Chincoteague
Alex of Jandelo
Meet Alex of Jandelo, Misty of Chincoteague’s trusty Dachshund side-kick. It seems as if all the great Chincoteague ponies have Dachshund side-kicks! Alex’s likeness was even featured on the cover of “Wagging Tales” – an album of dogs by author Marguerite Henry.
A friend sent me a link to photos of Misty of Chincoteague that appeared in LIFE magazine, June 10, 1957. The photos were taken as Misty was loading up and leaving her Illinois home as Author and owner, Marguerite Henry, said good bye. Misty was headed to Chincoteague in order to have her colt.
Of course I was immediately drawn to the photos of Misty and her pal Alex, as it reminds me so much of the special friendship that my own Chincoteague Minnow and Ammo the Dachshund share. (and just to be clear I did not become a Dachshund owner because of Misty – purely a coincidence). 
As I leafed through all of the LIFE magazine photos I fantasized how neat it would be to recreate many of Misty’s old photographs with Minnow (and Ammo too) for a book. Although when I showed my husband the photos of Misty inside of Marguerite Henry’s house (she apparently was only allowed in on Holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas) – he didn’t seem to like my idea of recreating the photos so much!
Anyway, enjoy these photos of Misty and Alex (with a few of Ammo and Minnow thrown in there too).
For more Misty of Chincoteague fun check out my post on the similarities that Misty and Minnow share!
Photos from LIFE Magazine
Chincoteague Minnow and Ammo the Dachshund
Minnow in the News
A few days ago a fellow Chincoteague Pony lover like myself sent me an article from the July 20, 2001 Chincoteague Beachcomber newspaper. I was especially excited to receive this because it mentioned my Chincoteague Minnow!
In 2001 Minnow had just begun living (and earning his keep) at the Chincoteague Pony Center, this was 3 years before I ever met him.
Here’s the excerpt from the article that mentions Minnow:
Making his debut at the Centre and one of everyone’s favorites is Chincoteague Minnow, who was bought at the pony auction seven years ago. He was named Minnow because he was the “smallest, wimpiest, shrimpiest” pony sold that year, according to his former owner and buyer. Today he stands 13.1 hands tall, and is a “stout” pony, ready to carry any load. His gentle disposition makes him a favorite at riding lessons and pony rides alike.
Click on the Image to view larger
I was especially intrigued by the terms “wimpiest” and “gentle disposition”. When Minnow came to live with me in 2003 I would probably have to say he WAS wimpy, but not in the normal sense. Minnow was fearful of a lot of things, sounds, strange objects, cameras – but he didn’t react the way a normal fearful horse would. Instead of spooking or acting out, he pretended his fears didn’t exist. He ignored them – turned his head, avoided contact. Hence where “gentle disposition” comes in to play. He was plodding through life complying to everyone’s wishes, giving pony rides, performing, being ridden, but I can only suspect he was living in fear – and he was very good at hiding it. I didn’t discover this extreme fear until Minnow developed a “runaway” behavior after I deem he likely just reached a point in his life where the fear got too great. Granted when he first lived at the Chincoteague Pony Centre he had not yet gone to the home in Harrisburg, Pa where lived in a neglectful home – so his “fear” may not have really been evident (or even noticeable) while he lived at the Pony Centre. But seeing that he was deemed “wimpy” even as a foal coming off the island in 1993, makes me believe that Minnow always had some sort of fear hidden away. I can envision him a tiny frightened foal, trying to hide from the mass of people. Who can blame him, wouldn’t you have some fear if you were suddenly plucked from your mom as a baby? Some foals at the auction rebel, put on a show of bucking and rearing, while others internalize their fear and stand motionless, unable to move. I think Minnow was one of the latter – for most of his life.
Minnow at the Chincoteague Pony Centre 2001 with Chris Nelson
I like to believe that now he’s no longer consumed by his fear. Minnow is curious, he’s bright eyed, and he trusts me to keep him safe. I think a little bit of fear will always be with him, its in his nature, but I think he now knows that he doesn’t have to internalize it. Its ok to be scared, but confronting them is the only way to make them less “scary”.
I’m ever so grateful to have a copy of this article, I love learning more about Minnow’s past and where he was before me. I love how his life has circled back again and now we take yearly trips to the Chincoteague Pony Centre where he was and always will be a beloved favorite.
Read more about Minnow’s journey to find me here!
Why Chincoteague Ponies?
Stuffed Misty of Chincoteague
True, as a child I read the book, Misty of Chincoteague, but I did not “want” a Chincoteague Pony. I don’t think I ever really thought to be that specific – other than just wanting a pony. In fact, I really didn’t know much about the breed until 2008. So you may be wondering then, why do I now own 3 Chincoteague Ponies?
Chincoteague Minnow is why. He appeared into my life (sort of by chance) one Summer day in 2003. I didn’t know then, but I would soon fall in love with him and his breed – if only because I am constantly seeking his “mythical” clone.
In 2008 when I learned that my beloved Minnow would have to be retired from all strenuous activity (mainly riding) I suddenly had the desire to know all there was to know about Chincoteague Ponies. I began combing online horse ads, articles, and stories – anything related to the Chincoteague Ponies. I think in a way it was how I grieved about losing something I shared with Minnow. Maybe I thought in finding a replacement just like him that I wouldn’t have to ride “just another pony” – it would be special again, like it was with Minnow. I knew deep down that there would never be another Minnow and probably I would spend the rest of my life searching for a connection like he and I share…but I searched anyway.
I attended my first Chincoteague Pony Penning in 2008 and by then I was utterly hooked on the breed. There is just something magical about the Chincoteague Ponies. I watched little girls beam as their parents placed bids on foals for them. I watched as the Saltwater Cowboys mingled safely among a docile herd of “wild” ponies AND Stallions. I watched as young foals instantly bonded with their new “people”, ready to start a new journey in life.
Blitz and Boomer watch as Minnow paints
That summer I brought home 2 Chincoteague Ponies, Chesapeake Lightning aka Blitz and Chesapeake Boomerang aka Boomer. They paled in comparison to my Minnow – but they were Chincoteague Ponies, and there was something special about them too. They have the same look in their eyes, the wanting to learn, the wanting to please, but no matter how hard they try to be truly connected to me, my pony will always be Minnow. Its because of him that I will now always hold a connection to the Chincoteague Ponies.
Every few weeks I plug “Chincoteague Pony” into the online horse classifieds. I really don’t know what I hope to find, I just have to look. I don’t need or want another Chincoteague Pony right now, but I search anyway. Maybe I’m hoping Minnow’s long lost twin brother is on there – his brother that I can ride. I miss galloping the fields with Minnow, I miss competing infront of thousands of spectators, I miss taking him to clinics – I just miss riding him. Minnow is still very much a part of my life but each of us is just missing a little piece. Ok, well maybe I can’t speak for him – he probably enjoys being “parked”, but I miss it.
Anyway, I got a little off topic there…..Minnow is very much the main reason I have fallen in love with the Chincoteague Ponies, if he had been a Welsh pony – I probably would have fallen in love with that breed instead. But the more research I did on the breed, the deeper I fell in love. Not only are they hardy and practically live off of air, but they build bonds with their people like a Labrador Retriever would (even the wild-born ones), they are easy to train (as far as horses go), they are relatively rare, they are colorful, and they seem to adapt well to nearly every equestrian discipline. To me they have just encompassed the overall package in a horse. I have yet to meet a Chincoteague Pony that didn’t hold the “lap dog” type personality, they genuinely just love people. They certainly aren’t for everyone – if you want an Olympic Show Jumper, the Chincoteague Pony probably won’t cut it….but I bet they would try if you asked.
So in conclusion (after my very long and draw-out/slightly off topic post) these are some of the MANY MANY reasons why I have chosen Chincoteague Ponies as my breed of choice.
If you’re looking for more information on Chincoteague Ponies you can check out these websites:
Chincoteague Pony Association
Misty’s Heaven
Chincoteague Pony on Wikipedia
The Colorful Chincoteague
My Journey with Minnow
Minnow arrives at my farm
Since I’m on a looking back kick lately I thought I’d delve into the past a little more today. The day I’m thinking of was an extremely important day for me – its the day Chincoteague Minnow came to live with me.
I had actually met him several weeks before he came to live with me. He had been trailered out to a mounted games practice I was attending so that I could try him. When I saw his fat little body waddle off the trailer I instantly fell in love. I was warned he had a bucking problem – an extreme bucking problem – as in every other stride was with intent to dump. So as I trotted around the arena I suddenly felt Minnow start to bottle up his energy for an attempt to dump me, I gave him a tap on the butt and sent him forward before he had a second to think about it. He never tried to buck with me again. As I circled the arena I could feel Minnow bottling up his energy – he desperately wanted to let it all out – which led me to believe he had the speed I needed for mounted games. I really should of recognized he was good at holding in his emotions.
I didn’t even really need to ride him that day. The second I laid eyes on him I knew I would take him home.
On June 30, 2003 I headed out to pick Minnow up. His owners were sad to see him go, but knew I would take excellent care of him.
When I got him home I decided to take him for a short ride in the arena. I should have known then that he was going to be the most challenging horse I had ever met. He kept atleast 5 feet between him and any object we passed in the ring, including cones, poles, and jumps. Anything I showed him he pretended wasn’t there – its like he was in denial about being faced with something scary.
I had a few short months before I was set to leave for college so I got started training him right away. We did dressage work, took lessons and I introduced him to the games equipment. He seemed like the dream pony as he calmly adapted to everything I presented him with.
As the months passed Minnow was gaining more and more experience. I was gearing him to compete competitively with me the following summer. If I had had known what I know now I would have noticed that Minnow wasn’t actually “seeing” everything I showed him. He was ignoring situations that frightened him, and he was bottling up his fear with each new situation I put him in. He didn’t trust me to keep him safe. But at 19 years old I have never met a pony like him. From my eyes I saw an adaptable little pony that seemed calm and fine in any situation I put him in. True it took him extra long with the games equipment, and it took him months to get just one step closer to it, but I had no explosions, no bucking, no fits.
It wasn’t until June 28, 2004 that what was really going on under the surface came out. I had taken Minnow to many low-key competitions before this date. I honestly thought he was ready. I entered him in to the USPC Advanced Qualifying Games Rally.
I think it was the noise the ultimately triggered him. The smaller competitions didn’t have the crowds that this competition had. The cheering, the yelling, the loudspeakers, the music – it pushed Minnow to his breaking point. He had always been sensitive to sounds and I think this day they just pushed him over the edge. After a year of bottling up his fears they were finally released. I had on my hands a pony that was racing around the arena uncontrollably. He was bucking and rearing and there was nothing I could do to stop him except hold on for dear life. I managed to survive through the competition – barely.
Getting ready to explode
I wasn’t even upset with Minnow, I was upset with myself for not recognizing his signals before. The turning of his head to avoid looking at scary objects, the complete avoidance of anything new.
Looking back now I’m sort of glad it all happened. I may never have recognized his distress if this hadn’t happened. I would have never searched for new training methods, I would have never discovered clicker training.
After the competition one of my childhood trainers approached me. She had seen Minnow in the arena and thought she could help us. She mentioned she was starting to learn more about the Parelli method, and natural horsemanship, and she thought she could help Minnow. That summer I began retraining Minnow to trust me. We experimented with the Parelli method and made great strides to become better partners. Slowly I was chipping away at Minnow’s wall. The wall that was put up after a life that had once been filled with distrustful humans, neglect, and suffering. Each day I saw a little bit more of his true personality come out.
no brakes
By year 2 Minnow was more trusting but we still weren’t there yet. We still had our uncontrollable rides and he still avoided the scary stuff – but I saw improvement. I was starting to feel a little discouraged again, so by the end of the year I found myself searching for any and all new training methods. The Parelli was moving a little too slow for me and I wasn’t sure it was REALLY getting through to Minnow. Enter the first Trick Training book I ever owned, Trickonometry by Carol Fletcher.
It was January and I was teaching Minnow to give me a kiss. I watched as he actively began THINKING about what I was asking him. He started experimenting. How do I get that food, if I do this will she give it to me, if I touch that will I get more? After about 20 minutes Minnow had learned his very first trick.
2005
When I went to the barn the next day I was greeted by a bight eyed pony that looked generally HAPPY to see me. He WANTED to learn more. I quickly recognized that I had stumbled across something that made Minnow want to learn, and want to be with me. I decided to take him to college with me that semester so that I could delve a little more into this trick training. In the beginning I merely saw it as a way to get Minnow interested in me, which it did. He started to look forward to my visits and I was having so much fun teaching him to shake hands, pick up objects and even bow.
After several months I finally realized how I could use this training in my riding. Not only was it improving our relationship, but it was creating a language between us. I started using it to teach Minnow how to play each mounted games race. I even began using my new found reward method to teach him a western stop among many other useful tools. By the next spring I had discovered clicker training and Minnow and I were well on our way to a relationship full of trust and understanding.
Looking back these 7 years I barely remember how Minnow used to be. I now use him as an example to my younger horses, who seem to learn merely by watching Minnow. I am always amazed at how far he’s come. He’s now truly MY pony and I’m really HIS special person. He’ll always be the pony that taught me the language of horses.
Cover me in Feathers
Chincoteague Minnow
So for some reason our last hay delivery came with an extra surprise….feathers! Almost every bale is strewn with white feathers. These feathers are ending up scattered all over the barn, in the isle ways, in the pastures, and in the stalls. Most of these feathers are in Minnow’s stall. Everyday when I clean out his stall he has more feathers than the day before, piled up in his little corner. In fact, he has more than any other horse in the barn. This is partially because the Dachshund likes to gather up a little pile and give them to Minnow. I caught him a couple times dragging them into Minnow’s stall. Very cute.
These feathers have a little bit more meaning to me – mostly since I learned of the Feather Fund several years ago. The Feather Fund is a non-profit organization whose mission is to continue the work begun by Carollynn Suplee to assist deserving children with the purchase and attendant costs associated with the acquisition of Chincoteague ponies, with the goal of helping each child learn about responsibility, care, love, work ethic, as well as the concept of “giving back to others” through the care and training of his or her animal.
Feathers in Minnow's stall
Carollynn Suplee was a cancer patient who began to see feathers in mysterious places. She believed that God was sending these feathers to protect her. These feathers guided her to purchase a Chincoteague Pony for a little girl (a stranger) in 1995. The pony became known as Sea Feather. As Carollynn’s cancer went into remission, she continued to seek out and purchase Chincoteague Ponies for deserving young children. Carollynn eventually passed away in October 2006, but her legacy lives on with The Feather Fund.
Everytime I see these feathers floating around the farm I can’t help but think about the Feather Fund. It makes me smile when I think of all the deserving young children that have received Chincoteague Ponies throughout the years. I myself know how special these ponies are. I am thankful everyday that I was fortunate enough to be involved with horses since the day I was born.
Perhaps the feathers have come to the farm for a reason. Maybe they are watching over my Minnow. As each day gets colder and colder I watch as Minnow’s limp (from a diagnosis of Ringbone in 2008) becomes more pronounced. Maybe the feathers have been sent to ease his pain and watch over him. Either way, I find them very peaceful as they drift in and out of the wind.
For 2010 I will be donating some of the Pony Paintings Profits to the Feather Fund. And I will be watching at the auction next year as some very lucky children enter into the magical world of owning a Chincoteague Pony.
-KD
www.ponypaintings.com
PSALM 91 vs. 4: “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.”
Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all. – Emily Dickinson
