Looking for Wild Horses on Assateague Island, Maryland

Eric and I are staying at Assateague State Park's Campground.  Our campsite is seaside and there's always a breeze.  We, along with everyone else want to see the island's wild horses.

Why are there wild horses on the Maryland and Virginia Shores?  No one knows for sure...  Some believe that the horses arrived in this region following a shipwreck.  Others believe that 17th century farmers brought the horses' ancestors to this barrier island to graze, avoiding taxation and the cost of building fences.

The horses became wild because they were no longer cared for, purposefully bred, and used for work by humans.  They are very hardy, thriving in a harsh environment that can be stormy,  hot and mosquito plagued while eating poor-quality food. 

The most important rule here is to stay 40 feet away from any wild horse.  Visitors have been injured when trying to engage with horses that don't know how to interact with humans.  (My pictures were taken with a camera with a long lens.  At no time was I close enough to a horse to feel its breath.)

Eric & I walk around our 

campground & watch 

horses grazing near 

camping trailers.  

I notice that the horses are muscular with beautiful coats and manes.  They're getting the nutrition they need and are well adapted to the Maryland Shore's varied climate.

Campers continue their activities

as horses saunter by...

This horse grazes on 

beach grass.

Three others head to the

sandy beach.

The Horse Crossing Zone

includes every road in 

this Campground.

This horse has unique markings.

Eric and I decided to ride our bikes to Assateague Island National Seashore to look for horses.

A wild horse crosses the road.

Eric stops to take a picture of the

horse ambling toward him.

He backs up as the horse

approaches.  

 A mare & her foal are safe

behind the guide rail.

A bicyclist gets a close-up

photo of mom & her baby.

Horses, horses everywhere!

This horse almost melts into

the nearby sand dune.

Cars creep past horses

in the road. 

Our visit to Assateague Island is everything I hoped for, and more!  Sharing space with wild horses is a unique experience.  And there have been no swarms of mosquitos during our stay.