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
Smugglers in the New Forest.
The more I learn about the ancient system of commoning the more I realise that it has always been a very pragmatic way of life. The commoner’s intimate knowledge of the Forest and their canny resourcefulness enabled many, who often … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged black economy, booty, Commoner, commoning, contraband, Customs, Excise, free trading, Gentlemen of the Night, legend, New forest, pack pony, packhorse, pony, smuggler, smuggling, tax
Leave a comment
Commonable animals and road traffic accidents
Recently I was talking to someone who had heard about a particularly nasty hit and run fatality in the New Forest that had involved a pregnant donkey. The details were utterly horrific and the witness who discovered the dead animal … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged Agister, cattle, Cow, don't feed the animals, donkey, hit and run, killing with kindness, New forest, pig, pony, road traffic accident, sheep, Verderer
Leave a comment
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
Leave a comment
Shades, sleeping ponies and the dreaded New Forest fly
The warm weather of late has driven the ponies to find relief from the sun and the heat of the day. They gather together in places known as ‘shades’ that, unlike the name would suggest, aren’t always under the cover … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged bloodsucker, crab fly, Forest fly, Hippobosca equina, insects, New forest, pony, swarm
Leave a comment
New Forest: the benefits of nature
Like most commoners I work full-time in a job that is not related in any way to the New Forest. Recently I’ve been travelling more and more to London for various meetings and events. Witnessing the hectic pace of city … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Commoner, development, divorce, health, Industrial Revolution, London, nature, New forest, plants, trees, wellbeing, wildlife
Leave a comment
Stallions on the New Forest
There has been a lot of excitement on the New Forest recently due to the stallions being released onto the Open Forest. This is an annual event and, this year (2014), ten male ponies have been turned out to run … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Arabian, Commoner, cull, Eclipse, Elizabeth I, foals, Henry VIII, mares, Marske, Michaelmas, nature, New forest, New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society, slaughter, stallions, Thoroughbred, Tudor, Verderers, Victorian, wild
Leave a comment
New Forest Stallion Areas 2014
Each year 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 and the New Forest Pony Breeding … Continue reading
New Forest: picnics and ponies
The late spring and early summer is a much favoured time of the year for many Forest dwellers and visitor alike. It is the time when the lushness of nature returns to the Forest, our migratory birds have again taken … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged bacchanalian, British, feast, foals, Forest Byelaws, King, May, merry, New forest, nobles, picnic blanket, picnics, ponies, sandwiches, titbit
Leave a comment
New Forest: the costs and benefits of commoning
I’ve been doing a bit of sums recently and calculating the cost of being a commoner on the New Forest. I can tell you that it’s not cheap. After registering my mark, having my brand made, joining the New Forest … Continue reading
You must be logged in to post a comment.