Each year, a small group of stallions is set free in the New Forest in south England to breed with free-roaming mares.
This tradition is not just about producing next year’s foals – it plays a vital role in preserving the bloodlines of the hardy New Forest pony, a breed deeply entwined with the landscape it grazes.
This summer, over a period of six weeks, 21 stallions were temporarily released across different parts of the Forest, under the careful management of the Verderers of the New Forest. The move ensures that the next generation of foals will be strong, well-bred and suited to life in the challenging conditions of the New Forest.
“The turning out of the stallions is such an important event in the commoners’ calendar,” says Tina Woodley, administrator of the New Forest Grazing Scheme.
“Stallions are crucial to maintain native bloodlines. The ponies are the architects of the New Forest and they have been here for hundreds of years. Without their input, it would look a very different place.”
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The New Forest pony is known for its ability to thrive in a harsh landscapes and all weathers; everything from wet winters to dry, dusty summers.
Their grazing helps manage the Forest’s heathland, lawns and wood pasture habitats – a natural system shaped over centuries by free-roaming livestock.
When not roaming the New Forest landscape, the stallions are kept on private holdings through the New Forest Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme.
Now in its 14th year, the scheme helps support the stallions’ upkeep by providing funding for grazing and works to improve the ecological health of the Forest.
“The stallion scheme feeds off other projects like the rare bloodlines scheme, where we try and increase the registered gene pool of New Forest ponies,” says Woodley.
There are around 5,000 ponies grazing the Forest today, helping maintain open habitats for wildlife. For the commoning community, seeing the stallions released each year is both a proud tradition and a reminder of their vital role in shaping the New Forest, says agister (someone who helps manage livestock grazing on common land) Robert Maton.
“Our stallions are one of the most important things of our New Forest breed and keeping the bloodlines as diverse as we can is very important.”
Top image: New Forest pony. Credit: Getty
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