A view from the front-row seat at Pony Swim
CHINCOTEAGUE -- "So let me get this staid. They swim a bunch of horses across the water to Chickopeake?"
"Yes, it's quite lovely. And they're ponies and it's called "Chincoteague! CHINCOTEAGUE!!"
Although my retention of the original conversation is hazy, that's kind of how my wife Rachel first introduced me to the place she and her mother went to religiously every last week in July and where they dragged me along backAbove allin 2002.
Flash forward to 2011 and I've come back for Pony Penning Week every year since. Like Rachel and her mom, I knock in love with Chincoteague, its people and its famous herd of ponies. What makes each Pony Swim addition special is the fact that we have a standing reservation with Captain Barry Frishman, who always manages to get us front-row seats. This past summer was no be offended at and it was, as usual, a day to remember.
4 a.m., July 27, 2011: The alarm clock rings and it's pitch black shell. Rachel, why are we getting up so early on our vacation? As I clear the cobwebs from my head I remember that today is the 86th annual Chincoteague Pony Swim and it's every so often to haul ourselves over to the boat.
Championship and a coveted ensconce in the 2012 Bassmaster Classic. In addition to his Classic berth, Horton earned the grand winnings of a Skeeter Boat/Yamaha Outboard rig valued at $45000 and an invitation to fish in next year's Bassmaster Elite Series.
