Pony? Pony.

The first time I went to Chincoteague was in 2007 for Pony Penning Week. I was eleven. Longtime friend and horse lover Madison came along with my family. That summer had been one filled with firsts. I had traveled with Madison and her family to Kentucky for our first Breyerfest a week or so before.

We stayed at a house next to the Beebe Ranch, and got to experience Pony Penning up close. We walked around the Beebe ranch and explored the island. I've been to Chincoteague since that year. During the summer,

Picture of me taken by my sister .

and during the fall.

 Some things have changed, such as Misty, Stormy, and the Beebe Ranch sign being moved over to the Chincoteague museum.

Photo by Madison

Madison went to Pony Penning this year and kept me updated on everything there.
She sent pictures of ponies, books,

Photo by Madison

food (shame that I'm not a seafood lover!)

Photo by Madison

and the most important part, the auction.

There were two important auctions that happened in Chincoteague this past week.

The Feather Fund Auction took place. There was a range of items that all centered around ponies.

Photo by Madison

The other important auction was the foal auction. Every year the foals and yearlings are sold. Some are buybacks. Buyback foals do not leave the auction with their new owners. Instead they are to live out their lives on the island and replenish the herd. Raising a foal/having a horse is a ton of work, but a buyback? Heck yeah!

Photo by  Courtney Marie Yorgey

There was a group on Facebook called The Chincoteague Legacy Group.I'd followed it on Facebook and watched as the group grew and collected money for the cause of being able to buy a Surfer Dude foal at the auction.

I told myself that A) You weren't going to Pony Penning this year and B) You should wait until you're older to be a part of something big and memorable.

Time went on and I watched as the money grew and said, no Kristian. Wait until you're older.But then I realized that opportunities come up, and that life starts now. Not tomorrow, not next year, not 20 years from now. A quote from The Perks of Being A Wallflower sums it up perfectly, "Life doesn't stop for anybody."

So, on that note, the group decided on a list of  potential Surfer Dude foals and voted on who would be the first choice. 

The auction happened, and the foal that's in the post was the first pick of the group. She's out of Got Milk by Surfer Dude and set a new auction record for a buyback. She went for  $25,000 with the funds being from a little bit over 400 people who donated all sorts of amounts to the cause. The left over money is being donated to The Chincoteague Pony Rescue. The 'group' is still deciding and voting on names, but it was an awesome feeling watching the pictures flood Facebook as the group won. I felt like I was there, and I'm so happy to have had the opportunity to be a part of the group. I can't wait to go back to Chincoteague and even years down the road see the little foal now turned mare and think wow, I was a part of that. 

Photo by Carol Houseman-Amato

Thanks Madison for keeping me updated on the whole trip, and thanks to the founders of the Chincoteague Legacy Group!