Pony Penning Day at Chincoteague Island - Rural Thursday

I've wanted to see Pony Penning Day at Chincoteague my whole life.  We woke up very early on the big day to catch a shuttle to the swim site.  We got there early, so we had a two hour wait.

This picture was taken before things got crowded.  By the time of the swim, people were really packed in.

Cort kept wanting to sit on my lap, but Reid didn't want to share my lap, so I told him to sit on Pierce's lap.  They thought this was hilarious.

While we waited, Pierce entertained the people behind us by introducing himself to them as The President of Virginia.  He then asked them for their votes.  They were happy to oblige, amidst a few chuckles.
We waited and waited for the red flare to go off, which was the signal that the ponies were on the move.  We could see them on the distant shore of Assateague, tiny dots on the horizon.  Finally, the Coast Guard sent up the flare!

I wish we had been closer, or that I'd had a big zoom lens, because it turns out that we didn't get the best view.  We had expected them to swim across in a different spot.  But we were able to watch clearly from where we were at least.

After the swim, we headed over to Pony Swim Lane to watch the pony parade.  The ponies have an hour of rest before the parade down to the carnival grounds.  So we sat and waited some more.

The smart folks had waded out in the marsh to see the pony swim, so there were lots of folks with muddy feet trekking by.

Finally, things were coming together for the parade.  I had a prime spot to see the ponies, aside from the sun being in my eyes.

Once the fire department came by, I knew it was about to start.  Each year, the proceeds of the pony auction go to the fire department to buy new equipment and to provide vet care for the wild ponies.

And then, here came the ponies!

I couldn't believe how many paints there were.

The cowboys kept them boxed in pretty well.

They kept the horses moving along at a good pace too.

And before I knew it, the parade was over.

So then we walked.  And walked.  And walked to get to the carnival, where they pen the horses before the auction the following day.  We grabbed some food for some very hungry and thirsty boys, and then looked in on the horses.

We let the boys go on a carousel ride.

And then caught the last shuttle (aka school bus) back to our townhouse.  What an experience! 

How about you, readers?  Is there anything you've dreamed of doing since you were a child?  Something you're just itching to scratch off your bucket list?

It's Rural Thursday!  Time to link up your stories of the rural life with Nancy from A Rural Journal and myself.  Just grab the code below the button and paste it into your blog post.  Then come back and add your website to the linky. Please be sure to comment on the posts of at least 5 other participants.  I can't wait to read what you've written!