ANCIENT HARDY BREED

Strong and intelligent, the native New Forest pony is valued for its hardiness and sure-footedness. Sturdy in stature, the ponies are workmanlike and good for riding, having a gentle temperament. Most commonly bay, chestnut or grey, their height can vary from 12 to 14.2 hands, or 4ft-4ft 10in (1.2-1.5m), and they have deep bodies with powerful hindquarters and rounded hooves. Remains dating back to 500,000BC, found within 50 miles of the heart of the modern forest, provide evidence of horses living here since before the last Ice Age. DNA studies have revealed shared ancestry with the Celtic-type Asturcón and Pottok ponies. For a variety of reasons, including normal trade in the area and attempts to improve the breed, Arabian, Thoroughbred, Welsh pony, and Hackney blood have been added over the centuries. Almost all of the New Forest ponies are mares. For much of the year, they live in small groups, usually consisting of an older mare, her daughters and their foals, usually keeping to a discreet area known as a haunt. Many owners choose to remove some animals from the forest for the winter, especially the most vulnerable, turning them out again the following spring. Numbers of New Forest ponies fell to fewer than 600 in 1945, but have since risen steadily, and thousands now run free in semi-feral conditions. They are gathered annually in a series of drifts, for health checks and worming. Many wear reflective collars in a bid to reduce traffic fatalities, as they command right of way.