The Gallery
Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest.
In medieval times a forest meant an area preserved for royal hunting, and not a wooded area as it does today.
The Agisiter ensures welfare standards of the free-roaming animals are maintained.
The ‘architects’ of the New Forest.
The New Forest landscape supports many species of plants, insects, birds and mammals. It should be valued as a reserve for nature.
One of many gatherings where Commoners can exchange news, information and knowledge.
Pannage season is part of the ancient commoning rights and a popular tradition.
Traditional management practices, particularly commoning, have conserved the ecological diversity of the Forest.
Author Archives: newforestcommoner
New Forest: autumn drifts in
A sure sign of autumn in the commoner’s calendar is the commencement of the pony drifts that take place each year. The drifts are round-ups that are conducted by the Agisters and commoners with the aim of collecting together as … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Agister, autumn, Commoner, community, district, drift, New forest, ponies, pony, pound, round-up, Tradition, Verderers
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New Forest: haymaking in the sunshine
It’s been a busy week this week. I’ve been collecting bales of hay off the fields to be stored and used over the winter for my animals. Haymaking has been part of the farming calendar for over 6,000 years and … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged cattle, couchancy, deer, diet, harvest, hay, haymaking, Hocktide, levancy, Michealmas, New forest, oath, ponies, Saxon, winter heyning
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New Forest: some stallion stories
To celebrate the New Forest pony breeding season, which runs from Monday 14th May until Monday 18th June*, and is when licensed stallions are released to run with the free-roaming Forest mares, I thought that I would take a look … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Stallion
Tagged aggressive, Agister, agricultural show, animal, breeding, Eclipse, foal, Hampshire, horse, horseflesh, horsepower, kicked, Lymington, Lyndhurst, mail coach, mare, Marske, money, pets, pony, prize, Salisbury, Southampton, stage coach, stallion
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New Forest: pony mares go boy mad!
Each year pedigree New Forest stallions are released onto the Open Forest to run with the free-roaming mares, and sire the next generation of New Forest pony. The stallions are carefully selected by the Verderer’s of the New Forest, the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged alpha mare, breeding, courtship, flehman, foals, herd leader, mare, New forest, rough wooing, season, stallion
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New Forest Stallion Areas 2018
New Forest Stallion Turnout Areas 2018 Each year pedigree New Forest stallions are released onto the Open Forest to run with the free-roaming mares and sire the next generation of New Forest pony. The stallions are carefully selected by the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony, New Forest Stallion
Tagged areas, breeding, foals, generation, mare, New forest, season, stallion, the Commoners’ Defence Association and the New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society, turnout, Verderers of the New Forest
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New Forest: the heritage of the 1960s
In 1966 the Financial Times newspaper published an article about a map of the New Forest that mapping agency – Ordnance Survey – was planning to produce. This map would be different from any previous style of tourist map because … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged 1960s, 1970s, camping, car, caravan, cyclist, Forestry Commission, heath, lilac, map, New forest, Ordnance Survey, purple, riding, tourist, visitor, walker, wildlife
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Sparrow starvers and the Great Manure Crisis of 1894
I had to drive to west London recently. The journey was without incident until I found myself in a slow procession of cars queuing alongside Gunnersby Park, on the North Circular Road. I was waiting in stationary traffic when my … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged Great Manuare Crisis, Henry Ford, horse-drawn, Karl Benz, licensed cabs, London, manure, motorcar, New forest, nineteeth century, ornithologist, RSPB, sparrow, sparrow starvers, transport, twentieth century
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New Forest: when gorse is out of bloom, kissing is out of season
The recent holiday period has given me plenty of opportunity to visit the Forest and walk through the woods and across the heathland. The working week gives me little chance to explore the places my ponies haunt (i,e., their territory), … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged alternative medicine, furze, fuzz-toppers, fyrs, gorse, gorst, homeopathy, medicine, New forest, nutrition, optimism, pagan, symbol of hope, Ulex europaeus
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New Forest: practical gift for herding cattle
Commoners are practical people. Indeed, one of the most useful gifts I’ve ever been given is a commoner’s staff. I take it with me everywhere, because I never know when I’ll need it. The best ones are made from wood, … Continue reading
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