Amazing pictures as 150 ponies take part in an annual swim

travel.aol.co.uk AP Around 150 horses found their sea legs this week at the 88th Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Thousands of spectators flock to the event every year, which sees the animals make the half-mile swim across the Assateague Channel. The area's 'Saltwater Cowboys' move the ponies from Assateague Island to Chincoteague Island in an event that culminates with a pony auction, where the foals will be sold.

The auction serves two purposes, helping to control the overall size of the herd, while also fundraising for the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company. Every year, the swim takes place at 'slack tide' - a period of about 30 minutes between tides, when there is no current, making it the easiest time for the ponies to cross. After the swim, the ponies rest for around 45 minutes before the Saltwater Cowboys 'parade' them down the town's Main Street towards the carnival grounds, where the auction takes place. After the auction, the adult ponies make the swim back to Assateague Island, where they live in the wild for another year. This year saw the swim take place in stormy weather conditions. Howard Thornton, chief of the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company, which runs the Pony Swim, told the Baltimore Sun: "We'd already committed ourselves. We had to move forward, and just hope and pray for the best." And all ponies made it across without suffering any injuries related to the weather.