Has anyone ever turned a pony out that hasnt run the forest before? The pony in question is 8 years old NF.

This would not be something we would do.Foals learn the ways of the Forest from their dams,to put a pony out who has been in for all its life would in my opinion not be fair.Is it a mare or gelding?

Hi Carole it is a Mare. Thanks for your reply...its pretty much what I expected so I wont go down this particular route.

Well done,sorry to be a damp squib.

Actually Carole can I pick your brains. I have just sorted out my brand and am planning on going to the sales to buy a couple of yearling fillies to turn out or and older mare. I havent seen many mares for sale at the sales and am currently advertising privately for one. Would it be ok to turn out a couple of yearlings? Will they adjust ok or do I need to be sure they have been on the forest with mum up until now? Sorry if I sound like a plank but although I have horses, I am new to running them on the forest and just want to do the best thing.

Having spoken to an agister about this in the past, I was told that it would not be fair to turn a yearling out over the winter, unless it was still with its dam as it is very likely to lose condition quickly..............perhaps it would be better to go for something a little older that is currently on the forest too!

I know pretty much nothing about foresting either so could you explain what you mean by 'sorting out your brand'? Ta muchly!

Thanks Cheryl, I am hoping to get an older mare really.


Looby, I have commoners rights with my property which means I can turn out ponies cattle etc on the forest. I have recently applied for my brand...gone to verderers office, gave them some choices of brand to put on the ponies...I have chosen my initials....and paid my fee and the search has been done to confirm that I do have the rights attached to the property. After the verderers meeting on the 1st September whereby they will agree to my brand choice I will then be able to get a brand made up by some clever metal work person! and then get the agister to come round, brand my ponies and then run them out on the forest for which I will have to pay £20 per pony.

how exciting, im really jealous! wish i lived in the new forest.... maybe one day!

If you are buying from the sales I presume lots of the ponies for sale there will have been brought in from the forest for the sales so used to living out there?

What happens if you buy a pony which is already branded as it has been out on the forest. Do you then add your brand as well?

I wish i was unnamed for this response! But here goes..
One of the commeners at my field did exactly that, she brought this filly of a lady at the field as they did not want here anymore!The lady had her for about 2mths i think then decided she was going to get turned out on the forest, i heard this going around the field for a while but thought "no way she is far to friendly and couldnt survive for her self"....but i did not want to get involved or say a thing.
But yep they turned out a 2/3 yr old who has always been feed through the winter (rugged), so not a hardy filly at it was! i did not personally see any weaning off hard food, It was such a shame, honestly this little filly was such a small fragile pony!
Anyway after around 8/9 weeks i think, i had a phone call saying she was coming back in the field and she was to be paddocked off as she was thin, dehydrated, covered in ticks... she was a state you could see every bone pratically, it was sad to see, The next day the vet came out and said there was no way she would survive out there!I think to make matters worse she was covered by a stallion, so possible could be in foal, Im not no expert on putting mare's in foal but surly when a filly is slow growing herself you dont cover them with a stallion let alone her struggling to cope! it really was awful to see a little pony that would greet me every day run over for some of my B's carrot... to this little pony that could barely lift her head!!

I really would say to anyone who is considering it think about the PONY!

What a horror story....

Does not sound like a Commoner to me.