New Forest Ponies

[NightHawk]

Today the weather started off atrociously.  Heavy rainfall and windy 

By lunchtime the rain had stopped and blue skies and sun appeared 

Took advantage and went for a walk around Emery Down, not far from where we live, and snapped a couple of New Forest ponies grazing at the side of the road. 

Seconds after taking this photo with my iPhone another pony came trotting along the road towards us.  The road is just to the right (not shown in this shot) but I didn't manage to get that photo before the pony got off the road and joined the others on the grass.

The photo below shows the wonderful setting of ponies oblivious to traffic around them and going about their business



What's the weather like in your neck of the woods today?

[ideasguy]

Nice photos Laurie. It was a good idea to go walking. If your garden is anything like mine, there's no pleasure in working in the garden this year to date, and its not getting any better as the months go by.
I see from your photo that the grass is quite short.
Today was the start of The Royal Ulster Agricultural Society show.
http://www.balmoralshow.co.uk/ulster-agri-society.html
On the radio, I heard the presenter saying that they expected the farmers to be lamenting over the lack of grass due to the very cold weather. Normally at this time of year the grass is ready for its first cut for silage. The only place its growing well at present is in my flower beds
On that subject, I did some weeding yesterday - and my hands were bitterly cold from the soil. If its like that, there's not much a-growin' 
Today? It was cold with a few showers. We had "your" rain yesterday (and just about every day before that).

Nice to see the blue skies and shadows cast by the sun while you were on your walk Did you have to wrap up?

[NightHawk]

It wasn't cold at all as it turned out.  We went out with our raincoats on (just in case) and ended up having to strip off 'in the field' so to speak 

The wind had dropped and it was very pleasant walking conditions.

The short grass you so astutely noticed there George - that is thanks to the ponies.  They are free to graze throughout all of the New Forest, including little villages like this one at Emery Down.  It's quite common to see ponies ambling across roads to get from one grass area to another and have no worries about vehicles.  They have lived alongside them for so long that they just co-exist quite happily.  So, wherever there's grass, it's tended naturally 

The heavy rain we've experienced here recently has inevitably resulted in flooding of low-lying grassland areas, so walking around the Forest can be quite tricky.

It doesn't do much good for our own gardens either.  Fortunately, we don't succumb to our garden getting flooded but the constant rainfall does make it difficult to keep it tidy.

I just hope we don't have another year like the last one.  Rain is good, but we've had enough of it for the time being 

[ideasguy]

In this day and age, its very heartening to know that animals like that have a safe place to run wild and in complete freedom.
A lovely place for a walk, Laurie. You are very fortunate to have that so near to your home.

[NightHawk]

This morning we went for a wander around the village of Brockenhurst in the New Forest.

We've been here before on many occasions, but today we had another wonderful encounter with the New Forest ponies.

Again, like the ponies in Emery Down (photo at start of topic), they are happily ambling their merry way across roads between the local traffic to get to the grassy areas.

Photo 1 - with the main road to the right.


Seconds after taking this photo another pony arrived on the scene, strolling off to the left away from the main road.  This time stopping to graze in front of some houses and an access road.

Photo 2 - same location with two ponies.


It's just such a beautiful sight.  Living within the New Forest National Park itself and travelling all around it as we do every day, we get to see this all the time.

The scenery is absolutely breathtaking, and we never take for granted how lucky we are to be in such a prestigious environment.

We are very proud to call it our home, so if you ever get the opportunity to visit, the experience will remain with you forever 

[NightHawk]

Also in Brockenhurst there are 'Pony-Proof' Litter Bins.  This one is in a car park off the main road through the village.



The inscription reads:  "Your food and litter could harm the ponies and donkeys.  Please take yours home if this bin is full"

The litter bin below is just around the corner from this one at a road junction (a lot better condition and you can read the inscription):



You don't see these in your average town and village anywhere else.  The New Forest District Council think of everything 

[NightHawk]

Out in Holmsley Inclosure, New Forest yesterday for a beautiful warm and sunny afternoon walk.

Came across some grazing ponies, who pay you no heed as long as you leave them alone

Just happened to have my digital camera with me (as always  ) so took the opportunity to get a 'Kodak moment' to share with you.

I have been a great horse lover since I was a little boy, so seeing them in their natural environment here in the New Forest is a real treat for me.

I do see 'tourists' trying to feed them on occasion, and I have to bite my tongue to not say something to them.  There are notices posted around the New Forest requesting they NOT be fed, as it can cause serious health issues to the ponies.  Sadly, you will always get this irresponsible attitude.

There are just not enough New Forest Rangers around to 'police' these areas and advise on unsuitable behaviour from the ignorant public.  Maybe I should apply to be one and help to make a difference.  Hmm 

Anyway, I thought you would enjoy seeing more of this beautiful habitat and the iconic New Forest ponies 







P.S.  This is the area I posted about a few weeks ago where we heard Cuckoos -  they are still here vocalising to their hearts content 

[roiphil]

great pics laurie it is nice to see horses just doing there thing, at the back of us there is unfarmed land which has horses on we often see them, the farmer drops them off then a few months later rounds them up and takes them away, then he will bring them back a few months later,

here are a couple of pics of my grandson who is 2 now on one of his ponys, yes he has 2 the second one has not been broken in yet as it it still young





and yes the safety helmet and gear has been mentioned

[NightHawk]

Great to see that Phil.

Starting them off young and they will grow to respect all wildlife so much more 

[roiphil]

so true, his dad owns about 10 horses and breeds them so I think he may well be into horses, when we go for a walk in the afternoons  down the lane he knows where the cows, chickens horses are etc and we have to walk down to see them, he knows where my xmas trees are planted in the field and in pots, hopefully he will grow up to respect nature and wildlife, animals plants etc

[NightHawk]

I just wish there were more like-minded people like you and your relatives Phil.

All too often I read in our loal newspapers of New Forest ponies being killed by hit-and-run drivers, or left seriously injured lying by the roadside     

And it's not just 'tourists' coming into the area who are responsible for bad driving practices.  I've seen 'locals' (evident by their car registration numbers) speeding along the Forest roads with little regard for the ponies grazing at the roadside or crossing from one side to the other.  They of all people should know better than that.

And any tourists should also be aware of the ponies and be extra vigilant.  The ponies are synonymous with the New Forest, so there is no excuse for ignorance or reckless behaviour on the roads by any drivers.

I feel very strongly about this, as you have no doubt gathered, and would campaign vigourously for offenders to be punished to the full extent of the law - if and when they are caught!

I have a rear window sticker to warn road users behind me why I may be going slower than they expected through the Forest roads where there are ponies roaming about.  Hopefully it makes them think and slow down themselves and not overtake.
This is the sticker:



Anyway, there are a lot of new foals around at the moment which are an extra joy to behold 

Have you ever been to the New Forest Phil?

[roiphil]

not been to the new forest that i can recall, not as an adult anyway, drivers around here are the same they get complacent because the know the lanes but many a time i have been driving myself only to come across a bunch of horses walking up the centre of the road  , i keep an eye on the ones down by us as the owner has to go down our passage to get to the field, so i let him know when i see them out on the road, me being neighbourly    to date i have come across a bull, horses, cows and deer all taking walks on our lane

[Eric Hardy]

I have just found this series of wonderful photos, Laurie. How lovely to have these beautiful animals on your doorstep. My parents took me to The New Forest in 1938 and I remember the ponies. These can't possibly be the same animals, I am sure 

Eric H

[NightHawk]

Thanks Eric.

We're so fortunate to be close 'neighbours' with these ponies.  They bring such delight every time we see them.

I'm quite sure they're not the same ponies you saw in 1938 Eric (tee-hee), but it's a possibility that some of them are descendants   

If you get the opportunity to visit the New Forest again in the near future then let me know.  Kathy and I will be more than happy to show you around 

[NightHawk]

Here are a few facts about the New Forest Pony that you may not know about:

The New Forest pony is one of the best-known images of the National Park; it is an icon of the area, featuring in countless photographs and in the New Forest National Park logo.

Nearly 5,000 ponies roam free in the National Park.  It is rarely possible to travel more than a few miles without coming across these famous Forest residents.

The ponies are sometimes described as ‘the architects of the Forest’ because it is their grazing that creates much of what people know and love as the New Forest – the close-cropped ‘lawns’ between the wooded areas and the distinctive ‘browse line’ on the trees marking the highest point ponies can reach.

Each pony is owned by a ‘commoner’ – someone whose property has common rights allowing them to turn out ponies to graze on the Forest. 

The New Forest pony has long been a distinct, registered breed, but its early ancestry includes other strains such as Welsh and Dartmoor stock.

Today many New Forest foals become children’s riding ponies.  They are generally good-tempered, hardy, strong and fast for their size.  Many New Forest ponies are part of pony club teams.

The ponies are rounded up once a year in the autumn ‘drifts’ for health checks and branding.  Once in the spring and several times in the autumn there are pony sales held at Beaulieu Road Sales Yard, Brockenhurst.

Visitors are asked not to feed the ponies.  There is plenty of lush grass for ponies to eat in the spring and summer and in the winter months they are well-adapted to eating prickly fare such as gorse, brambles and holly. 

If you feed the ponies it attracts them to car parks and roads, where they are at serious risk of accidents. Sadly dozens of ponies are killed or injured on the roads of the New Forest each year.

Grass-cuttings, ragwort and green acorns are also bad for ponies. People are asked not to leave out grass for ponies to eat, there are concerted efforts to remove ragwort each year and, in the autumn, pigs are released into the Forest to eat the green acorns that are tasty for them but poisonous for the ponies.

[ideasguy]

An interesting posting Laurie
Parents especially would be tempted to offer the ponies something to eat so their young children can see them up close. I'm sure that is difficult to control.

[NightHawk]

Difficult to control indeed George.

People just can't seem to comprehend that the ponies here are just grazing their natural habitat - it's not a 'petting zoo'.  The ponies may appear tame by not running away when you get close to them, but that's only because they are used to people and don't see them as a threat.  Like any animal, they can be unpredicable.

Ponies could cause unintentional injuries to people from bites when being fed, to trampling on your feet - or worse, especially when they are raising and protecting their foals.

Sadly it's either the public's ignorance of the area they are visiting, or the 'I don't care anyway' attitude.  We have New Forest Rangers here but like any enforcement agency there are just not enough of them, and the area is so vast that catching offenders is extremely difficult.

There are plenty of notices placed around the New Forest area and information leaflets available from local visitor centres warning of the dangers feeding the ponies, and to take care when driving on the roads.  As is always the case though, it is the minority that spoils it for everyone else.

There are a lot of responsible visitors who do show respect, and that is so refreshing to see.

[NightHawk]

Driving through Burley again today and had more wonderful encounters with New Forest ponies.

The first photo is of a mother and foal just bonding in the middle of the road we were driving along.  The car in front of us has just started to drive around them.

The ponies were so unconcerned and carried on cuddling as we passed.



The next photo was taken as we passed mother and foal.



The photos were taken quickly by Kathy on our iPhone through the car windows, so apologies for a couple of fingers inadvertently appearing in shot.  I need to give her a crash course in action photography 

The next photo was taken just shortly after the last encounter, and here you see a pony doing a bit of 'window shopping' ambling merrily along the footpath in front of the village shops, doing a nice bit of tail swishing.



Again, apologies for a little finger appearing in shot 

[NightHawk]

Have been around Beaulieu today, which is home to the New Forest National Park's most popular attraction, the National Motor Museum.

Encountered more ponies strolling across the roads again, many with their newly born foals.

For any visitors coming to the New Forest, this is a particularly important time of the year for the ponies.  And drivers need to pay a lot more attention.  The foals are more unpredicatable and excitable as they get used to their surroundings.

Didn't manage to get any photos today.

[NightHawk]

Walking around Brockenhurst, New Forest again this afternoon and had another encounter with the ponies.

This time there were two of them just going about their normal business, eating grass outside someone's house next to a road.

The first photo (Photo 1) is a distance shot and the sign to the left hand side of them (white horseshoe with a red line through it) means No Horse Riding.  It obviously doesn't apply to the ponies grazing, but they probably can't read anyway so ignored it 

We crossed over the road and walked along the same footpath as the ponies, so stopped next to them a few feet away to get a 'decent' shot (Photo 2 and Photo 3).  We didn't bother them and they didn't bother us.

Photo 1


Photo 2


Photo 3

[NightHawk]

A typical Saturday afternoon for the New Forest ponies in Brockenhurst.

These two were quite happy to cuddle up on the road, where I stopped to get this photo from inside our car (hence the reflection from the windscreen).  There were no other cars about at the time 

Just behind the ponies (Photo 1) is a traffic calming island which is just wide enough for one car to pass through at a time.  There are several of these islands along this stretch of the road as there are always lots of ponies criss-crossing the road and stopping on it as they are here.

Photo 1


Negotiating around them was a little tricky, but thankfully they never spooked as I drove around them giving as wide a berth as possible -  as much as the road allowed at this point anyway 

As other cars approached us from behind we got moving again and took a close-up shot as we drove past them (Photo 2).  You can see a reflective collar on the light brown pony which helps to make them more visible in car headlights during the hours of darkness.  They do wander about at night-time as well, which is why extra vigilance is required at all times.  (A brand mark on the front left shoulder of the light brown pony identifies the ownership).

Photo 2


Photos taken on our iPhone 5.

[NightHawk]

"The New Forest" - not NEW at all. (A brief history):

When Duke William of Normandy conquered England in 1066 and became King William I, this area was wood and uncultivated land with sparsely scattered homesteads and farms.

The city of Winchester became England’s capital, and the king looked for a nearby hunting ground.  In 1079, ‘Nova foresta’ (or the ‘New Forest’) was created by William I as a Royal hunting preserve, for the protection of the ‘vert’ (trees) and the ‘venison’.

The Forest Law protected the ‘beasts of the chase’ (deer) and their habitat with offences punishable by fines or even death.  Peasants unable to enclose their land were granted common rights to graze domestic animals throughout the forest.  The area was first recorded as the New Forest in the Doomsday Book 1086.

From the 13th to the 15th centuries, demand for timber increased, as it became the principal raw material of the time.  Laws were passed to enable parts of the forest to be enclosed.  Some of these inclosures were subsequently re-opened once the trees were mature enough to withstand the attentions of browsing animals.  This process became known as the rolling powers of inclosure. Inclosures for timber growing still exist today.

During World War II, the forest changed beyond all recognition as the grazed lawns were ploughed and sown for crops to feed the nation, and aerodromes and army camps were established.  The forest’s location on the south coast meant it played an integral part of the D-Day operations.  (Find out more at newforestnpa.gov.uk/wwii.)

Commoning
Commoners are people who have the right to use the resources of the unenclosed forest land, even though they do not own it.  Common rights attach to property and land rather than specific individuals or families.  The right of pasture (to graze animals) is crucial in maintaining the New Forest’s open character.

There are over 600 commoners who turn out a total of over 7,000 animals in the New Forest.  Ponies, cattle and donkeys are allowed to graze the forest all year.
Pigs are turned out for the autumn pannage season, to eat the fallen acorns, which are poisonous to the ponies.

The New Forest Verderers regulate commoning and development on the forest.  They work with the Forestry Commission and Natural England to protect the forest and the commoners’ rights.  The Court of Verderers, established by the 1877 New Forest Act, meets in public ten times a year in The Queen’s House, Lyndhurst.  The court is presided over by ten Verderers, five who are elected and five appointed.
The Verderers employ five Agisters who ride allocated areas of the forest to look after the day-to-day welfare of the commoners’ stock.  From late summer to autumn ‘drifts’, or round-ups, are held throughout the forest.  Foals and mares that remain on the forest over winter are marked with brands and the tails of mares are cut in distinctive patterns to show the marking fee has been paid and to indicate where their owner lives.  At the drifts ponies may also be wormed, have reflective collars put on, and any to be sold or over-wintered on a commoner’s holding are removed.

[ideasguy]

An interesting account and very good research Laurie. You live in a very historical region

[Eric Hardy]

Thank you for that history, Laurie, i was unaware of its antiquity.

Commoners are people who have the right to use the resources of the unenclosed forest land, even though they do not own it.  Common rights attach to property and land rather than specific individuals or families.

We too have Commoners rights over our common. Our house is one of only seven round the common that have these rights. We used these rights to graze our horses and donkeys.

Eric H

[NightHawk]

Thank you George and Eric for posting your appreciation.

The New Forest is full of surprises and fascinating history.  It just goes to prove that the connotation of a simple word as 'new' can give you a wrong impression. 
As in The New Forest, it would tend to indicate that it was created in modern day times, but that is clearly not the case.

Kathy and I have witnessed the 'drifts' (roundups) of the ponies, with horseback riders alongside them, sometimes reaching cantering speeds as the ponies take off.  Reminiscent of the old cowboy days, minus the lassos of course, not that I remember those times (I'm not that old  ), but the principle is the same I'm sure.

I haven't managed to photograph any drifts yet though.  The times we've seen them is when we've been driving along the Forest roads and they've gone past before you have chance to whip your camera out    Maybe this year we'll be ready for them, as it's getting close to that time again.
However, there's a caveat to this.  This is an extract from the Verderers of the New Forest website about Forest Rights, regarding the drifts:

"In recent years, more and more members of the general public have been attending the drifts but unfortunately, the ever increasing number of spectators is causing disruption and is interfering with the management of the drifts. If the number of spectators continues to increase, the drifts may well be in jeopardy. The official pony drifts are an essential part of the management of the semi-feral herd and their loss would seriously compromise the health and welfare of the ponies on the Forest.

The drifts are not a spectator sport and unfortunately for the reasons stated above, the Verderers now have no option but to strongly discourage the public from attending. Your co-operation in staying away from the drifts will be greatly appreciated."

So, if we happen to come across a drift in progress on our travels - all well and good, but I think an action shot from the car window as we're moving would be the best course of action so as not to cause any disruption.

Although they're no longer advertising dates for the drifts, they do put out warning signs in the areas concerned at the time, for drivers to be cautious.