There’s always been some mystery about the origins of the Chincoteague Pony and how they came to live on Assateague Island …
Are they descendants of horses left by the colonists to graze on the island and avoid being taxed by the tax collector for each head of livestock they owned?
Were their ancestors hidden on the island by pirates, hoping to come back and claim them later?
Or, the most exciting (and my favorite!) possibility, are they the descendants of hardy Spanish horses, the survivors of a terrible shipwreck centuries ago who managed to swim ashore?
Recent DNA testing is suggesting that there’s a good possibility these incredible horses actually are descended from Spanish stock!
Tomorrow I’m mailing in Cocoa’s DNA sample (a few mane hairs with the follicle attached) to allow scientists at Texas A & M University to determine what breeds she descends from! I cannot wait to get the results back in a few weeks!
A funny side note: as I was sitting at my desk just now, putting together Cocoa’s hair sample and application for the test, our youngest son (who is 13) was watching Shark Tank on tv in the living room.
Bryce – “Mom – did you just hear that?!”
Me – “No, buddy, what’s going on?”
Bryce – “That lady on tv! She’s trying to sell cat DNA tests. Can you believe that?!” He was laughing out loud…
Me – “Ummm… you do know what I’m in here doing right?”
Bryce – “No, what?”
Me – “Filling out paperwork to send in Cocoa’s dna test.”
Bryce – “No, you’re not!”
Me – “No, really!”
Bryce – shakes his head and goes back to his television program. 😂
