Each year, the Saltwater Cowboys roundup the wild ponies on Assateague and Chincoteague Islands, herd them into corrals, and a veterinarian comes in and checks their health and takes care of any issues. Actually, they do this more than once during the year, if I'm not mistaken. But in late July, they swim the ponies from Assateague over to Chincoteague at low tide and auction them off in an effort to keep the herd at a sustainable level. These islands are too small to be home to too many. They auction off at pretty good prices, and the funds are used to provide veterinary care throughout the year and help fund the local volunteer fire department.
In all the years we've lived here, this is the first time dh and I have come down to witness this. It's a pretty incredible event. Saturday night was the first roundup of the ponies on the southern end of the island. This morning, Sunday, was the roundup of the northern herd. We missed that. That part of the island is only accessible by special tour, and it was booked long before we decided to come down here. Tomorrow morning, Monday, they'll walk the wild horses down the beach from the northern corral to the southern corral around 6 am. I plan to be there!!!!
I love this shot of this group of ponies! All the other ponies went where they were supposed to, but 2 ponies broke off from the herd and decided to rebel and go the other way! Next thing you know, the rest of their small herd followed behind, and there was a fantastic 'chase' to get them going in the direction they were supposed to go! Fantastic! Great action! Manes and hooves flying everywhere!
Used my tripod as a monopod to hopefully get some decent shots. The action was pretty far out there. This is one of the better shots. The rogue herd up front with their stallion bringing up the rear, and the Saltwater Cowboys in the background making sure they go the way they're supposed to.
@francoise They probably were not. They're pretty used to the drill from what I understand. They see the Cowboys and know where to go, so it's not like this is terrifying to them. And they're always fed and watered well when they're rounded up. Still, they're wild, and their day is being interrupted. I understand why it's all done, but it kinda hurts your heart just a little bit.
@frankhymus Well, I'm still buried under this client project, so not getting to play like I had hoped. But in the back of my mind I'm thinking about this one in b&w for that photo festival. In LR, when you click the standard b&w conversion, the background has a really nice soft feel, and the ponies pop. I played with it a bit in Silver Efex over the weekend, but nothing really stood out to me like it did in LR. Any suggestions? Or is that too vague of a question?
