There is raw beauty to be found when watching wild ponies. Horses are beautiful of course but wild ponies, they are just something special. It could be because there are so few in the world. It could be because we love freedom and wish it for everything. Homeschooling has a raw beauty to it as well I think. It is not as prim and proper as a well bred and haltered horse that has been trained for jumping excellence. Homeschool can be wild, unpredictable, messy, and just so stunningly beautiful. I truly feel blessed to be able to homeschool my children. What an experience it was to take a field trip to see the wild ponies on Assateague Island.
The trip there was about three hours, on the way we read the book Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry and talked about ship wrecks, what horses eat, the social lives and families of wild horses. We talked about how prices change over the years, the ethics of taking from the wild and protecting wild areas. We talked about horse safety and so much more. The kids had more questions than I expected and thankfully we had the internet at our finger tips to help us answer some of them!
When we got there we noticed right away that our oldest who had been in charge of packing a few things had forgotten something on her list, she had forgotten the coats and the ocean breeze was making the 60 degree day cool, and it would just get colder so after hitting the visitor center for the state park we went back to west Ocean City, about 10 miles back, and got hoodies for the kids. Then back to the island, and over the bridge. Right on the side of the road after the bridge we sew two ponies grazing. A bit further down the road we saw 6 more. The horses didn’t seem to care about the cars or the people.
The rule for the park is that one has to be at least 10 feet away from the ponies or risk a strictly enforced $100 fine. I thought that wouldn’t be an issue, later in the day though I saw how it might be. While in the park walking around as a family, giving the horses a lot of room, one decided to follow my husband and even made a move to nip his butt! There are images in the park bathrooms and other places showing the damage a pony bite can do. When I had seen them I thought that foolish people should not have gotten so close, I had failed to consider the fact that a pony might well walk up to a person and nip them for what ever reason. Thankfully my husband moved fast, he picked up our baby and got away clean. 10 feet just does not seem far enough when a pony can move fast and might have plans of it’s own! We got to see a car get boxed in by a group of ponies and all they could do was sit there till the ponies lost interest in them. It was definitively a memorable experience. We saw cranes and wild turkeys, hawks, and many bugs. There was so much more to see and we hope to go back soon when the weather is a bit warmer and we can enjoy the water too!
I think it is so easy for children to get disconnected from nature in this day and age. I am often reminding myself that it is as important for them to get out and connect to nature as it is for them to learn to read or master geometry. I think we need to honor the wild spirit of our children and help them honor our planet and it’s few remaining wild places.
How beautiful. We drove to a tiny little city in DEEEEEEP South Texas for Mike’s Aunt’s funeral, and saw a herd of wild horses. I just stood in awe of their beauty. So amazing and free.