The Chincoteauge Wild Pony Auction is usually held on the last Thursday of July, the day after the pony swim. This is the day when some of Assateague Island’s wild ponies are auctioned off by the Chincoteague Volunteer Fire Company.
During the auction, yearlings and younger ponies are sold. Anyone can participate in the pony auction, all you have to do is show up and raise your hand if you want to place a bid.
Horse Talk: Yearling – A yearling is a young horse, either female or male, that is between one and two years old.
The first foal sold at this year’s 88th annual Chincoteague Pony Auction, a pinto filly, went for $700. By the end of the day a total of 55 foals were sold for total sales of $96,625.
1. What was the mean selling price for a foal this year? Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
In 2012, 67 ponies were sold with total sales of $96,252.
2. What was the mean cost of a foal in 2012? Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
3. What was the difference in the mean selling price between 2013 and 2012?
Math Talk: Mean – The mean is the average of a number of different amounts: a calculated “central” value of a set of numbers. To calculate: Just add up all the amounts, then divide your total by how many amounts there are.
Each year the Fire Company designates a few ponies as “Buy Backs”. A Buy Back pony is a foal that is chosen by the Fire Company to return to Assateague Island to live out its life there.
It was a Buy Back pony, a beautiful black-and-white pinto filly, that took the top price of $12,000 at this year’s auction.
4. How much more did she cost than this year’s mean selling price? Write your answer in word form.
Buy Back ponies are auctioned off with the rest of the foals. The winner of a Buy Back pony gets to name the pony before it is returned to Assateague. Buy Back ponies replenish the herd on the island.
Below is a chart providing information about the pony auction.
5. What is the range of years shown on the chart?
6. In what year were the most foals sold?
7. Which year had the highest price for a foal?
8. Which year had the lowest average price?
9. Which year had the highest average price?
The unsold ponies swim back to Assateague Island the next day where they live in the wild for another year.
Chincoteauge Wild Pony Auction Results Answers
1. What was the mean selling price for a foal this year? Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
Answer: 96625 ÷ 55 = 1756.81. The mean selling price for a foal this year was $1757.
2. What was the mean cost of a foal in 2012? Round your answer to the nearest dollar.
Answer: 96252 ÷ 67 = 1436.59. The mean cost of a foal in 2012 was $1437.
3. What was the difference in the mean selling price between 2013 and 2012?
Answer: 1757 – 1437 = 320. The difference in the mean selling price was $320.
4. How much more did she cost than this year’s mean selling price? Write your answer in word form.
Answer: 12,000 – 1757 = 10243. The filly sold for ten thousand two hundred and forty three dollars more than the mean selling price!
5. What is the range of years shown on the chart?
Answer: 1999 to 2009
6. In what year were the most foals sold?
Answer: 2002
7. Which year had the highest price paid for a foal?
Answer: 2007 ($17,500.00)
8. Which year had the lowest average price?
Answer: 2009
9. Which year had the highest average price?
Answer: 2007
Would you like to learn more about the wild Chincoteague Ponies? There are more posts on Horse Lover’s Math. Click here or here!
Photos:
Pony Auction during 2008 Pony Penning 001.jpg by Leonard J. DeFrancisci; CC BY-SA 3.0
Assateague Pony foal by Jim H.; CC BY-SA 2.0
