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.
Category Archives: New Forest
New Forest: fence month
William the Conqueror, who is credited with establishing the New Forest in the 11th century, was a keen huntsman and created laws of venison and vert to protect his quarry and its habitat. The forest laws that he introduced were … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, Charter of the Forest, commoners, commoning, Court of Verderers, deer, Deer Removal Act, fence month, Forest Law, Justice in Eyre, Lyndhurst, New forest, New Forest Act, Orders and Rules of the New Forest, quit rent, wild beasts, William the Conqueror
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New Forest: wildlife that bites, stings and kicks!
The New Forest is internationally important because of its mosaic of habitats, which contain many rare and endangered species. Traditional management practices, particularly commoning, have conserved the ecological diversity of the Forest. But for all its beauty this is not … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged adder, bears, bees, bite, biting insects, broom, Cytisus scoparius, donkey, elder-tree, Geranium robertianum, herb robert, kick, ladybirds, lice, Lyme borreliosis, Lyme’s Disease, New forest, pony, Public Health, Sambucus nigra, sting, ticks, wasps, wolves
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New Forest: chalybeate springs and aquatic things
I was watching visitors paddling in one of the many Forest streams recently and it made me reflect on the distinctiveness of the watercourses on the New Forest. The New Forest contains streams, ponds, and mires, as well as coastal … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged amphibians, Bog, chalybeate, Eyeworth Pond, Fritham, Hampshire Avon, Hirudo medicinalis, invertebrates, Latchmoor Brook, leeches, Mire, New forest, pollution, Shultze Gunpowder Factory, smokeless gunpowder, spring, stream, wildlife
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New Forest: stallions vs geldings – boys will be boys!
Regular visitors to the New Forest will be aware that at the moment (updated May 2017) the stallions have been set loose to run with the free-roaming mares, causing much excitement among the herds of semi-feral ponies. Generally speaking the New … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged biodiversity, bull, Byelaw, castrated, colt, courtship, filly, gelding, herd dynamics, mare, New forest, Open Forest, pig, pony, sheep, stallion, territory, Verderer
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New Forest: stallion areas 2015
Each year stallions are released onto the Open Forest to run with the free-roaming mares to sire the next generation of New Forest pony. The stallions are carefully selected by the Verderer’s of the New Forest, the Commoners’ Defence Assocation and … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Commoners Defence Association, New forest, New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society, stallion, Verderers
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New Forest: the first cuckoo of spring
(Posted 27 April 2015). Those people, who like me, rise early in the morning cannot have missed over the past few weeks the melodious symphony of the dawn chorus. The sound of bird song is much more noticeable from March … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged breeding season, cuckold, cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, Dawn chorus, Downton Cuckoo Fair, Edmund Spenser, folklore, luck, messenger of spring, New forest, spring chorus, springtime, St. John's Day, St. Tiburtius Day, superstition
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New Forest stallion inspection: choosing the next generation of pony sires
I recently attended the annual New Forest stallion inspection, held at the Beaulieu Road Sales Yard, where the next generation of pony sires were selected. It was an interesting process to witness and the colts and stallions that were presented … Continue reading
Posted in Beaulieu Road Sales, New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged batchelor herd, colt, Commoners Defence Association, foal, judges, mare, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society, stallion, Stallion Scheme, Verderers of the New Forest
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New Forest: the Natural Health Service!
Many of the millions of visitors who come to the New Forest each year do so to experience its tranquil beauty and the stimulus of nature upon their senses. The hectic pace of modern life leaves us needing to experience … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged commoners, fauna, flora, National Nature Reserves, National Park, natural health service, nature, New forest, NNR, Ramsar, SAC, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SPA, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protected Areas, SSSI
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New Forest: springtime – natures awakes
I am so pleased to see the return of spring. The lighter mornings mean that I can now check on my stock before I go to work. Many commoners keep their ponies on their holdings during the bleaker months and … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged adder, amphibians, bumblebees, celandines, Commoner, cordial, crocuses, daffodils, frogs, gorse, ladybirds, lapwing, lizard, moths, New forest, newts, peacock butterflies, ponies, primroses, red admiral, reptiles, sky lark, snake, spring, springtime, toads, viper
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New Forest: killing with kindness.
Since writing last week (March 2015) about people hand-feeding and petting the free-roaming ‘wild’ ponies on the New Forest I’ve had several readers get in touch to tell me about incidents they’ve witnessed. Some of these incidents have included families … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Agister, alkaloid, architect of the Forest, Byelaw, colic, digestive system, donkey, equine, fatal, herbivore, New forest, New Forest pony, poison, toxic, Verderer, wild ponies
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