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: Commoner
Abundance of acorns means winners and losers
There’s an often quoted saying that is familiar to commoners: “where you get livestock you get deadstock”. The livestock part is the good part. Tending to your animals, working with them, and, if you’re a breeder, watching the next generation … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, Pannage season
Tagged Acorn, common right, Commoner, Forestry Commission, Maest, Mast, New forest, Oak, Pannage, poisoning, pyrogallic acid, tannin, Thor, Verderer
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Going under cover at the Beaulieu Road Pony Sales
I haven’t visited the Beaulieu Road Sales in a long while and was pleasantly surprised by the improvements that have taken place in my absence. The first thing that greeted me as I crested the railway bridge on the road … Continue reading
New Forest: Horses for courses in bogs and mires
I’ve had to change my routine recently (October 2013). It happens whenever I have given my dogs their monthly spot-on flea treatment. The treatment contains moxidectin and is highly toxic to aquatic organisms. So, for a week or two my dog-walks … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged aquatic habitat, Bog, Commoner, Fairies, Mire, moxidectin, New forest, New Forest pony, pools, river, stream, Thoroughbred
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Learning to be a Commoner on the New Forest
I recently had a meeting at the Verderer’s Office in Lyndhurst to progress my status to a ‘practicing’ New Forest commoner. The Verderer’s Clerk, whom I met with, was very friendly and answered all my questions with cheerful enthusiasm. I … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest Commoner
Tagged Agister, Commoner, Culture, Medieval, Middle Ages, New forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, pony, Right of Common, Ritual, Tradition, Verderer
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Pony Drifts: round-ups New Forest style
For me, one of the most exciting activities held on the New Forest has to be the series of annual round-ups known as ‘drifts’. The objective at these round-ups are to sort out the ponies either for removal from the forest, … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Agisters, Commoner, drift, foals, galloping, horse-back, New forest, New Forest pony, pony, Pony Drift, round-up
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The colours of the New Forest
I love the autumn. The colours that nature paints across the landscape are just beautiful. On the New Forest heathland at the moment one can see large blocks of purple from the heather that dovetail with the green of the bracken … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged bracken, Commoner, gorse, habitat, heather, heathland, invertebrates, landscape, mammals, nature, New forest, New Forest pony, pony, vertebrates
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New Forest Pony…the genuine all-rounder!
Living and working close to the New Forest means that the sight of the fabulous New Forest pony is never far away. These are native ponies whose history can be traced beyond the beginnings of the Forest itself. The standard for the … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged all-rounder, architect of the Forest, Commoner, Forest, New forest, New Forest pony, pony
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