| Pony Penning | |
|---|---|
 Chincoteague ponies arriving on Chincoteague after swimming the channel | |
| Status | active |
| Genre | auctions, carnivals |
| Frequency | Annually, on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July |
| Location(s) | Chincoteague Island, Virginia |
| Country | United States |
| Years active | 100 |
| Established | July 1924 |
| Attendance | 40,000-50,000 |
| Organised by | Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department |
| Sponsor | Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce |
| Website | www |
Pony Penning, sometimes known as Pony Penning Days, Pony Penning Week, or Pony Swim, is an annual event held in Chincoteague, Virginia on the last consecutive Wednesday and Thursday in July. The Chincoteague Fire Department conducts the event, which consists of a pony swim on Wednesday and a pony auction on Thursday for the main events, although events are started on the prior Saturday, and ended on the following Friday. For the pony swim, the Saltwater Cowboys round up feral Chincoteague ponies, that have been put in pens days earlier, from the Virginia side of Assateague Island and drive them across the Assateague Channel to Veteran's Memorial Park on Chincoteague Island.[1] The ponies swim across the channel during slack tide, when the water has minimal tidal movement(usually between 7:00am and 1:00pm).[1] Once on Chincoteague Island, the Saltwater Cowboys herd the ponies to pens on the Chincoteague Carnival Grounds where all foals are auctioned off on Thursday, roughly ten or so being kept as "Buybacks", who will go back to Assateague Island the following spring.[2]