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.
Tag Archives: adder
New Forest: self medication and creature comforts
The free-roaming ponies, cows, donkeys and, during pannage, pigs on the New Forest are usually able to take care of themselves and do not require the constant attention required by their intensively farmed or field-kept counterparts. Even the process of giving … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest cattle, New Forest flora & fauna, New Forest pony
Tagged adder, Agister, animals, cattle, commoners, commoning, cows, donkeys, Forestry Commission, healthy, heifer, injured, lame, New forest, pharmacy, pigs, ponies, self medication, sick, snake bite, unwell, venom, Verderer, welfare standards
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New Forest: the celebrity snake catcher
July 1st marks the anniversary of the death of one of the New Forest’s most famous residents. Born in March 1840, in Emery Down, Lyndhurst, he was named Henry but in later life became more popularly known as Harry ‘Brusher’ … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged adder, Balmer Lawn, Brockenhurst, charcoal burner, Country Life, Emery Down, Harry Brusher Mills, London Zoo, New forest, Railway Inn, snake, Snakecatcher, Vipera berus berus
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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: 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: lowland heath and commoning
For all its wilderness qualities the New Forest is an area that has actually been managed for over a thousand years. Generations of commoners, and their free-roaming ponies and cattle have maintained the landscape and, through their traditional practices, provided … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged adder, bracken, cattle, commoning, conservation, Dartford warbler, gorse, heath, heather, lowland heathland, New forest, ponies, sand lizard, smooth snake
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New Forest Wildlife Forum
I recently attended the New Forest Wildlife Forum in Lyndhurst (February 2014) where an impressive array of scientists, academics, and conservationists gave interesting and informative presentations on their work. There were representatives from the National Trust, the Freshwater Habitats Trust, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged adder, biodiversity, butterflies, catchment, Commoner, conservation, ecology, environment, Forestry Commission, Freshwater Habitats Trust, Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust, habitat, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, monitoring, moths, National Trust, New forest, New Forest Cicada, New Forest Land Advice Service, New Forest National Park Authority, New Forest pony, New Forest Wildlife Forum, New Forest Woodcock Group, non-native species, ponds, project, research, restoration
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