Saltwater Cowboys: A Photographic Essay of Chincoteague Island

Saltwater Cowboys: A Photographic Essay of Chincoteague Island by Medford Taylor. paperback edition. ISBN: 9781892538048.

A photographic essay by award-winning photographer Medford Taylor, this book contains photos of the wild pony penning at Chincoteague, VA taken over a thirty year period. Included are the people of Chincoteague Island and gorgeous shots of the ponies in their natural habitat on neighboring Assateague Island, a national wildlife reserve on Virginias Eastern Shore. Anyone who loves horses, especially Misty of Chincoteague, will cherish and enjoy this book. Taylor compares the event to one of the last cattle stations in the Australian outback, which he covered for National Geographic, saying that the two places are among a few where real cowboys are still riding real horses and doing the job. Like rounding up wild horses, photojournalism has its risks. During one penning, Taylor sank in mud and was trapped in a narrow fence opening as the herd galloped toward him. Seemingly out of nowhere, a rider appeared. Reaching down from his horse, the cowboy pulled Taylor out of harms way just as the ponies rushed through the opening. It was just like in the movies, Taylor said. His shoes are still out there under the mud.