Misty also influenced and informed countless generations of horse-loving children who pilgrimaged with their parents to Chincoteague Island, Va., hoping to come home with a pony just like Misty. The book still inspires great numbers of people to travel to Chincoteague and perhaps even buy a pony of their own during the now-famous Pony Penning Week.

An Idea Is Born

Misty of Chincoteague had a simple origin story. Dr. Mary Alice Jones of Rand McNally, Marguerite’s editor, overheard a conversation while attending a dinner party. Jones listened in as a fellow dinner guest talked about an annual roundup of wild ponies on an island off the coast of Virginia. The ponies were herded into the water from their home on Assateague Island and swum across the channel to neighboring Chincoteague Island each July. There they were auctioned off, with all proceeds benefiting the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department.

Jones shared the information with Marguerite, who was immediately enthusiastic about writing a story about the event. Marguerite planned to visit the island and take a local Wayne horsewoman along with her. She also decided to invite her illustrator, Dennis Wesley, as he had moved from New York to Virginia and could capture the possible story in pictures while they were on the island. Dennis was immediately game to join the expedition. Many of his drawings in the book were from their experiences during that trip.

Marguerite booked a room at Miss Molly’s Inn on Main Street in Chincoteague for her first exploration of the island. During that first visit, Marguerite took endless notes as she and her travel companions spent days looking for wild ponies and talked with Chincoteague residents.

While she was walking around town, interviewing local townspeople, Marguerite happened upon two attractive teenagers named Maureen and Paul. It turned out that they lived with their grandparents, Clarence and Ida Beebe, on a ranch not far from Miss Molly’s Inn.

Grandpa Beebe was not only the owner of a pony ranch on Chincoteague, but he proved to be an invaluable source of information on the island and the history of the wild ponies. Beebe’s grandchildren, Paul and Maureen, helped train the ponies that he later sold.

When Marguerite met Maureen and Paul, they were riding the same pony bareback. She told them that she had come to the island to write a book about the wild ponies and Chincoteague Island, and perhaps one pony in particular—a gold-and-white foal she had seen and worried might be auctioned off.

“Suppose some parent with a clumsy clod of a child bought Misty in the auction tomorrow and had no idea of waiting until she grew strong enough to be ridden,” Marguerite frets in A Pictorial Life Story of Misty.

It was Clarence and Ida Beebe who helped move Marguerite’s story along—and who turned out to be critical to the book’s success, especially Grandpa Beebe’s idea that Paul and Maureen should feature as characters. Grandpa Beebe and Marguerite shook hands on a deal for the gold-and-white foal.

“There was no bill of sale. No bargaining. Just $150 offered and accepted,” Marguerite wrote in Pictorial.

Grandpa Beebe—“wiry, spry-legged as a grasshopper,” proved to be a brilliant find, and as charming as he was knowledgeable about both ponies and life. His grandchildren were the characters Marguerite needed at the center of her book, and his words were what lit up the pages.

Misty on the Mainland

Grandpa Beebe kept his word, and a few months later he shipped 4-month-old Misty to Marguerite in Wayne by way of a railroad box car. It was an arrangement that they had both agreed would only be temporary. Misty would live with Marguerite for as long as necessary to finish her book. It was an odd deal to make, but Grandpa Beebe felt the money paid for Misty would be useful for his grandchildren’s education. And of course, the plan was that Misty would eventually be returned to the Beebes where she would be trained to be ridden and someday bred.

When it was time for Misty to be shipped to Wayne, there was one obstacle: Marguerite didn’t have a barn. But her neighbors the Quayles did, and they offered its use. The Quayle children and their friends even helped to clean up the two-stall structure, especially eager to lend a hand when they heard that a wild pony from Virginia was about to arrive.

But when the “wild pony” arrived looking ragged and sad on a cold rainy day in November 1946, Marguerite had some serious misgivings. Misty had traveled four days by train and looked very much worse for wear. Marguerite was truly shocked at the sight of the filly.

When Misty stepped out of the rough crate that Grandpa Beebe had made, Marguerite thought the sorry-looking foal looked nothing like the gold-and-white pony she recalled seeing just a few months earlier on the island. Marguerite felt sorry for the cold, lonely pony and a bit guilty as well.

What had she done, taking the tiny foal so far from home? The author ended up spending the night in the Quayles’ stable with Misty, keeping the pony company and hoping that somehow the story she’d had in mind might still work out.

The next day dawned on a more promising note. When Misty awoke in the strange little barn, she gave Marguerite a kick while being led her out of her stall. Marguerite took this as a good omen.

Misty’s arrival in Wayne created quite a stir among the neighborhood.

“Children appeared as if by magic to help get her ready for her arrival. There were sisters Susie with her mop of dark curly hair and Judy with her flaxen braids; Tex, with the deep-set eyes; Eddie and Arthur like roly-poly pups,” Marguerite wrote.

These budding young equestrians grew up to be accomplished riders: Judy Martin became a top pony breeder and an alternate on the Olympic equestrian team, and the young Mary Jon “Jonnie” Quayle Edwards took up eventing and remained a serious rider all her life.

Now in her 80s, Edwards still teaches and rides almost every day. And, in her stable of horses there is a pinto pony—named Misty, of course. 

This excerpt from Dear Readers and Riders: A Biography (2024) is reprinted with permission from Trafalgar Square Books. For more information or to order the book, visit here.

The post The Origin of the Misty Story appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Part of that dream came true when Rebekah Hart of Hart’s Island Pony Ranch graciously invited me to attend Pony Penning Week with her. She had won a raffle for “A Vacation of a Lifetime,” which included special access to the week’s events. How could I say no to an opportunity like this?

The Pony Swim

Pony Penning Week in Chincoteague, Va., is a cherished tradition for both locals and tourists. This annual event, held during the last week of July, is a time-honored tradition that celebrates the wild ponies of Assateague Island.

The first event I attended was the beach walk. The Saltwater Cowboys, who guide the ponies through this experience, bring the northern herd down the beach to meet the southern herd before both herds swim to Chincoteague Island.

On the day of the pony swim, we were up well before dawn to catch a boat to Assateague Channel. Everyone was quiet as we navigated the dark ocean waters to our spot. I remember looking up to see a velvety night sky filled with stars as the cool air washed over my face.

The timing of the swim varies each year and depends on “slack tide,” where the tide is neither going in nor out, so the water is relatively still, making it easier for the ponies to swim.

Once the herds make it to shore, officials signal the beginning of the swim with a red flare. The actual swim took just minutes. It was exhilarating to watch and capture with my camera.

Once on land, the Saltwater Cowboys give the horses about 45 minutes to catch their breath before they parade them through town to the carnival grounds.

The Auction

The next major event is the highlight of Pony Penning Week: the pony auction. This auction is an opportunity for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to raise funds for equipment and maintenance while also ensuring the health and sustainability of the pony population.

The morning of the auction, I expected to see a lot more drama when mares were separated from their foals, but everyone was relatively calm. Some foals would get feisty when led around the auction area, but keep in mind, these are wild, unhandled foals!

Buyers from across the country bid on the ponies both in-person and online. Several groups pooled together funds to bid on “buybacks.” These fundraiser foals stay wild for life and remain the property of the Fire Company.

A Fitting Conclusion

After the auction, the remaining ponies are released back into their herds by either swimming them back across the channel (if they are part of the southern herd) or trailering them back to their stomping grounds (if they are part of the northern herd).

Beyond the excitement of the pony swim and auction, Pony Penning Week is filled with fun activities such as parades, riding demonstrations, carnival rides, a farmer’s market, shopping, live entertainment, and more.

Pony Penning Week is more than just a spectacle or a fundraiser. This event brings together communities and visitors in a shared appreciation for nature, tradition, and the enduring bond between humans and horses.

This article about the Chincoteague Pony Swim appeared in the July 2024 issue of Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

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