Chincoteague Stud 'Surfer Dude' Found Dead

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. (AP) -- A stallion who sired dozens of ponies celebrated by the childhood classic "Misty of Chincoteague" has died.

The remains of Surfer Dude were found last week on the southern end of Assateague Island, the wind-swept barrier island off the Eastern Shore of Virginia and Maryland.

A member of the Chincoteague fire department known as the saltwater cowboys said the 23-year-old pony likely died of natural causes.

Denise Bowden said the island had a rough winter.

The last Wednesday of July every year, the ponies make their annual swim across the channel from Assateague Island to Chincoteague as tens of thousands of tourists look on.

The annual passage was made famous by Marguerite Henry's 1947 novel "Misty of Chincoteague."

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