King William the First originally established the New Forest shortly after invading and conquering England in the year 1066. He established the forest as his own personal hunting ground, and it has been a wild open space ever since.
The New Forest is situated in West Hampshire and stretches from the Wiltshire border in the north to the sea just east of Lymington. The west side is bounded by the natural border of the River Avon. These days, the Forest extends to just over 37,000 hectares and within that area, thousands of wild ponies and deer run with virtually no hindrance.
Add to that the hundreds of cattle that are herded on the commons plus the pigs at certain times of the year to make the most of the acorn fall, plus the donkeys too, and the Forest is a rare oasis of wildlife and a species unsurprising in this modern age, surrounded as it is by the great cities of Southampton, Salisbury and Bournemouth.
Driving through the New Forest, particularly at night, can be a dangerous pursuit as animals often choose to doze in the middle of the roads, especially newborn foals in May. Mandatory 40 mph speed limits are enforced throughout the area, but are not always enforced, and sadly, accidents and fatalities are still all too common.
Every fall the ponies gather together, a practice that has continued for centuries, and the rodeo is known locally as The Drift. Ponies round up for various reasons. They are first dewormed and branded to indicate ownership and their tails are docked in a specific way to show which area of the forest they came from. All ponies are owned by commoners who live within the boundaries of the Forest. These property rights are ancient and closely guarded and are passed down from father to son and daughter.
New season foals are weaned from their dams and can be sold and even exported. One of the best places to see The Drift is next to the Beaulieu Road railway station, where permanent pens are set up specifically for this purpose. There is also a hotel there, you can watch the show from your bedroom window if you want! To suddenly find hundreds of wild horses being herded into corrals to be checked and graded is a sight and sound most of us will never forget.
The Drift is organized with almost military efficiency by the Agisters from their headquarters in Lyndhurst. The Agisters have many powers, including the authority to order any owner to remove any animal from the forest if it is seen to be in poor condition. The Agisters are employed by the Verderers, a body of ten appointed to administer the law relating to the New Forest. They maintain brand registration: All pony owners are required to use a brand to identify their dispatched cattle. The Verderers also have complete administrative control of all studs in the New Forest.
Once The Drift is finished and each horse is cataloged and branded, those that remain are returned to their part of the woods and the hectic day is soon forgotten, the horses being left alone until the following fall.
If you want to visit the New Forest and witness The Drift, the best places to stay are Brockenhurst, Lyndhurst, Beaulieu, Burley, Fordingbridge or Lymington, all of which are interesting small country towns. Lymington has the added bonus of being a sailing center too, or for a larger base try Salisbury, just over the border in Wiltshire. You’ll have a great time, and don’t forget your camera, and of course a raincoat! This is England after all.
