"New Forest Pony" Photographic Art Print

The New Forest pony is a native breed that is indigious to Hampshire. They are known for being strong, versatile and intelligent with a very gentle disposition. They tend to be between 12 and 14.2hh and should not be taller than 14.2. They may be any colour except skewbald, piebald, spotted or blue eyed cream. In the past the ponies' strength and sure footedness made them the perfect working pony of choice for many trades and industries. Nowadays they either roam free in semi-feral herds in the New Forest or they are employed as ridden ponies for either children or small adults, and their versatility sees them excel in many different spheres.

Whilst the ponies which graze in the New Forest are semi-feral, they are all owned by people who have "rights of common of pasture" over the Forest lands. The welfare of the ponies is monitored by the "agisters" who are responsible for them and they are gathered for annual health checks. The ponies who live in the forest are either mares or geldings. Stallions, approved by the Breed Society, are allowed with the mares for a short period each year.

Evidence suggests that there have been ponies in the New Forest since the end of the last Ice Age. Over the centuries, many breeds have contributed to the foundation bloodstock of the New Forest pony and interestingly, a genetic study in 1998 suggested that the New Forest pony has shared ancestry with two endangered Spanish pony breeds. This line more than likely originates from mares bred to Spanish horses at the Royal Stud several centuries ago. Over time thoroughbred blood was also introduced and in the 19th century the ponies were bred to Arabs in a bid to improve the quality of the breed. Despite this, by the 1880s, numbers of ponies in the forest were declining and it was thought that the introduction of other breeds had affected the ponies' hardiness. In 1891 a society for the improvement of New Forest ponies was set up and in 1905 a stud book was started by the New Forest Pony Breeding society to monitor numbers and preserve the purity of the breed.

A further blow came as the breed fell out of fashion as a riding pony due to the trend towards a more refined and fine-boned riding type. The subsequent world wars further impacted on their numbers and in 1945 there were only 571 ponies left in existence. Numbers did rise steadily from the 1950s but recent years have seen a further decline and over the course of 5 years, the number of foals being born declined by 2/3rds. The Rare breeds Survival Trust now classifies the New Forest pony as at risk which means there are only between 900-1500 in the world.

The New Forest ponies are an important part of the ecosystem of the forest they call home. Without the ponies, the forest would be very different, being more overgrown and with less flora and fauna. These lovely ponies are the "architects of the forest" and long may they reign over it.