New Forest

The Forest is famous for its wildlife, particularly the ponies and cattle. Allthough they appear to be wild, in fact they are all owned by the 400 or so Commoners in the Forest who have the right to allow their animals to graze on forest land.

New Forest Ponies
About 3,000 New Forest ponies wander freely across heaths, woodland, roads and often into villages. Most are of the New Forest breed, which is unique and has changed very little over the Forest's 900 year history.

There are other breeds, such as Shetland Ponies, in smaller numbers. You're likely to  see these near Stoney Cross.

New Forest Ponies

The Forest Agisters keep watch on the condition of the ponies. The agisters are also responsible for dealing with any animals which are killed in road accidents. The introduction of a 40mph speed limit has reduced the number of accidents and many of the ponies wear reflective collars to make them more visible at night.

Although they appear tame and are accustomed to people and cars, the ponies are still effectively wild and may bite or kick, so it's sensible to take care and certainly to avoid standing behind them!

Grazing is very important to the forest conservation and there are byelaws which make it an offence to feed a pony or any other forest animal. Ponies tend to remember where they were fed and will come back expecting more food, rather than wandering off to graze.

If feeding were allowed to continue this could upset the balance of the Forest.

A bull seeks shade near Brockenhurst

Six times a year, surplus ponies are sold at the horse fair near Beaulieu. The event attracts large numbers, many hoping to buy a riding pony for their stable. Animals are auctioned and sold either for riding or occasionally as meat.

European funding was given recently to a project launching a refurbished pony sales ring near Lyndhurst. It's hoped that the new facility will help to raise awareness of the breed and therefore increase prices.

In spite of the popularity of the traditional horse fairs, the market has suffered. Ponies have been known to sell for just a few pounds and it has been difficult for Commoners to actually make a living this way.

Cattle
There is no specific New Forest breed and in fact a dozen so so breeds are kept. Among the more unusual are the Highland Cattle, with their horns and shaggy coat. Keep your eyes open around Brockenhurst for these.

New Forest pony fair

The Commoners are farmers who keep their calves on the Forest just as a conventional farmer would keep his in a field, until they are big enough to be taken to market and sold. All of the cows are branded for identification purposes.

When a Commoner has made a payment to the Agisters this is indicated by ear-tags on the cattle.

Deer
There are several breeds of deer in the Forset. The most common are Fallow Deer, which have distinctive black markings around the tail. They are usually seen in the northern part of the Forest and often graze in open areas.

Perhaps the most striking are the Red Deer. They are the largest but are rarely seen. You might see them at Ashurst in the early morning.

Up to 800 deer are culled each year. The cull is necessary because there is no natural predator to control numbers. Forest Keepers shoot them in order to control the size of the deer population in the Forest.

The Keepers, however, often show their softer side and have been known to hand rear foals which have lost their mothers.

A pig takes a look around Fritham

Two foreign breeds were introduced during the nineteenth century. Japanese Sika Deer, which live to the south of the railway line are shy and tend to stay in woodland. Chinese Muntjac deer are present in small numbers but they are small and difficult to see.

Pigs
All the pigs in the Forest are owned by Commoners. Each year they are allowed onto open forest land for 60 days, known as pannage season, to eat acorns which would otherwise poison the ponies.

Pannage  is an important part of the forest ecology and always lasts 60 days but the start date varies according to the weather - and when the acorns fall.

You may be delighted at the sight of pigs in the Forest but they will chase you if you go near them, so give them some space! You should never try to feed them.

The Forest Verderers decide when pannage will start.. The right to allow pigs out onto the Forest in this way is called the 'right of mast' and is not held by all commoners. At other times the pigs must be taken in and kept on the owners own land, with one exception. Pregnant pigs, known as "privileged sows" are always allowed out.