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 pony
Christmas on the New Forest
With Christmas fast approaching I have been thinking about some of the New Forest traditions and folklore connected to the festive season. The idea was sparked during a recent visit to check my stock, when I saw a man harvesting … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Boxing Day, Christian, Christmas, Commoner, Culture, Evergreen, festival, heathen, holly, ivy, mistletoe, New forest, pagan, point to point, Red Squirrel, Salisbury Journal, Sciurus vulgaris, squirrel hunt, yew
Leave a comment
The ticklish impertinence of the New Forest fly
In 1895 a local newspaper published ‘Notes on Injurious Insects’.[1] Chief among these perilous mini-beasts was the forest fly (Hippobosca equina) aka horse louse fly, side-fly, or crab-fly, a bloodsucking pest that ‘causes great annoyance to the horses in the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged cattle, crab fly, equine, Forest fly, George Samouelle, Hippobosca equina, horse louse fly, horses, insect, New forest, ponies, side fly
Comments Off on The ticklish impertinence of the New Forest fly
New Forest: registering foals with the Breed Society
Pure bred, forest born, New Forest foals are an important asset to the New Forest’s ecology, culture and economy. This week has therefore marked an important milestone in my commoning career to date, as I have registered my foals with … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest pony
Tagged application, Book, breed, Burley, cattle, Cow, foal. stallion. mare, identification, Improvement, marks, New forest, NFPB&CS, Society, stud
Comments Off on New Forest: registering foals with the Breed Society
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
Comments Off on New Forest: autumn drifts in
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
Leave a comment
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
Comments Off on New Forest: pony mares go boy mad!
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
Comments Off on New Forest Stallion Areas 2018
New Forest: low temperatures and good nourishment
Winter is definitely on the way. As I go out checking my free roaming stock on the New Forest I’m wearing more layers than of late. I’m also in the habit of keeping my gloves on the radiator in the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Dr Green, gorse, grass, holding, New forest, nourishment, pea, ponies, pony, spring, temperatures, winter
Comments Off on New Forest: low temperatures and good nourishment
New Forest: animals ‘bottom flossing’
I was talking to some ‘griddler’ friends of mine recently about the joys of living inside the New Forest perambulation. (A griddler is a local term for a non-commoning person who lives inside the cattle-grid zone of the New Forest.) … Continue reading
New Forest: ponies and pigs can be friends
Autumn is definitely here. Pannage season is upon us and the annual pony drifts are currently underway*. During the drifts the semi-feral ponies and foals are rounded up for inspection, released back onto the Forest or taken away to be … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift, Pannage season
Tagged Agister, commonable, Commoner, equine, familiar, fear, flip out, frightened, horse, livestock, New forest, Pannage, peril, piggy, pigs, pony, porcine, smell, swine, terrified, welfare
Comments Off on New Forest: ponies and pigs can be friends
You must be logged in to post a comment.