One horse-powered mower, Woodgreen

Image: © Maigheach-gheal Taken: 5 Mar 2007

The pony has become the symbol of the New Forest. These native ponies – thought to be descended from the wild horses that once roamed all over Britain – have taken the place of William the Conqueror’s deer as rulers of the forest, and rightly so for they were here even before the Normans came. Although they live in an almost wild state, they are all privately owned by the commoners – people living in the forest entitled to certain privileges. In the 19th century an attempt to improve the breed was made by letting Arab stallions run in the forest; this resulted in a cross unfitted to the rigours of the wild. A later experiment using stallions from Exmoor, Scotland, Dartmoor and Wales introduced a new breed which evolved into the more or less distinctive type seen now. Today, only stallions with the local stud-book pedigrees are allowed to roam. The sturdiness of the New Forest pony comes from being born on a windswept heath. In winter it has a woolly coat, and long protective hair on the back of the fetlock causes the rain to run to the ground. The animal has developed a beard and horny tongue to enable it to cope with the gorse shoots which is its most reliable food. Every year, there is a ‘drift’ or round-up, in late summer and autumn when the ponies are brought in – some to be sold and others to be retained for stock.

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