Drill Team Dream

The Chincoteague Pony Drill Team brings fun and color to dozens of events.

- SUSAN FRIEDLAND

Nestled in the woods on a horse farm in Bloxom, Va., a herd of 28 domesticated Chincoteague Ponies, many of them Misty descendants, live at Kerkaken Acres, home of the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team. The eight-member equestrian troupe promotes the beloved pony breed made famous in Marguerite Henry's book Misty of Chincoteague.

In 2025, the team will appear in more than two dozen events, ranging from horse shows and parades to the opening ceremony of the Chincoteague Pony foal auction on July 31, 2025, during the 100th annual Pony Penning Week.

The friendly Chincoteague Ponies greet visitors at the Kentucky Horse Park as ambassadors of this good-natured breed.

Also in July, the Chincoteague Pony Drill Team will trot to the music at BreyerFest in Lexington, Ky.—the exact location where the seed of an all-Chincoteague Pony drill team idea sprouted nearly 30 years ago.

HOW IT STARTED

In 1996, Kendy Allen, a school librarian and horse trainer, attended BreyerFest with three of her Chincoteague ponies: Misty II (a daughter of Stormy and granddaughter of the real Misty), Twister, and Black Mist. Kendy's pony trio was immortalized as Breyer models, and they were at the event to meet fans.

While at the Kentucky Horse Park, the BreyerFest venue, Kendy happened upon a state-wide Kentucky drill team competition in a nearby arena.

“I'd always been interested in drill teams, and I went and watched it, and fell in love with it.” Kendy thought, I have enough ponies at home, I could have a drill team of all Chincoteague Ponies.