Life on Assateague Island has never been for the faint-hearted. Mosquitoes swarm with relentless determination during the intense heat and humidity of the summer months. The winters unleash their fury, driven by oceanic winds.  When the human inhabitants eventually abandoned the island, the horses were left behind to carve their existence from the harsh, unforgiving landscape. Yet, amid these severe challenges, the horses have adapted seamlessly. It is this adaptation and survival that has drawn me to know them, and to experience them at the deepest level possible.