Author Archives: newforestcommoner

About newforestcommoner

Keeping the history, ecology and cultural traditions of the New Forest alive through practice of 'commoning'. Sharing information about #NewForest & #commoning.

New Forest: stallions vs geldings – boys will be boys!

Posted on May 18, 2015 by newforestcommoner

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 | Comments Off

New Forest: stallion areas 2015

Posted on May 1, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Each year stallions are released onto the Open Forest to run with the free-roaming mares to sire the next generation of New Forest pony. The stallions are carefully selected by the Verderer’s of the New Forest, the Commoners’ Defence Assocation and … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony | Tagged Commoners Defence Association, New forest, New Forest Pony Breeding & Cattle Society, stallion, Verderers | Comments Off

New Forest: the first cuckoo of spring

Posted on April 27, 2015 by newforestcommoner

(Posted 27 April 2015). Those people, who like me, rise early in the morning cannot have missed over the past few weeks the melodious symphony of the dawn chorus. The sound of bird song is much more noticeable from March … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna | Tagged breeding season, cuckold, cuckoo, Cuculus canorus, Dawn chorus, Downton Cuckoo Fair, Edmund Spenser, folklore, luck, messenger of spring, New forest, spring chorus, springtime, St. John's Day, St. Tiburtius Day, superstition | Comments Off

New Forest: the Natural Health Service!

Posted on March 31, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Many of the millions of visitors who come to the New Forest each year do so to experience its tranquil beauty and the stimulus of nature upon their senses. The hectic pace of modern life leaves us needing to experience … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna | Tagged commoners, fauna, flora, National Nature Reserves, National Park, natural health service, nature, New forest, NNR, Ramsar, SAC, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, SPA, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protected Areas, SSSI | Comments Off

New Forest: springtime – natures awakes

Posted on March 24, 2015 by newforestcommoner

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 | Comments Off

New Forest: killing with kindness.

Posted on March 9, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Since writing last week (March 2015) about people hand-feeding and petting the free-roaming ‘wild’ ponies on the New Forest I’ve had several readers get in touch to tell me about incidents they’ve witnessed. Some of these incidents have included families … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony | Tagged Agister, alkaloid, architect of the Forest, Byelaw, colic, digestive system, donkey, equine, fatal, herbivore, New forest, New Forest pony, poison, toxic, Verderer, wild ponies | Comments Off

New Forest: visitors feeding ponies could be spreading equine disease

Posted on March 2, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Keeping free-roaming ponies on the New Forest is a pleasure and a privilege. Walking through the woodland pathways and along the heathland tracks in search of my mares are journeys always full of anticipation and enjoyment. At this time of … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony | Tagged Agister, bacteria, Beaulieu Road Sales, bio security, contagious, donkeys, Dr Green, equine distemper, feral herds, horses, New forest, ponies, Pony Drift, respiratory disease, strangles, strangling, Streptococcus equi, Verderer | Comments Off

New Forest: an ancient and diverse landscape

Posted on February 23, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Many visitors to the New Forest are surprised to discover that its landscape is not filled with woods or trees. Some are even more astonished to learn that the area is ancient and not ‘new’ at all. The reason for … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna | Tagged ancient woodland, Bronze Age, Hampshire, Ice Age, Knightwood Oak, Medieval, New forest, wildwood, William the Conqueror | Comments Off

New Forest: heathland management and controlled burning

Posted on February 16, 2015 by newforestcommoner

Visitors to the northern part of the New Forest recently (Febuary 2015) may have witnessed a technique for managing the heathland that has been practiced for generations, namely controlled burning. The Forestry Commission undertakes this activity now, which aims to … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna | Tagged cattle, commonable stock, commoners, commoning, controlled burning, fire, Forestry Commission, gorse, heathland, holly, New forest, ponies, Verderers | Comments Off

New Forest: poachers who steal more than game

Posted on February 9, 2015 by newforestcommoner

In last week’s edition of the Forest Journal (05.02.15) was a front-page article about poaching that caught my eye. Poaching is defined as ‘the illegal practice of trespassing on another’s property to hunt or steal game without the landowner’s permission’. … Continue reading →

Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna | Tagged animal welfare, countryside, Forest Charter 1217, Forest Law, game, Lyndhurst, New forest, poachers, red deer stag, Rufus Stirrup, stealing, The Monarch, theft, Verderer's Court | Comments Off