ultimately protect Assateague’s natural resources. This has been conducted through administering contraceptive vaccines on “mares who are allowed to have at least one foal.” For the Virginia herd, also known as the “Chincoteague ponies,” the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company (CVFC) regulates the herd’s population to keep it under 150 individuals, in accordance with a special U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service permit, through an annual roundup and auction. Through these population regulation efforts, natural resources and processes, including dunes, threatened plants, soil compaction, and native wildlife ecology, are better protected while still maintaining healthy herd population numbers.

In addition to the beneficial human interventions by National Park Service (NPS) and CVFC for the horse populations, these horses have withstood extreme weather and have adapted to navigate the marshes with shorter builds over the last 350 years or so. Yet, the very visitors who travel far and wide to admire these ponies’ beauty are also the ones putting their well-being at additional risk.

The Importance of Distance

Photo: Jordan Cox.

Gizmo.

Since 1982, there have been over 30 wild horse fatalities from car collisions alone on Assateague Island. Just last summer, Gizmo, a beloved 16-year-old Bay female, died after being struck by a vehicle on the main road once entering the national side of the park. Although there are many signs on the roads with a speed limit of 25 mph or less, I’ve witnessed numerous individuals driving at 40 mph or more on narrow roads where the horses freely cross and graze along the sides.

Photo: Jordan Cox.

While these ponies are most likely descendants of domesticated horses, they are also now free-roaming and feral horses whose behavior can be unpredictable. Thus, regulations on Assateague state that visitors should not be within 40 feet of any wildlife, for both their safety and ours. Since grass is the wild horses’ main food source, feeding them foods outside of their normal diet can result in colic, which can possibly result in their death. Even leaving the water spigots on near the visitor center and restrooms at Assateague can alter the horses’ behavior. If felt threatened or scared, these horses can also bite, charge at, or kick visitors who stand too close.

Photo: Jordan Cox.

Just last month, during my recent visit to the national seashore, I was walking along the Marsh Trail at the beach, where the only access point was through a ramp, and a family of wild horses – a stallion, mare, and foal – walked across the marshes towards the ramp and began grazing. As the ramp was my only exit, I waited over an hour to reenter the walking path. In doing so, I was able to admire the natural behavior of these magnificent animals and watch the young foal prance around its mother, roll in the sand, and hesitantly explore the beach chairs and towels that the nearby family had laid out.

The unexpected behavior I witnessed was from visitors who quickly walked down the beach ramp to photograph the mother and her foal, a mere foot away. I soon reminded them that for everyone’s safety, we should maintain a respectful distance about the length of a school bus and not try to touch or feed the horses.

Although Assateague Island National Seashore provides visitors with information about wildlife safety through signs, brochures, websites, and other educational materials, it is evident that these close interactions between visitors and the wild ponies still occur. Therefore, I strongly suggest that more accessible educational opportunities be integrated, particularly during peak summer months, to help visitors of all backgrounds understand the importance of maintaining a safe distance from wildlife and minimizing interactions that could potentially alter the animals’ behavior. Furthermore, I urge Assateague Island National Seashore to offer additional volunteer opportunities for local community members to monitor, and therefore minimize, these human-wildlife interactions, while providing real-time educational opportunities. Incorporating additional outreach efforts could better protect both the horses and the millions of visitors to the national seashore, empower local stakeholders, and establish a stronger sense of environmental stewardship for Assateague.

Click here for additional resources on wildlife safety on Assateague

Jordan Cox

Jordan is a rising second-year graduate student at Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment, pursuing a Master of Environmental Management with concentrations in Coastal & Marine Systems (CAMS) and Community Engagement & Environmental Justice (CEEJ), along with certificates in Geospatial Analysis and Project Management in the development sector. Growing up on the Chesapeake Bay in Annapolis, Maryland, Jordan has long been interested in restoration and increasing climate resiliency. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science & Policy from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she was a member of the Honors College and was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa Society.