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Learning about and practising commoning on the New Forest. -
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Category Archives: New Forest
New Forest ponies with moustaches
I was in the pub recently watching the rugby (November 2014). Many of the players in the England squad were sporting moustaches, in support of ‘Movember’, to raise awareness of prostate cancer. As I looked around the room there were … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Commoner, facial hair, fuzz-toppers, gelding, gorse, holly, mare, moustache, Movember, New forest, pony-mo, Pony-tache, stallion
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New Forest: Lane Creepers
Before the New Forest was fenced and gridded the free-roaming stock ranged widely outside the official boundary. Commoner’s ponies were known to reach as far as the eastern suburbs of Southampton, down into Christchurch in the southwest, and almost into … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged hobbles, Lane Creeper, New forest, New Forest boundary, New Forest pony, perambulation, pound
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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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New Forest: home to the commoners
The practice of commoning on the New Forest fills me with fascination. Learning about its history is totally absorbing and as I discover more about the events, community, and characters that have maintained the commoning system the more I want … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Anglo-Saxon Chronicles, colt-hunting, Commoner, Commoners Dwelling Scheme, commoning, Doomesday Book, drifts, New forest, New Forest Commoners Defence Association, New Forest National Park Authority, second homes, self-sufficiency
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The New Forest: the future of commoning
The New Forest is an ancient landscape that has survived into modern times. It is a place of exquisite natural beauty, which is internationally recognised for its importance to wildlife. Because of its distinctive geography it has never been cultivated … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner
Tagged Commoner, commoning, Middle Ages, New forest, Nova Foresta, Pannage, Parliamentary Commission, pastoral, symbiotic
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Bringing the ponies home.
When the clocks go back each autumn the daylight hours become fewer and the weather is generally more inclement. It’s a testing time for the commoners and can make searching for stock on the Open Forest quite an undertaking. I … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony
Tagged colt-hunting, homing instinct, New forest, New Forest pony, Open Forest, round-up, Verderer
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New Forest pony: wild or tame but always clever.
The free-roaming ponies of the New Forest are often described as ‘wild’ but it would be more accurate to define them as ‘semi-feral’. The only truly wild horse still in existence is the Przewalski’s horse (Equus caballus przewalskii), a breed … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest pony
Tagged Brumby, Commoner, equine, Equus caballus przewalskii, feral, horses, Mustang, New forest, New Forest pony, predator, prey species, Przewalski's horse, selective breeding, semi-feral, Wild horses
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Commoning: cooperation and coordination
The practice of commoning on the New Forest is generally a very sociable enterprise. The support and cooperation of other commoners is essential for maintaining the welfare of the free-roaming stock. When I go out on the Forest I always … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest Commoner, New Forest pony, New Forest Pony Drift
Tagged Agisters, commoning, Cow, drifts, mastitis, New forest, New Forest pony, ponies, round-up, snake bite, veterinarian
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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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Early morning deer rescue!
It’s a good job I’m an early riser. Before the clock had struck 6am this morning (September 2014) I was doing some stable duties in the yard and heard a commotion in the paddock. My mare was snorting, making that … Continue reading
Posted in New Forest, New Forest flora & fauna
Tagged fallow deer, Forestry Commission, muntjak deer, New forest, red deer, roe deer, sika deer, Verderers, wildlife
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