Orphaned Assateague Colt Gets a New Home and Name
Chincoteague, VA - The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company Pony Committee got a call last Friday, August 14, from National Park Service management at Assateague Island National Seashore. A bay pinto colt born on April 25, 2026 had lost his mother. His mother, "Susi", was struck by a vehicle and killed, leaving the baby colt orphaned and forced to survive on his own.
The National Park Service reached out to the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company to find out if the fire company would be willing to take in the foal, to care for the little colt, raise him, and make him a part of their herd. Pony Committee members met and talked it over. They agreed the colt would be a good fit for their buyback foal crop, and could one day become a stallion in their herd.
On Sunday, August 16, National Park Service staff and Pony Committee members captured the colt and brought him to the fire company's medical barn. He will stay there until his medical quarantine clears.
So far, the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company is reporting that things are looking good. He is eating and drinking well. He talks to some of the buyback mares and foals through the fence, but he is not panicking or calling out, which is a strong sign for his chances for survival.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company says that he should be very easy to wean for a wild pony his age. He should have no trouble adjusting to life without his mother. Once his quarantine is cleared, some of the older buyback foals will be weaned around the same time so he will have some company, and their mothers will return to their pastures.
Pony Committee members decided the colt will not be sold. Instead, they are naming him after a lifetime Saltwater Cowboy and former Pony Committee Chairman who handled relocations like this one from the Maryland side many times over the years.
The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company is proud to introduce the Wesley Bloxom Stallion, with the nickname "Old Dad". Committee members hope the colt will grow up to contribute to the herd just as Wesley did during his years of service.
The Pony Committee wants to thank the National Park Service and everyone who has reached out and donated on the colt's behalf. The support and care for this little colt has meant a lot to the team.
He is part of their herd now. When he is released after winter, he will roam the island in Virginia, and as the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company said, "not as he was born to do, but as he was meant to do".
