New Forest pony
Encyclopedia
The New Forest Pony or New Forester is one of the recognised Mountain and moorland
or Native pony
breeds of the British Isles. The breed is valued for its hardiness, strength and sureness of foot. It is indigenous to the New Forest
in Hampshire
in southern England, and thousands of ponies can still be seen running loose there.
books have been in existence since 1906, and the breed has been purebred since 1930.
Before then, as part of ongoing efforts to improve the New Forest pony, animals of other breeds (notably Welsh, Arab
, Thoroughbred
, Hackney
, Fell
, Dales
, Highlands
, Dartmoors
and Exmoors
) were introduced to the Forest.
The earliest written record of horses in the New Forest dates back to 1016 when rights of common pasture were granted to the people living in what was a royal hunting ground.
, but are owned by commoners (local people with common grazing rights), who pay a fee each year for each animal turned out. The animals are looked after by their owners and by the Agisters, employees of the Verderer
s of the New Forest – the Verderers are a statutory body with ancient roots that shares the management of the forest with the Forestry Commission
. Around 80% of the animals depastured on the New Forest are owned by just 10% of the commoning families.
The ponies living full-time on the New Forest are almost all mare
s, although there are also a few gelding
s. For much of the year the ponies live in small groups, usually consisting of an older mare, her daughters and their foal
s, all keeping to a discrete area of the Forest called a haunt. Under New Forest regulations, mares and geldings may be of any breed. Although they are predominately New Foresters, other breeds such as Shetlands
and their cross-bred descendants are also found in some areas.
Stallions must be registered New Foresters, and do not run free on the Forest all year round. They are normally turned out during spring and summer, when they gather mares into larger groups and defend them against other stallions. A small number (usually less than 50) are turned out for a limited period, usually between May and August, to ensure that foals are born neither too early (before the spring grass is coming through) nor too late (as the colder weather is setting in and the grazing and browsing on the Forest is dying back) the following year.
Drifts to gather the animals are carried out in autumn – most colts
and some fillies
are removed, and the remaining fillies are each branded
with their owner's mark. Many animals are wormed at this time, and anything considered too 'poor' to remain on the Forest are also taken off. Ponies are also fitted with reflective collars in order to reduce traffic fatalities. Many owners choose to remove a number of animals from the Forest for the winter, turning them out again the following spring. Animals surplus to their owner's requirements are often sold at the Beaulieu Road Pony Sales, run by the New Forest Livestock Society. Ponies' tail hair is trimmed, and cut into a recognisable pattern to indicate that the pony's grazing fees have been paid for the year. Each Agister has his own 'tail-mark', and the pony's tail mark indicates the area of the Forest where the owner lives.
The Agisters keep a constant watch over the condition of the Forest-running stock, and an animal can be 'ordered off' the Forest at any time during the year.Colts are assessed in their two-year old year by the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society for suitability to be kept as stallions, and any animal failing the assessment must be gelded. In addition, in the spring (usually March) of each year, stallions also have to pass the Verderers' assessment before they are permitted onto the Forest to breed. Otherwise, the lives of the ponies are relatively unhindered by humans unless they need veterinary attention or additional feeding, when they are usually taken off the Forest.
New Forest Ponies are raced in an annual point to point meeting in the Forest, usually on Boxing Day
, finishing at a different place each year. The races do not have a fixed course, but are run across the open Forest, with the location of the meeting place being given to competitors only on the previous evening, and the actual starting point of the race only revealed once riders have arrived at the meeting point. This means that detailed knowledge of the Forest is a great advantage for riders, with different competitors often taking different routes around obstructions such as inclosures
(forestry plantations), fenced paddocks and bogs.
, active and straight, but not exaggerated.
New Forest Ponies are most commonly bay, chestnut
or grey
, but may be any colour except piebald
, skewbald
or cremello
. Palomino
s and very light chestnuts
are only acceptable as gelding
s and mares
. Blue eyes are not permitted. White markings
on the head and legs are permitted. However, white markings are not permitted that occur behind the head and above a line parallel to the ground from the point of the hock
in the hind leg to the top of the metacarpal bone or bend in the knee in the foreleg.
The New Forest Pony is considered to have a gentle temperament, and the ponies are noted for their intelligence, strength and versatility. They are noted for friendliness, intelligence, strength, versatility and are nearly always willing-to-please. They are also renowned for their sure-footedness, agility and speed. New Foresters are amongst the most approachable of all the native British pony breeds, perhaps because of their history of frequent contact with humans.
. They are also used for show jumping
, cross-country
, dressage
, driving
, and eventing
. They and their cross-breeds are still the 'working pony of choice' for local farmers and commoners, as their sure-footedness, agility and sound good sense will carry them (and their rider) safely across the varied and occasionally hazardous terrain of the open Forest, sometimes at great speed, during the drift season.
New Forest ponies can not only carry adults, they can compete on equal terms with - and beat - much larger horses while doing so. The New Forest Pony Enthusiasts Club (NFPEC) is a registered Riding club whose members compete only on pure-bred registered New Forest ponies; the NFPEC Quadrille Team won the Riding Clubs Quadrille at the London International Horse Show at Olympia in 2010.
Mountain and moorland
Mountain and moorland or M&M ponies form a group of several breeds of ponies and small horses native to the British Isles. Many of these breeds are derived from semi-feral ponies kept on moorland or heathland, and some of them still live in this way, as well as being kept as fully domesticated...
or Native pony
Pony
A pony is a small horse . Depending on context, a pony may be a horse that is under an approximate or exact height at the withers, or a small horse with a specific conformation and temperament. There are many different breeds...
breeds of the British Isles. The breed is valued for its hardiness, strength and sureness of foot. It is indigenous to the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
in Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
in southern England, and thousands of ponies can still be seen running loose there.
History
There have been references to the New Forest Pony as far back as 1016. StudHorse breeding
Horse breeding is reproduction in horses, and particularly the human-directed process of selective breeding of animals, particularly purebred horses of a given breed. Planned matings can be used to produce specifically desired characteristics in domesticated horses...
books have been in existence since 1906, and the breed has been purebred since 1930.
Before then, as part of ongoing efforts to improve the New Forest pony, animals of other breeds (notably Welsh, Arab
Arabian horse
The Arabian or Arab horse is a breed of horse that originated on the Arabian Peninsula. With a distinctive head shape and high tail carriage, the Arabian is one of the most easily recognizable horse breeds in the world. It is also one of the oldest breeds, with archaeological evidence of horses...
, Thoroughbred
Thoroughbred
The Thoroughbred is a horse breed best known for its use in horse racing. Although the word thoroughbred is sometimes used to refer to any breed of purebred horse, it technically refers only to the Thoroughbred breed...
, Hackney
Hackney (horse)
The Hackney Horse is a recognized breed of horse that was developed in Great Britain. In recent decades, the breeding of the Hackney has been directed toward producing horses that are ideal for carriage driving. They are an elegant high stepping breed of carriage horse that is popular for showing...
, Fell
Fell pony
The Fell Pony is a versatile, working breed of mountain and moorland pony originating in the north of England in Cumberland and Westmorland and Northumberland. It was originally bred on the fell farms of northwest England, and is used as a riding and driving pony...
, Dales
Dales Pony
-External links:****...
, Highlands
Highland Pony
The Highland Pony is a native Scottish pony, and is one of the largest of the mountain and moorland pony breeds of the British Isles. Its pedigree dates back to the 1880s...
, Dartmoors
Dartmoor pony
-External links:*...
and Exmoors
Exmoor pony
The Exmoor pony is a horse breed native to the British Isles, where some still roam as semi-feral livestock on Exmoor, a large area of moorland in Devon and Somerset in southwest England. The Exmoor is one of the British Isles mountain and moorland pony breeds, having conformation similar to that...
) were introduced to the Forest.
The earliest written record of horses in the New Forest dates back to 1016 when rights of common pasture were granted to the people living in what was a royal hunting ground.
Ponies on the New Forest
The cattle and ponies living on the New Forest are not completely feralFeral
A feral organism is one that has changed from being domesticated to being wild or untamed. In the case of plants it is a movement from cultivated to uncultivated or controlled to volunteer. The introduction of feral animals or plants to their non-native regions, like any introduced species, may...
, but are owned by commoners (local people with common grazing rights), who pay a fee each year for each animal turned out. The animals are looked after by their owners and by the Agisters, employees of the Verderer
Verderer
Verderers are officials in Britain who deal with Common land in certain former royal hunting areas which are the property of The Crown.-Origins:...
s of the New Forest – the Verderers are a statutory body with ancient roots that shares the management of the forest with the Forestry Commission
Forestry Commission
The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial government department responsible for forestry in Great Britain. Its mission is to protect and expand Britain's forests and woodlands and increase their value to society and the environment....
. Around 80% of the animals depastured on the New Forest are owned by just 10% of the commoning families.
The ponies living full-time on the New Forest are almost all mare
Mare
Female horses are called mares.Mare is the Latin word for "sea".The word may also refer to:-People:* Ahmed Marzooq, also known as Mare, a footballer and Secretary General of Maldives Olympic Committee* Mare Winningham, American actress and singer...
s, although there are also a few gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
s. For much of the year the ponies live in small groups, usually consisting of an older mare, her daughters and their foal
Foal
A foal is an equine, particularly a horse, that is one year old or younger. More specific terms are colt for a male foal and filly for a female foal, but these terms are used until the horse is age three or four. When the foal is nursing from its dam , it may also be called a suckling...
s, all keeping to a discrete area of the Forest called a haunt. Under New Forest regulations, mares and geldings may be of any breed. Although they are predominately New Foresters, other breeds such as Shetlands
Shetland pony
The Shetland pony is a breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles. Shetlands range in size from a minimum height of approximately 28 inches to an official maximum height of 42 inches at the withers. Shetland ponies have heavy coats, short legs and are considered quite intelligent...
and their cross-bred descendants are also found in some areas.
Stallions must be registered New Foresters, and do not run free on the Forest all year round. They are normally turned out during spring and summer, when they gather mares into larger groups and defend them against other stallions. A small number (usually less than 50) are turned out for a limited period, usually between May and August, to ensure that foals are born neither too early (before the spring grass is coming through) nor too late (as the colder weather is setting in and the grazing and browsing on the Forest is dying back) the following year.
Drifts to gather the animals are carried out in autumn – most colts
Colt (horse)
A colt is a young male horse, under the age of four. The term "colt" is often confused with foal, which refers to a horse of either sex under one year of age....
and some fillies
Filly
A filly is a young female horse too young to be called a mare. There are several specific definitions in use.*In most cases filly is a female horse under the age of four years old....
are removed, and the remaining fillies are each branded
Livestock branding
Livestock branding is a technique for marking livestock so as to identify the owner. Originally, livestock branding only referred to a hot brand for large stock, though the term is now also used to refer to other alternative techniques such as freeze branding...
with their owner's mark. Many animals are wormed at this time, and anything considered too 'poor' to remain on the Forest are also taken off. Ponies are also fitted with reflective collars in order to reduce traffic fatalities. Many owners choose to remove a number of animals from the Forest for the winter, turning them out again the following spring. Animals surplus to their owner's requirements are often sold at the Beaulieu Road Pony Sales, run by the New Forest Livestock Society. Ponies' tail hair is trimmed, and cut into a recognisable pattern to indicate that the pony's grazing fees have been paid for the year. Each Agister has his own 'tail-mark', and the pony's tail mark indicates the area of the Forest where the owner lives.
The Agisters keep a constant watch over the condition of the Forest-running stock, and an animal can be 'ordered off' the Forest at any time during the year.Colts are assessed in their two-year old year by the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society for suitability to be kept as stallions, and any animal failing the assessment must be gelded. In addition, in the spring (usually March) of each year, stallions also have to pass the Verderers' assessment before they are permitted onto the Forest to breed. Otherwise, the lives of the ponies are relatively unhindered by humans unless they need veterinary attention or additional feeding, when they are usually taken off the Forest.
New Forest Ponies are raced in an annual point to point meeting in the Forest, usually on Boxing Day
Boxing Day
Boxing Day is a bank or public holiday that occurs on 26 December, or the first or second weekday after Christmas Day, depending on national or regional laws. It is observed in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and some other Commonwealth nations. In Ireland, it is recognized as...
, finishing at a different place each year. The races do not have a fixed course, but are run across the open Forest, with the location of the meeting place being given to competitors only on the previous evening, and the actual starting point of the race only revealed once riders have arrived at the meeting point. This means that detailed knowledge of the Forest is a great advantage for riders, with different competitors often taking different routes around obstructions such as inclosures
Enclosure
Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...
(forestry plantations), fenced paddocks and bogs.
Characteristics
The upper height limit is 148 cm. There is no lower limit but New Forest ponies are seldom under . They are normally shown in two height sections 138 cm and under (competition type A) and over 138 cm (competition height B). The New Forester has a well built frame, muscular hind quarters and a good depth of body. The head should show pride, the shoulders should be well sloped with deep reach, and the legs show an even line with strong joints and solid hooves. New Forest ponies should be of riding type. The larger ponies, while narrow enough for small children are quite capable of carrying adults. The smaller ponies, though not up to so much weight, often have more show quality. The New Forest Pony has free, even gaitsHorse gait
Horse gaits are the various ways in which a horse can move, either naturally or as a result of specialized training by humans.-Classification:...
, active and straight, but not exaggerated.
New Forest Ponies are most commonly bay, chestnut
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
or grey
Gray (horse)
Gray or grey is a coat color of horses characterized by progressive silvering of the colored hairs of the coat. Most gray horses have black skin and dark eyes; unlike many depigmentation genes, gray does not affect skin or eye color Their adult hair coat is white, dappled, or white intermingled...
, but may be any colour except piebald
Piebald
A piebald or pied animal is one that has a spotting pattern of large unpigmented, usually white, areas of hair, feathers, or scales and normally pigmented patches, generally black. The colour of the animal's skin underneath its coat is also pigmented under the dark patches and unpigmented under...
, skewbald
Skewbald
Skewbald is a color pattern of horses. A skewbald horse has a coat made up of white patches on a non-black base coat, such as chestnut, bay, or any color besides black coat. Skewbald horses which are bay and white are sometimes called tricoloured...
or cremello
Cream gene
The cream gene is responsible for a number of horse coat colors. Horses that have the cream gene in addition to a base coat color that is chestnut will become palomino if they are heterozygous, having one copy of the cream gene, or cremello, if they are homozygous. Similarly, horses with a bay...
. Palomino
Palomino
Palomino is a coat color in horses, consisting of a gold coat and white mane and tail. Genetically, the palomino color is created by a single allele of a dilution gene called the cream gene working on a "red" base coat...
s and very light chestnuts
Chestnut (coat)
Chestnut is a hair coat color of horses consisting of a reddish-to-brown coat with a mane and tail the same or lighter in color than the coat. Genetically and visually, chestnut is characterized by the absolute absence of true black hairs...
are only acceptable as gelding
Gelding
A gelding is a castrated horse or other equine such as a donkey or a mule. Castration, and the elimination of hormonally driven behavior associated with a stallion, allows a male horse to be calmer and better-behaved, making the animal quieter, gentler and potentially more suitable as an everyday...
s and mares
Mare (horse)
A mare is an adult female horse or other equine.In most cases, a mare is a female horse over the age of three, and a filly is a female horse age three and younger. However, in Thoroughbred horse racing, a mare is defined as a female horse more than four years old; in harness racing a mare is a...
. Blue eyes are not permitted. White markings
Horse markings
Markings on horses usually are distinctive white areas on an otherwise dark base coat color. Most horses have some markings, and they help to identify the horse as a unique individual. Markings are present at birth and do not change over the course of the horse's life...
on the head and legs are permitted. However, white markings are not permitted that occur behind the head and above a line parallel to the ground from the point of the hock
Hock (zoology)
The hock, or gambrel, is the joint between the tarsal bones and tibia of a digitigrade or unguligrade quadrupedal mammal, such as a horse, cat, or dog...
in the hind leg to the top of the metacarpal bone or bend in the knee in the foreleg.
The New Forest Pony is considered to have a gentle temperament, and the ponies are noted for their intelligence, strength and versatility. They are noted for friendliness, intelligence, strength, versatility and are nearly always willing-to-please. They are also renowned for their sure-footedness, agility and speed. New Foresters are amongst the most approachable of all the native British pony breeds, perhaps because of their history of frequent contact with humans.
Uses
New Forest ponies make excellent ponies for gymkhanasGymkhana (equestrian)
Gymkhana is a term used in the United Kingdom, east coast of the United States, and other English-speaking nations to describe an equestrian event consisting of speed pattern racing and timed games for riders on horses...
. They are also used for show jumping
Show jumping
Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping," "open jumping," or "jumpers," is a member of a family of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes commonly are seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics...
, cross-country
Cross-country equestrianism
Cross country equestrian jumping is an endurance test, and is one of the three phases of the sport of eventing; it may also be a competition in its own right, known as hunter trials or simply "cross-country" - these tend to be lower level, local competitions.The object of the endurance test is to...
, dressage
Dressage
Dressage is a competitive equestrian sport, defined by the International Equestrian Federation as "the highest expression of horse training." Competitions are held at all levels from amateur to the World Equestrian Games...
, driving
Driving (horse)
Driving, when applied to horses, ponies, mules, or donkeys, is a broad term for hitching equines to a wagon, carriage, cart, sleigh, or other horse-drawn vehicle by means of a harness and working them in this way...
, and eventing
Eventing
Eventing is an equestrian event comprising dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. This event has its roots in a comprehensive cavalry test requiring mastery of several types of riding...
. They and their cross-breeds are still the 'working pony of choice' for local farmers and commoners, as their sure-footedness, agility and sound good sense will carry them (and their rider) safely across the varied and occasionally hazardous terrain of the open Forest, sometimes at great speed, during the drift season.
New Forest ponies can not only carry adults, they can compete on equal terms with - and beat - much larger horses while doing so. The New Forest Pony Enthusiasts Club (NFPEC) is a registered Riding club whose members compete only on pure-bred registered New Forest ponies; the NFPEC Quadrille Team won the Riding Clubs Quadrille at the London International Horse Show at Olympia in 2010.