Go Here: Pony Swim and Penning Carnival in Assateague

Despite what the Rolling Stones might have you believe, wild horses could definitely drag you away. Take a trip to Assateague and find out for yourself.

An island on the border of Maryland and Virginia, Assateague is overrun with wild ponies. Seriously. They arrived as an import to the colony in 1639, but quickly became a burden on the local habitat, and became a heavily-taxed commodity. To avoid the taxes, owners moved their ponies to the nearby islands of Assateague and Chincoteague. Eventually, the ponies were turned loose, probably because most of the owners forget about them, and theherd took to living in the marshes.

These days, the feral beasts are managed by the National Park Service, and are free to graze, trample, and terrifying little babies on the beach. Every last week of July, though, they are rounded up for the infamous swim to Chincoteague and Ponny Penning Carnival.

The younger, stronger ponies are auctioned off, and the proceeds help to support the rest of the herd. This sounds a whole lot like the plot of City Slickers 3, but Bruno Kirby up and died, so there goes that. RIP.