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: pony
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: stallions vs geldings – boys will be boys!
Regular visitors to the New Forest will be aware that at the moment (updated May 2017) the stallions have been set loose to run with the free-roaming mares, causing much excitement among the herds of semi-feral ponies. Generally speaking the New … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged biodiversity, bull, Byelaw, castrated, colt, courtship, filly, gelding, herd dynamics, mare, New forest, Open Forest, pig, pony, sheep, stallion, territory, Verderer
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New Forest: gorse cutting provides a pony’s ‘ready meal’
I recently received a call from a commoning friend of mine who told me that the Forestry Commission was cutting the gorse bushes at Godshill. I was urged to go and have a look at a curious sight. Sure enough … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest flora & fauna, New Forest pony
Tagged Fabaceae, Forestry Commission, furze, gorse, New forest, pony, Ulex europaeus
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New Forest: the perils of ponies living wild
My ponies have gone back out on the Open Forest (January 2015). For a while now they have been indicating that they have had enough of being kept on the holding. They have seemed restless and impatient to be back out … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest Animal Road Traffic Accidents, New Forest pony
Tagged feral ponies, Hampshire County Council, hand feeding, horses, New forest, New Forest Transport Strategy, pony, Reflective Collar Initiative, road sense, road traffic accident, road traffic collision, RTA, RTC, Verderer
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The New Forest and The Great War.
Watching the Remembrance Day service was particularly poignant this year. World War One, which lasted from 28 July 1914 until 11 November 1918, began a hundred years ago. When seeing the expressions on the faces of the men and women … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, The Great War
Tagged artillery, battle, cavalry, Cenotaph, Commoner, First World War, Great War, horses, Lyndhurst, memorial, New forest, pony, Rememberance Day, Salisbury Plain, Verderers, War Office
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Unusual tails from the New Forest
Attending the annual pony-round ups, known as drifts, is an important part of a New Forest commoner’s calendar. The drifts were ordered to take place each year fifteen days after Michaelmas, by Henry VIII in 1540, and continue more or … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Agisiter, drift, Henry VIII, marking fee, Michaelmas, New forest, Open Forest, pony, tail cutting, tail marking
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Autumn: the season of tradition and heritage
Autumn is a time when the traditional rural practices and cultural heritage of the New Forest come alive. The annual drifts, or pony round-ups, that were ordered by Henry VIII in 1540, are in full progress and are still conducted … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift, Pannage season
Tagged acorns, Agisiter, beech mast, Commoner, countryside, drift, heritage, Mast Year, New forest, Pannage, pigs, pony, round-up, Tradition
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Colt hunting on the New Forest
On the New Forest ponies are always referred to as ‘colts’ irrespective of whether they are mares or geldings, young or old. Every now and then it becomes necessary for a commoner to catch-up an individual pony or mare with … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged Agister, colt-hunting, Commoner, corral, cow boy, drift, foal, lasso, Latin America, mare, New forest, North America, Open Forest, pen, pony, pound, round-up, tailing, Wild horses
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Drifting on the New Forest
Being a commoner on the New Forest involves continuing a pastoral system that is steeped in history. In the 16th century Henry VIII, who is better known for marrying six wives and establishing the Church of England, created laws that … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Commoner, cull, drift, foal, Henry VIII, horse, Horses Act 1540, knight, mare, New forest, pony, pound, round-up, sense, stallion
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Abandoned horses and ponies
Owning a pony is a dream for many. For those of us lucky enough to have our own pony (or ponies) it is a hugely enjoyable, if a somewhat expensive and time consuming, activity. I feel that some months it … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged abandoned, Agister, Animal Welfare Act, Commoner, commoning, depasture, horses, New forest, Open Forest, ponies, pony, Verderers, welfare
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