1973 Chestnut Pinto Mare

Great Granddaughter of Misty

Sire: unknown

Dam: Windy

Sunshine's Pedigree

Sunshine was Windy's first foal and was born in 1973 on the Chincoteague Miniature Pony Farm. She was a carbon copy of her mother, both sweet and strong willed. It was written in her daughter's book Misty's Twilight that Sunshine loved to be groomed. Sunshine lived the first few years of her life on the Pony Farm with the other Misty family ponies. She was listed on the family tree in The Pictorial Life Story of Misty by Marguerite Henry and a color photo of Sunshine in Florida was also in the book.

In 1975 Sandy Price and her family came to visit Chincoteague Island. While visiting the Pony Farm Sandy took an instant liking to Sunshine and bought her from Paul Merritt. The pregnant Sunshine and a few other island born Chincoteague Ponies went to live on Stolen Hours Farm in Ocala, Florida. Sandy's goal for Sunshine was to allow her to live free on her farm. These events were fictionalized in Misty's Twilight by Marguerite Henry.

Sunshine gave birth to her first foal, Cloudburst in 1976. He would be Sunshine's only full Chincoteague offspring. Two years later Sunshine had her most famous offspring, Misty's Twilight, who was sired by a Thoroughbred stallion named Big Bluffer. 1984 saw the birth of another filly, Misty's Dawn. The following year, Sunshine gave birth to a filly that did not live very long after birth. Sandy named her Misty's Sunset posthumously.

Sandy later gave Sunshine and some of her offspring to loving families. Sunshine was reported to have had one more foal in 1990 or 1991, but it is unclear of the gender and name. Sandy eventually lost contact with Sunshine's new owners and no more is known about the rest of her life.

Click on the photo for more pictures of Sunshine