Ponies have lived on Assateague Island for hundreds of years, but have been studied scientifically only since 1975. In 1965, twenty-one ponies were released into the northern portion of Assateague, within the Assateague Island National Seashore, where their numbers have risen gradually and the animals have flourished. It is these feral horses--free to roam, forage for their own food and water, and live and reproduce as they choose--that Dr. Keiper, an animal behavior specialist, has studied and photographed. In this book, he presents the fascinating results of his investigations, enhanced by a generous selection of photographs from the vast collection he assembled over a ten-year period of study.