Ponies

When you visit The New Forest there are a group of about 3,000 locals that you can't but help noticing. They have been hanging around for about 2,000 years and what they don't know about the forest is not worth knowing! We are talking about the wonderful New Forest Ponies of course!

Here is some useful information about these iconic animals.

Where can I spot New Forest ponies?
You will find New Forest ponies dotted around our National Park. With around 3,000 of them, it won’t be too long until you spot one.

What are the characteristics of a New Forest pony?
Everyday visitors can rest assured that the ponies you see in the Forest are pure New Forest breeds - the Verderers have made sure of that! A combination of colour and 'markings' such as the owner's brand, make each pony easily recognisable, particularly to the practised eye.

The upper height for a New Forest pony is 148cm there is no lower limit on height. New Forest ponies can be any colour except piebald, skewbald, spotted or blue-eyed cream. The most common colours are bay and chestnut.

The gestation period for New Forest mares is approximately 11 months. New Forest foals are born in the spring and summer months and truly bring the forest to life.

Are the New Forest ponies wild?
All of the ponies found in the forest are wild in the sense they can roam freely but in fact they are owned by New Forest Commoners.

Who looks after the ponies?
Agisters are employed by the Verderers to watch over the Forest to ensure that the owners of depastured stock meet the requirements of the Verderers in respect of stock welfare. They attend road accidents and other incidents involving Commoners' animals, they also deal with injured animals at the scene and humanely destroying animals if necessary.

Agisters organise the construction and ongoing maintenance of stock pounds within their area, they arrange and manage the rounding up of ponies. When Agisters have collected marking fees from Commoners; they will clip the pony's tail to a set pattern to show proof of payment.

Stallions are let out onto the forest between April and July to breed with the mares. The Verderers decide which registered stallions are allowed on to the Forest to breed. To keep the forest-bred stock healthy, stallions are moved every three to four years.

Important information on New Forest ponies
Please do not feed the ponies; there is a forest byelaw which forbids the feeding of forest stock and can get you a £200 fine and a criminal record if you do! Remember, too, that these animals are not tame - the gentlest looking pony can also kick and bite.

Sadly, many animals are killed or maimed by car drivers. Ponies (and cattle) are likely to cross in front of traffic at any time. Please remember animals have the right of way in the Forest. There is a maximum speed limit of 40mph on unfenced forest roads. The use of reflective collars on ponies is a measure some Commoners use to attempt to reduce the number of accidents involving ponies.

If you are involved in a road traffic accident with a pony it is an offence not to report it. Make sure you carry an animal emergency hotlines card - giving you all the contacts you may need.