This wild pony was plagued by horse flies especially along its ponderous belly
and seemed to be looking for relief by rolling himself on the sand and slowly
strolling through the surf of the Atlantic Ocean. We beachgoers gave it
mostly a wide berth, as we'd been warned to, but still got close enough to see
the discomfort in his eyes. Assateague Island is home to over 150 wild horses,
about 30 over the carrying capacity - the level at which grasses, space, water
can sustain life for the horses - and excess wild horses are auctioned off to
buyers at the end of the season.