About Commoning

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About Commoning

About Commoning

The commoning community are a vibrant and diverse community of people who come from all walks of life. Individually they have rights to turn ponies, cattle, pigs, donkeys and sheep out to graze and browse the New Forest’s woodlands, heathlands and lawns. Together the commoners and their animals have shaped the New Forest for generations. There are five Forest Rights:

Pasture
Mast
Estovers
Turbary
Marl

Commoning year

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November

The final drifts take place and commoners adjust to the longer nights, but commoning activities must go on regardless

THE
FOREST

COMMONERS

ANIMALS

YOU & THE
FOREST

Latest News

How do commoners catch their ponies?

18th November 2020

By Lyndsey Stride Whilst all the ponies on the New Forest are owned, most are unhandled and cannot be easily caught. Commoners are highly skilled in handling these semi-feral ... READ MORE

New Forest code July 2020

The New Forest code

29th July 2020

The Commoners Defence Association has come together with New Forest organisations to launch a new code to help protect our landscape, livestock and wildlife. The New Forest ... READ MORE

Driving Dalgetty's cattle through Fordingbridge. © Peter Harrison

Securing our history & heritage

10th July 2020

Fascinating accounts of commoning life have been brought together in a new collection of memories and photographs. Through Our Ancestors’ Eyes features the stories of 20 ... READ MORE

Parking erosion of SSSI in Lockdown

Our Unprotected Landscape

18th May 2020

We’ve all learnt a lot from the coronavirus lockdown. The extent to which people will voluntarily help complete strangers in a time of need has been hugely reassuring when there ... READ MORE

“Don’t delay!” CDA message to ministers

15th May 2020

This week the Agriculture Bill gave MPs their first taste of online voting for a major piece of legislation on 13th May. It sailed through, despite much debate over a future trade ... READ MORE

Re-Open New Forest car parks: Substantial harm being done

7th May 2020

PRESS RELEASE 7TH MAY 2020 “RE-OPEN CAR PARKS NOW” DEMAND NEW FOREST COMMONERS The organisation representing the 700 people whose animals ... READ MORE

Coronavirus: 2020 Stallions

8th April 2020

The CDA committee has decided in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to recommend to the Verderers that the number of stallions selected and turned out in 2020 is cut to just 10, the ... READ MORE

Public Engagement Training for Commoners: 31st March 2020

5th March 2020

In 2019 the CDA realised that we could do a lot better in the way we communicate directly with the public about commoning and the New Forest. Part of ... READ MORE

All change!

27th February 2020

Tony Hockley, CDA Chair 27th February 2020 The Government has now offered more clues regarding post-Brexit agricultural and environmental policies. These will be made possible ... READ MORE

What’s the New Forest done for us?

18th November 2019

The past three years have given ample time for Britain to think about what a break from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could mean for the countryside and nature. Could the ... READ MORE