With the weather changing over the last couple of weeks, beach days seem far away; and autumn feels like it has arrived. It’s not at all a bad thing as the autumn is the time of the drifts in the New Forest… and the format hasn’t changed much since they were introduced in 1540 by Henry VIII.  The drifts are when the ponies are rounded-up and brought in to the pounds. The work of bringing in the ponies falls on the Agisters who are joined by local pony-owning Commoners at various times and places across the forest. The general public are asked to stay away as getting in the way can be dangerous for both ponies and the people involved.

The number of ponies brought in at any given time can vary quite considerably; it depends on the area covered and the conditions on the day. Some ponies are very adept at avoiding the round-ups!  When I was a Commoner I helped out on several drifts hoping to find my ponies amongst those brought in, often without success.  Ponies often appear to stay in family groups, so it is not unusual to see several generations of mares together., which is always a wonderful sight.

The ponies are rounded up by riders on horse-back and assisted by those on foot at crucial gateways and road junctions to help guide the ponies into the pounds. These sturdy wooden pens can be seen close to various car parks around the forest. In some areas the ponies are driven along the roads so warnings are posted to divert cars away for obvious safety reasons!

Colt foals are only allowed to stay on the forest until they reach a certain age and they then have to be removed to avoid unwanted bloodlines and to keep numbers down. The stallions that run on the forest are limited to those chosen annually as the best sires to continue to improve the breed.  They are only left on the forest for a limited time to keep foal numbers down as in the past, a glut of foals has led to rock bottom prices at the sales.

Once in the pounds, the ponies are checked over and have their missing collars replaced. Often the ponies’ owners give them doses of forest friendly worming preparation to protect them from any parasites.  Tails are cut in distinctive patterns to show that they came in on a particular drift; something that has been done for centuries.

Youngstock are branded with the owner’s mark.  The brands are heated in a fire before use and I have noticed on several drifts that this little fellow of the canine variety likes to keep warm nearby! His owner is responsible for lighting the fire, keeping it going and making sure it is safely out at the end of the day.

Any ponies that the owner wants to take off the forest, either to keep at home or to send to the sales, can be singled out. The remainder are then released to return to the forest and this is often much less fast and furious as the rounding up earlier in the day, thankfully.

Most of the ponies seem to take the whole process in their stride and don’t get noticeably stressed at all – I guess they learnt what it was all about when they were young and it is now just part of their yearly routine.