CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - Coming soon in Chincoteague: a brand new barn to address the medical needs of the pony herd.
The pony herd attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Chincoteague each year, which yields millions of dollars for the local economy. That money could dry up if the herd is not kept healthy.
"Some of our vets have to work out there in the wild which is not that easy to do." said Hunter Leonard, a Saltwater Cowboy and member of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company No. 3, which takes the lead in caring for the herd. "And then when we bring them here to the carnival grounds, it's still somewhat open area, we've never really had a big barn."
Providing that medical care is about to get a lot easier. The Saltwater Cowboys are investing $45,000 in a new pony barn, which is currently under construction at the Carnival Grounds on Main Street.
The barn will feature as many as six stables for sick and injured ponies. Electric lighting will allow veterinarians to more easily work at night. Refrigerators will keep medicines and other tools at close reach allowing the vets to perform procedures more quickly and in a well-controlled environment.
The project has been in the works for five years, and was significantly delayed by supply chain issues in the wake of the COVID pandemic.
"We've been waiting, we've been trying for years to get this done, and COVID really set us back, and so we're thankful to finally get it done and get the ball rolling on it and we're going to keep on trucking toward nicer and newer things," Leonard said.
But the pandemic was not all bad news. The new online component of the pony auction is bringing in nearly $100,000 more per year that the Saltwater Cowboys are putting toward these better facilities to care for the pony herd.
"I mean my gosh, it's just allowed us to have so much more free cash on hand to be able to do something like this and get this done and be able to afford things like that," Leonard said.
The pony barn will also have a lean-to, which will make things a little more comfortable for visitors attending the pony auction.
"It's a little bit of an overhang for our auction goers, which it can be like 100 degrees during auction day, so it's not really all that fun to be sitting here in your lawn chair, and there's hardly any breeze here," remarked Leonard.
The Saltwater Cowboys hope to have this facility complete by the end of this year.