The New Forest pony is one of Britain’s nine recognised native Mountain & Moorland breeds and the only one to graze freely across an open National Park in southern England. Tough, sweet-natured and unusually versatile, the breed has carried foresters, ploughed fields, towed traps and produced champion children’s ponies, working hunters and dressage performers for hundreds of years. Today, around 5,000 New Forest ponies still range the Forest’s heaths and lawns, while a thriving stud-book population works in the show ring, on the hunting field and in family yards across the UK and Europe.
This guide explains what makes a New Forest pony, what they are bred for, why you should not touch them on the open Forest, how the famous autumn drifts and pony sales work, and how to find a registered Forester for your own yard.
Table of Contents
What Is a New Forest Pony?
The New Forest pony is a native British breed registered with the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society (NFPB&CS), the oldest pony stud-book of its kind in Britain. The breed is officially classified as a Mountain & Moorland (M&M) pony — the showing umbrella that also includes the Dartmoor, Exmoor, Welsh Sections, Connemara, Highland, Fell and Dales — and is unique among them for the way the breed is shaped on its home ground.
What makes the New Forest different is its environment. The Forest is a 220-square-mile patchwork of heath, bog, lawn and ancient woodland in Hampshire, governed in part by laws that go back to William the Conqueror. Within those bounds, registered “commoners” with rights of pasture turn ponies, cattle, donkeys and pigs out to graze. The pony’s hardiness, footwork and easy disposition are products of that hard, hands-off life.
A Brief History of the New Forest Pony
Ponies have grazed the New Forest since at least 1016, when a charter of King Cnut acknowledged grazing rights in the area. William the Conqueror declared the Forest a royal hunting ground in 1079, formalising a distinct legal landscape. Commoners’ rights of pasture, established in mediaeval law and still administered by the Verderers Court today, allowed local people to turn livestock out for grazing in exchange for stewardship of the land.
The pony itself is genetically mixed — and openly so. Over the centuries, breeders introduced Thoroughbred, Welsh, Highland, Fell, Dartmoor, Exmoor, Arabian and even Hackney blood to refine the type. The most famous outside influence was Marske, the Thoroughbred sire of the legendary racehorse Eldridge, who reputedly served Forest mares in the 18th century. The stud book closed to outside blood in 1959, fixing the modern type.
By the early 20th century the breed was firmly established, and it now exports across Europe. The Netherlands, Denmark and Germany maintain large breeding populations and consistently produce top-class M&M ponies and Pony Club mounts.
Breed Standard, Height and Conformation
The New Forest pony has the widest accepted height range of any British native — from around 12 hands at the smallest end to 14.2 hands at the upper limit. The breed standard prizes a true riding-type pony with substance, regardless of height.
Height and weight
- Maximum height: 14.2 hands (148 cm). No lower limit, but most adult Foresters stand 12.2–14.2 hh.
- Weight: Approximately 230–360 kg, depending on type and height.
- Build: Workmanlike, with depth, bone and a riding shape.
Head and neck
- Pony head with a kind, intelligent eye.
- Straight or slightly dished profile — never coarse.
- Well-set ears and a clean throat-latch.
- Strong neck, well-muscled and proportionate to the body.
Body, limbs and feet
- Sloping, well-laid shoulder for active riding paces.
- Deep girth, well-sprung ribs and a strong, level back.
- Strong quarters with a good “second thigh”.
- Flat, dense, hard bone with short cannons.
- Tough, well-shaped, blue-horn feet — surefooted on rough ground.
- Minimal feathering — clean-legged compared with cob types.
Movement
True, straight, ground-covering paces are essential. The Forester should walk, trot and canter actively without exaggerated knee action — a riding-type pony, not a hackney mover.
Colours and Markings
New Forest ponies come in any solid colour. Skewbalds, piebalds, blue-eyed creams and palomino are not eligible for the stud book.
- Bay (the most common)
- Brown and dark bay
- Chestnut and liver chestnut
- Grey (born dark and lightening with age)
- Black
- Roan and dun (less common)
White markings on the face and below the knees are allowed. Excessive white above the knee or hock will not pass for the stud book.
Temperament and Character
If one trait sells the New Forest pony, it is temperament. Generations of contact with people, vehicles and dogs on a heavily visited Forest have created an unusually settled, sensible breed.
- Kind and tractable. The Forester is widely regarded as one of the steadiest M&M breeds for a less experienced rider.
- Bold in traffic. Ponies raised on the open Forest meet cars, cyclists and dogs daily.
- Versatile thinker. Quick to learn — equally at home on a hack, at a show, on a Pony Club camp or in a dressage arena.
- Forward but not flighty. Genuine, willing and a real “happy hacker” temperament.
This is one of the few native breeds whose breed-society literature openly recommends them as suitable for novice riders, especially in the larger 13.2–14.2 hh ridden categories.
Uses and Disciplines
The breed is genuinely all-purpose. Within an M&M context it punches well above its weight in performance disciplines.
Ridden
- Mountain & Moorland showing — both in-hand and ridden.
- Pony Club — eventing, mounted games, dressage, tetrathlon.
- Show jumping — agile, brave and clever across a course.
- Working hunter pony — built for built fences and rough going.
- Dressage — many Foresters reach Elementary and Medium level.
- Hacking and trail riding — surefooted, bold and tireless.
- Endurance — natural soundness and stamina.
Driven
Foresters drive happily in single, pair and tandem hitches. The British Driving Society lists New Forest ponies regularly among private driving and scurry-driving competitors.
Family and leisure
For a family wanting a pony that can carry a child to a Pony Club rally and an adult on a Sunday hack, a 13.2–14.2 hh New Forest is one of the easiest sells in the native ranks.
The Wild Ponies of the New Forest
Strictly speaking, the ponies grazing the open Forest are not wild. Each is owned by a registered commoner and turned out under specific grazing rights. They are rounded up annually in events known as “drifts” — managed pony round-ups, typically in autumn — when each pony is checked over, wormed, branded if needed, and either returned to the Forest, kept on the home holding for the winter, or sold on at the Beaulieu Road Sale.
The autumn drifts
Drifts run from late summer into November across different “beats” of the Forest. Each is co-ordinated by the local Agister — a Verderers’ employee responsible for that area’s commoners’ livestock. Visitors are asked to keep dogs on leads and stay clear of the routes during a drift, which can cover several miles of open heath.
Stallions and “drift sires”
Stallions on the open Forest are tightly regulated. Approved stallions (“drift sires”) run with the mares for a limited window each year — usually six weeks in May to July — to ensure controlled breeding and protect both temperament and conformation. The system has produced a remarkably consistent pony despite a free-living mare population.
Why You Should Not Touch a New Forest Pony
Visitor signage across the Forest asks the public not to touch, feed or pet free-roaming ponies. There are good reasons for this:
- They are not pets. Forest-running ponies are working livestock and protect themselves with kicks and bites if cornered.
- Feeding causes road accidents. Hand-fed ponies learn to approach cars and parked picnics, and dozens of ponies are killed on Forest roads each year. Feeding them makes the problem worse.
- It can be illegal. Under Verderers’ bylaws, feeding livestock on the open Forest is prohibited and can attract a fine.
- Pony health. Bread, apples, sandwiches and other human food upset native digestive systems and contribute to laminitis, colic and dental problems.
Admire from a sensible distance, drive carefully through the Forest, and never offer food. The ponies’ welfare depends on it.
Keeping a New Forest Pony at Home
Feeding
The New Forest is a classic good doer. They evolved on rough heath and bog vegetation — modern grazing is far richer than they were designed for.
- Build the diet around forage: meadow hay or haylage, grazing managed by strip or track.
- Use a vitamin-and-mineral balancer rather than concentrate feed for ponies in light to medium work.
- Be strict in spring, autumn and after rain — high-fructan grass spikes laminitis risk.
- Provide a salt lick and clean fresh water at all times.
Routine health and welfare
- Body condition score regularly — a pony at BCS 4/9 in winter will hold weight on Forest-style turn-out.
- Laminitis and EMS — manage hard.
- Worming — faecal egg counts plus tapeworm cover; targeted protocol.
- Mud fever — possible in wet, sandy fields. Dry off, barrier-cream the heels.
- Sweet itch — some lines are sensitive to Culicoides midges; rugs and repellents help.
- Dental, vaccinations, farriery — annual dental, six-weekly farrier or trim, vaccinations up-to-date.
Turn-out and shelter
Forest ponies are tough but not invincible. Give them shelter, dry standing in winter, and clean water. They thrive turned out year-round, with rugging matched to the work and clip rather than to convention.
Buying a New Forest Pony
You can buy a New Forest pony in three main ways:
- From a private breeder. The NFPB&CS lists members and registered studs across the UK and abroad. This is the route most family buyers take for a backed, schooled riding pony.
- At the Beaulieu Road Sales. Several auctions run each year at the Beaulieu Road Sale Yard, including the famous October sale. Many Forest-bred youngsters are sold here, often unhandled. They are a project, not a starter pony.
- The Future Foals scheme — a society initiative that helps connect breeders with sympathetic homes for unhandled foals.
Prices range from a few hundred pounds for an unhandled foal at the Beaulieu Road Sale to £8,000+ for a proven show or competition pony. As with any breed, register it, vet it and ride it before you buy.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t you touch New Forest ponies?
Free-roaming New Forest ponies are working livestock owned by registered commoners, not domestic pets. Touching, feeding or chasing them risks injury to the visitor, encourages ponies to approach roads where they are killed, and is contrary to Verderers’ bylaws. Always observe from a sensible distance.
Are New Forest ponies actually wild?
No. Each pony on the open Forest is owned by a commoner and turned out under common rights. They are rounded up annually for health checks, branded for ownership, and either returned to the Forest, kept on the home holding or sold on. The breed is best described as semi-feral.
How tall is a New Forest pony?
Up to 14.2 hands (148 cm). Foresters span the widest height range of any British native, from around 12 hh in lighter lines to 14.2 hh in larger riding-type animals.
Are New Forest ponies suitable for beginners?
Generally yes — within reason. The breed is known for its kind, sensible temperament, and a settled, schooled adult Forester is a popular first or second pony. Newly broken youngsters need experienced producers, as with any breed.
Can adults ride a New Forest pony?
Yes. Larger New Forest ponies (13.2–14.2 hh) routinely carry adult riders for hacking, hunting and lower-level competition. Their bone, substance and stamina make them a popular adult M&M choice.
How much does a New Forest pony cost?
Unhandled foals at the Beaulieu Road Sale can sell for a few hundred pounds. A backed, schooled three- or four-year-old typically fetches £3,000–£5,000, while proven show, performance or family ponies can reach £8,000–£12,000+.
How long do New Forest ponies live?
Foresters are long-lived for a native pony. Many remain sound and useful into their late twenties, and 30+ is common with sensible management.
