Broken neck believed to be cause of pony's death
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company announced Monday night the cause of death for the Chincoteague pony whose remains were discovered at the company’s carnival grounds last week.
The fire company reported on its Facebook page that after the herd’s veterinarian examined the pony, Dreamer’s Faith, he concluded the animal died of a broken neck injury after being struck by a tree limb.
“…after studying the ground and seeing no signs of a struggle of the pony trying to get out, this is the only scenario that would make any sense,” it states in the Facebook post. “No, we did not make this up, and are not trying to cover anything.”
The Chincoteague Police Department led the investigation into the whereabouts of the pony after it was reported missing from the large corral at the carnival grounds in September.
Missing Chincoteague pony found dead
The fire company, which owns and cares for the herd of wild ponies on Assateague Island, was keeping the pony at the carnival grounds until the spring because she was a buyback foal.
Buyback foals are returned to the wild Chincoteague pony herd to live on Assateague and help to keep the herd replenished. Dreamer’s Faith was purchased in July at the 90th annual Pony Auction, which is a fundraiser for the fire company.
Police officials said last Wednesday night a lawn maintenance contractor working at the carnival grounds discovered the dead pony in a corner where a chain-link fence and several trees and bushes are located.
Dreamer’s Faith was positively identified by a microchip. There were no signs of any criminal activity and the police department is considering the case closed.
Chincoteague pony stolen from carnival grounds
It was thought the foal had been stolen from the corral, and police sought information about a white pickup truck pulling a horse trailer that had been seen in the vicinity around the time the pony disappeared Sept. 6 or 7.
“We did make the mistake of not looking after we thought it was a crime scene because it was not supposed to be on the grounds,” it reads in Monday’s Facebook post.
News of the foal’s apparent theft sparked outrage among fans of Chincoteague Island and its famous wild ponies, resulting in more than 800,000 page views on the fire company’s Facebook page within days.
Chincoteague pony's death opens old wounds
The fire company fielded hundreds of questions from people concerned about the pony and offered a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the persons responsible.
Following the discovery of the dead foal, fire company spokesman Roe Terry released a statement saying the fire company board of directors would meet “to go over the entire case and other aspects of the case, such as, but not limited to, the search, the reward money, the camera money donations, the new lighting we are putting up, our commitment to the family who donated this pony (yes, I have been in contact with them), and our ongoing commitment to the dedicated, understanding followers of our annual event and the yearlong care of the entire herd.”
Dreamer’s Faith was purchased by the Beer family, which created and posted a video on their Facebook page, Dreamer’s Gift, about the case. The video shows footage of the foal, as well as footage from the July auction after she was bought for $7,500.