Saltwater Cowboys Caring for Sick Pony, Abandoned Newborn Foal

The Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Department’s Saltwater Cowboys and veterinary team are caring for two ponies facing serious health challenges, including a mare suffering from an infection and a newborn foal abandoned by its mother.

According to a Facebook post from the fire company, Wildfire’s Phoenix was spotted last Sunday standing alone with her head slouched for an extended period. Cowboys attempted to capture her that day, but she evaded them before being caught the following morning.

An examination confirmed that the mare had suffered a ruptured abscess and developed pythiosis, commonly known as “swamp cancer.”

Treatment began immediately, and the fire company said Wildfire’s Phoenix is doing well at this time. The veterinary team is spending nearly two hours each day cleaning and soaking the affected area.

The Saltwater Cowboys were called into action again after a foal was born to Fancy Free, a mare from the northern herd.

The foal appeared healthy during the morning but was later found missing after Fancy Free was seen walking with the herd alone. A search was launched, and the foal was eventually located near the area where it had been seen earlier in the day.

After consulting with veterinarians, officials determined that placing the foal with a nurse mare offered its best chance of survival because its mother had left the area.

The foal was transported by boat from Assateague Island to the Chincoteague Pony Farm, where it was introduced to EJ, a mare that has adopted orphaned foals for the Saltwater Cowboys during each of the past two years.

With assistance, the newborn immediately began nursing. The veterinary team also administered a plasma transfusion and monitored the foal throughout the night while helping it continue to feed.

EJ is already caring for a 7-week-old foal, which the fire company said has not yet welcomed its new adopted sibling. However, officials praised the nurse mare for once again accepting a foal in need.

The newborn, identified as No. 87, remains in serious condition but now has what the fire company described as a fighting chance.

The fire department asked the public to keep both ponies and the veterinary team in their thoughts as treatment continues in what officials called the “Pony ICU.”