New Forest Commoner
@newforestcommoner.bsky.social
Keeping the history, ecology and cultural traditions of the New Forest alive through practice of 'commoning'. Sharing information about #NewForest & #commoning.
It’s been revealed that sewage is pouring into the rivers inside national parks at twice the rate that is occurring outside the protected areas threatening the ecology of precious landscapes like the #NewForest
September 30, 2025 at 8:31 AM
It’s been revealed that sewage is pouring into the rivers inside national parks at twice the rate that is occurring outside the protected areas threatening the ecology of precious landscapes like the #NewForest
Welcome to the #NewForest. Filly foal, Xluna with her dam, Pippa.
May 25, 2025 at 7:17 PM
Welcome to the #NewForest. Filly foal, Xluna with her dam, Pippa.
Legend tells of stallions from the sinking ships of the Spanish #Armada (July 1588) swimming ashore and breeding with #NewForest mares. It’s a charming tale but, for many reasons (not least because no ships were sunk near Hampshire’s coast), it didn’t happen.
February 17, 2025 at 3:53 PM
Legend tells of stallions from the sinking ships of the Spanish #Armada (July 1588) swimming ashore and breeding with #NewForest mares. It’s a charming tale but, for many reasons (not least because no ships were sunk near Hampshire’s coast), it didn’t happen.
DYK, traditionally horses were measured in ‘hands’ (approx. 4 inches) i.e., the span of a man’s hand across the palm. Dealers counted the number of times they could place one hand on top of the other from floor to wither (base of neck where it meets the shoulders) to calculate the horses height.
February 10, 2025 at 7:57 PM
DYK, traditionally horses were measured in ‘hands’ (approx. 4 inches) i.e., the span of a man’s hand across the palm. Dealers counted the number of times they could place one hand on top of the other from floor to wither (base of neck where it meets the shoulders) to calculate the horses height.
The free-roaming ponies of the #NewForest live in small bands that are fragmented groups from larger herds. They are semi-feral, rather than wild, and are owned by ‘commoners’ (people with ancient rights) who look after them. #commoning
January 22, 2025 at 8:04 PM
The free-roaming ponies of the #NewForest live in small bands that are fragmented groups from larger herds. They are semi-feral, rather than wild, and are owned by ‘commoners’ (people with ancient rights) who look after them. #commoning
A reminder of the symphony of colour that sings in summer across the #NewForest. To maintain the harmony, protect the #NewForest newforestassociation.org
January 19, 2025 at 5:39 PM
A reminder of the symphony of colour that sings in summer across the #NewForest. To maintain the harmony, protect the #NewForest newforestassociation.org
“Nature…….where life is reproduced and occurs, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes.” Rights of Nature, Article 71 of the Ecuadorean Constitution #NewForest
January 12, 2025 at 10:47 AM
“Nature…….where life is reproduced and occurs, has the right to integral respect for its existence and for the maintenance and regeneration of its life cycles, structure, functions and evolutionary processes.” Rights of Nature, Article 71 of the Ecuadorean Constitution #NewForest
It's so disappointing to travel across the #NewForest roads and see the litter tossed from cars onto the verges. Please, don’t be a #tosser - keep the Forest clean and take your rubbish home. #DontBeATosser
January 7, 2025 at 8:44 AM
It's so disappointing to travel across the #NewForest roads and see the litter tossed from cars onto the verges. Please, don’t be a #tosser - keep the Forest clean and take your rubbish home. #DontBeATosser
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike." #NewForest
January 4, 2025 at 9:26 PM
"Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where Nature may heal and cheer and give strength to body and soul alike." #NewForest
Smuggling, or 'free-trading' as it was otherwise known, was big business in the #NewForest during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Contraband included tobacco, tea, lace, and spirits. New Forest ponies were employed to carry the illicit goods from the coast to inland 'docks' for dispersal.
December 29, 2024 at 7:13 PM
Smuggling, or 'free-trading' as it was otherwise known, was big business in the #NewForest during the 18th and early 19th centuries. Contraband included tobacco, tea, lace, and spirits. New Forest ponies were employed to carry the illicit goods from the coast to inland 'docks' for dispersal.
Backup grazing is vital to #NewForest commoning by supporting animals when they are not turned out onto the open forest. Backup grazing in the New Forest serves a variety of important ecological, cultural, and economic purposes.
December 22, 2024 at 9:01 AM
Backup grazing is vital to #NewForest commoning by supporting animals when they are not turned out onto the open forest. Backup grazing in the New Forest serves a variety of important ecological, cultural, and economic purposes.
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies get to live their best lives. They can choose their own friends, go wherever they want, find shade or shelter when it suits them, and pick from a wide variety of herbage, vegetation, and minerals. Plus, their commoning owners check on them regularly.
December 15, 2024 at 12:59 AM
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies get to live their best lives. They can choose their own friends, go wherever they want, find shade or shelter when it suits them, and pick from a wide variety of herbage, vegetation, and minerals. Plus, their commoning owners check on them regularly.
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies were regarded as the ‘tribal god’ to the commoners because they were (are) so important to their culture, economy, and community.
December 2, 2024 at 4:02 PM
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies were regarded as the ‘tribal god’ to the commoners because they were (are) so important to their culture, economy, and community.
A letter written in 1759 said of the character of the #NewForest residents, “I would not hang a dog on the testimony of 50 of them”.
November 28, 2024 at 9:09 PM
A letter written in 1759 said of the character of the #NewForest residents, “I would not hang a dog on the testimony of 50 of them”.
The free-roaming ponies on the #NewForest are perfectly adapted to their habitat and have evolved to cope with even the bleakest conditions.
November 27, 2024 at 1:30 PM
The free-roaming ponies on the #NewForest are perfectly adapted to their habitat and have evolved to cope with even the bleakest conditions.
The Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 finally repealed the last vestiges of medieval forest law and with it the right of the sovereign to wild animals (except swans and royal fish). #NewForest
November 25, 2024 at 5:50 PM
The Wild Creatures and Forest Laws Act 1971 finally repealed the last vestiges of medieval forest law and with it the right of the sovereign to wild animals (except swans and royal fish). #NewForest
The medieval meaning of 'forest' was a legal term for unenclosed land where the wild beasts were protected for the benefit of the king - rather than a place filled with trees. #NewForest
November 24, 2024 at 12:25 PM
The medieval meaning of 'forest' was a legal term for unenclosed land where the wild beasts were protected for the benefit of the king - rather than a place filled with trees. #NewForest
All nature has a feeling: woods, fields, brooks Are life eternal: and in silence they
Speak happiness beyond the reach of books; John Clare (1793-1864)
Speak happiness beyond the reach of books; John Clare (1793-1864)
November 23, 2024 at 8:21 AM
All nature has a feeling: woods, fields, brooks Are life eternal: and in silence they
Speak happiness beyond the reach of books; John Clare (1793-1864)
Speak happiness beyond the reach of books; John Clare (1793-1864)
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies have access to a wide variety of herbage and minerals. They can self-medicate against ailments and internal parasites.
November 22, 2024 at 7:58 AM
The free-roaming #NewForest ponies have access to a wide variety of herbage and minerals. They can self-medicate against ailments and internal parasites.
Although the free-roaming ponies can wander all over the #NewForest, they prefer to stay in territories making it easier for their commoning owners to find them. #MeetJosh
November 21, 2024 at 7:25 AM
Although the free-roaming ponies can wander all over the #NewForest, they prefer to stay in territories making it easier for their commoning owners to find them. #MeetJosh
Biodiversity is one of the #NewForest’s ‘special qualities’.
November 19, 2024 at 6:16 PM
Biodiversity is one of the #NewForest’s ‘special qualities’.
In 1888, Rev. Gunning, the Vicar of Boldre, complained to the Court of Verderers that the 'disgusting' behaviour of the male donkeys on the #NewForest prevented respectable people visiting him and stopped his daughters from looking out of the windows or going out! #OoherVicar
November 18, 2024 at 12:12 PM
In 1888, Rev. Gunning, the Vicar of Boldre, complained to the Court of Verderers that the 'disgusting' behaviour of the male donkeys on the #NewForest prevented respectable people visiting him and stopped his daughters from looking out of the windows or going out! #OoherVicar
In the year 1198 the legal penalty for trespass against the King's deer was mutilation - such as by the loss of an eye or testicles. (Just imagine if that law hadn't been repealed.) #medieval #NewForest
November 17, 2024 at 5:16 PM
In the year 1198 the legal penalty for trespass against the King's deer was mutilation - such as by the loss of an eye or testicles. (Just imagine if that law hadn't been repealed.) #medieval #NewForest
The establishment, in 1974, of the ‘Sandford Principle’, in which the conservation of the natural environment was to have priority over other demands on the landscape, has enabled the #NewForest to retain much of its ecological biodiversity and cultural heritage. #special
November 17, 2024 at 12:10 AM
The establishment, in 1974, of the ‘Sandford Principle’, in which the conservation of the natural environment was to have priority over other demands on the landscape, has enabled the #NewForest to retain much of its ecological biodiversity and cultural heritage. #special