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: New Forest pony
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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New Forest: when wildlife and road traffic meet
The New Forest is a landscape of scenic beauty where the wildlife is diverse and the iconic New Forest pony, cattle, donkeys (and pigs during Pannage) are turned out to roam freely. It is a working landscape that has been … Continue reading
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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Seeing the New Forest from the back of a horse has to be one of my favourite ways to view the magnificent scenery. There is an added advantage in that one can get much closer to the wildlife. The wild … Continue reading
New Forest: Lake of Avalon
Lives get busy. There’s always so much to do. Most mornings I take the dogs for a walk on the Forest and it’s my down time. My hour or so walking in the company of my Labradors is contemplative and … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest
Tagged autumn mist, Avalon, Forest, Lake of Avalon, landscape, New forest, New Forest pony, valley
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The Verderers of the New Forest
My first step to becoming a practicing New Forest Commoner has been taken. I have an appointment at the Office of the Verderers’ Court! I must take a completed application and other documentation to the Verderer’s Office and meet with … Continue reading
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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