CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (AP) — Thousands of people gathered in Virginia to watch the Chincoteague wild ponies make their annual swim across the Assateague Channel, the 99th year of the popular tradition.
The ponies made the short swim across the channel Wednesday as the crowd erupted in cheers. Foal No. 6 was crowned “Queen Neptune," the title given each year to the first to complete the swim, according to WAVY-TV.
The horses were made famous in the 1947 classic children’s novel “Misty of Chincoteague” by author Marguerite Henry.
“Saltwater Cowboys” on horseback round up the ponies, who then swim the channel and come ashore on the east side of Chincoteague Island. The event hosted by the Chincoteague Fire Department includes an auction of some of the foals are sold to help control the size of the herd and help maintain a healthy pony population on Assateague, where the ponies live most of the year. The auction is also the biggest annual fundraiser for the fire department, which manages the wild pony herd.
The tradition began in 1925 as a way to raise money for Chincoteague's volunteer fire company. Interest in the pony swim grew and visitors began coming from across the country for the annual event. “Misty of Chincoteague” made the event famous around the world.
![Catherine Ward, owner of One Acre Farms, a functioning educational farm to help special needs kids, feeds her flaxen welsh pony named "Honey" Friday, July 12, 2024, in Porter, Texas. Ward has been without power since hurricane Beryl passed through and is running the farm on a large portable generator, mainly used to keep the water well functioning for all the livestock. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)](https://image.bastillepost.com/1200x/wp-content/uploads/global/2024/07/Houston_Power_Outages_Agriculture_92447-1.jpg.webp)
Catherine Ward, owner of One Acre Farms, a functioning educational farm to help special needs kids, feeds her flaxen welsh pony named "Honey" Friday, July 12, 2024, in Porter, Texas. Ward has been without power since hurricane Beryl passed through and is running the farm on a large portable generator, mainly used to keep the water well functioning for all the livestock. (AP Photo/Michael Wyke)
![This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows horseback riders corral the herd of ponies during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)](https://image.bastillepost.com/1200x/wp-content/uploads/global/2024/07/Chincoteague_Pony_Swim_62076.jpg.webp)
This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows horseback riders corral the herd of ponies during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)
![This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows ponies arriving on shore during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)](https://image.bastillepost.com/1200x/wp-content/uploads/global/2024/07/Chincoteague_Pony_Swim_62448.jpg.webp)
This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows ponies arriving on shore during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)
![This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows ponies arriving on shore during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)](https://image.bastillepost.com/1200x/wp-content/uploads/global/2024/07/Chincoteague_Pony_Swim_69368.jpg.webp)
This photo taken from video provided by Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce, shows ponies arriving on shore during Chincoteague's 99th Pony Swim in Chincoteague, Va., Wednesday, July 24, 2024. (Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce via AP)