Story Notes: Assateague Ponies · 3:52am May 18th, 2022
It wouldn’t be a proper con without at least one fic inspired by the con, now would it?
The shot through the window is a composite of a picture I took and flamevulture17’s art . . . they say “the most beautiful of sights lies at the edge of the world where the sun kisses the sky and says good night.” And I can’t say that I disagree.
SeaquestriaFest was held at the (Castaway) Grand Hotel in Ocean City last weekend. It’s the off-season, so the place wasn’t packed with tourists. Nor was the weather sunny and clear; the weather pegasi don’t have to do that until Memorial Day weekend 
.
Here’s a photo of what the beach (and ocean) looks like when it’s sunny and clear.
[I’ll do a blog later about the trip, so stay tuned for that.]
I don’t know if seagulls would raid your room and steal your Doritos if you left the balcony slider open, but I honestly wouldn’t put it past them. Some of them will steal bags of chips from a store.
(Knighty hasn’t enabled embeddability of shorts; this is a link to a short of a seagull stealing a bag of Doritos from a store).
The Assateague Ponies are real.
Legend says that they’re survivors of a Spanish shipwreck (or a pirate shipwreck) who swam ashore and started a feral herd. Science and actual historians say that they’re most likely descended from domestic herds put there to avoid paying Horse Tax. Either way, they’re feral horses who have adapted to island life.
There probably aren’t pegasi living on Assateague Island, but if there were, it’s very likely that if given the opportunity, they’d raid hotel rooms for food.
I got to visit Ocean City once, though I didn't stay at any hotels there. My parents and I went to see the place and visit one of my older siblings when he was staying in the area, back in 2004.
We ate at this one seafood place called "The Shark", and since I've never liked seafood I got the one non-seafood item I could find on the menu (an angus burger, if memory serves, with some key lime pie for dessert). Afterwards we got to stand on the beach for a bit before we had to leave, visit another friend, and get back to our hotel in Pennsylvania. I was within... 40, maybe 50 yards from the Atlantic and I didn't want to get any closer.
I have met a person who owns an Assateague pony in the past, now said pony is a Therapeutic Riding Horse. His name is Fozzie. Plus I've been going to Ocean City my whole life so, I have many happy memories there.
Before I retired, I was a desk clerk. We had a "No Pets" policy. We caught you sneaking one in, you got kicked out.
However, we could not legally bar service animals.
In the USA
the legal sevice animals are;
Dogs
Monkeys
Horses
People would falsely claim that their dogs were service animals. The real service animals have a doctor's certificate.
5658217
Awwww Fozzie is a good boy
"Despite determined research, it has yet to be discovered how there first came to the island those creatures for which it is notorious. Some say they swam ashore from a Spanish galleon wrecked in an unnatural storm. Others maintain they were brought by settlers fleeing, for whatever reason, the authorities of the mainland. What is certain is that, just as shorelines and whole islands shift and change with time in the mouth of the Chesapeake, so do stories and whole histories, shift and change in the mouths of the locals. Perhaps the world shall never know the truth. Perhaps it is better thus."
--A Mist Upon Chincoteague, H. P. Horsecraft
Ahhh, you missed out on Marylands Assateague Deer's which are about the size of a dog, they are pretty tiny.
Ocean City is a very nice place, I do hope you got a chance to walk the boardwalk and play at the arcades, though the arcades don't have as much as they used to before, they are still a lot of fun!
Plus binging yourself on salted ice cream and fries are also important ways to enjoy the beach!
5658214
I was last there in the 90s . . . 96 maybe? Don’t know for sure. It was in the height of tourist season--it was a lot nicer this last weekend, before all the tourists.
Heh, I was standing in it on Sunday night. It was cold.
5658217
That’s really cool! One of the YouTube channels I watch has therapy horses (and other animals)
I’ve been only a few times, but it’s been nice each time. I did hit Assateague Island after Bronycon in 2016, and I did see some of the ponies.
5658231
Some hotels are pet-friendly (I assume within reason; a pet tiger probably isn’t gonna be allowed). Many others aren’t.
I’m not sure anyone can in the US, unless it’s something dangerous for service animals, like a roller coaster where a service animal couldn’t be safely fastened in.
There’s always been some debate about if a person with a service animal should have to prove it’s a service animal when asked, and of course there are people who pretend. With dogs, at least, it’s been my experience that they’re easy enough to spot, because they are very well-trained. Some yappy purse-dog that runs around doing its own thing probably isn’t a service animal.
5658256
I honestly think it’s a better origin story that they swum ashore from a wrecked sailing ship, although maybe it’s more authentically American that they were put there to dodge Horse Tax.
I think that there are some island herds which were provably from a shipwreck, although I don’t know for sure. I think that every island with a feral horse population has a legend of a shipwreck, though. And maybe they should. Maybe the scientists and geneticists should pursue the actual truth, while the rest of us can learn the legend.
5658269
I had to look that up, I didn’t know they were a thing. They do look tiny and cute. I bet they’d make terrible pets.
I did walk some of the boardwalk, but did not play at the arcades. On the other hand, I got to watch a lunar eclipse on the beach, which is something you rarely get to do.
Mmm, salted ice cream . . . that’s something that I didn’t do, either, although it sounds weirdly tasty.
EDIT: since I’m writing a story about ponies working a carnival donut cart, I was really enthused when I saw a sign for mini-donuts made while you wait. Sadly, they were closed for the season.
I was wanting to go to Seaquestria, but couldn't...
5658401
Yeah, the shop opens up round Summer, honestly soon of all things
As for other fun bits, its the circus acts that line the whole boardwalk, from music, to jugglers, to other forms of physical entertainment.
Also yes, salted ice cream, kinda like salted caramel, ultra delicious, but be ready because salted popcorn, fries, sweet sweet funnel cakes etc. I ended up getting heat exhaustion because I wasn't keeping an eye on my water intake! Don't be me!
I would hope to hit the convention next year, both as a vendor of my rpg book and also because I'm all of, I think, 2 1/2 hours away from the place!
Def hope you'll be able to explore more next time!
5658400
But it's the most American thing to put them there for tax purposes, then claim they swam ashore from a Spanish galleon.
"Honest, officer--fell offa boat."
c.tenor.com/00RT51VbZQEAAAAC/tony-soprano-the.gif
5658454
That’s too bad; it was a fun little con. You should come to the next one, if you can.
5658487
That kind of thing is a lot of fun. That’s one of the reasons I like renaissance festivals and the like, they’ve usually got wandering performers doing things.
Water intake is important! That is a common warning for boaters, too; being out on the water feels cooler than it really is, so you get sunburned and dehydrated.
Ooh, you totally should. They had a pretty empty vendor hall this year (I think six vendors, maybe?) so more would probably be welcome.
It kinda depends on what other things I’ve got scheduled through the year. I did spend some time touristing in Annapolis (on my way there); that’s my ancestral home.
5658563
Oh yeah, totally. I can see that was how it happened, too.
“they’re not mine, they swam ashore from a shipwreck.”
I really need to try that line next time someone asks about one of the cars in my yard