Forest Friends

You do not have to travel far in the New Forest to meet up with friends like these.

You will find New Forest ponies all around the National Park and with around 5,000 of them, it is never too long before you spot one or more grazing across the open moorland and usually in small groups.

Yet as beautiful as they are, it is best to heed local advice and leave the animals alone, and while they are owned and cared for by local people called commoners, they are unpredictable and best treated as wild, and you certainly shouldn’t try to feed them. They may look friendly but they can bite and kick, especially when ponies are with foals.

The official advice is to keep your distance! Remember, too, that these animals are not tame - the gentlest looking pony can also kick and bite and children may be particularly vulnerable to them.