Katie Walding, Author at Real New Forest

The New Forest CDA committee has been confirmed for the year 2025/26.

Andrew Parry-Norton has been re-elected as the group’s chair, with Keith Mansbridge replacing Robert Stride as vice chair.

The decisions were made at the CDA’s monthly committee meeting on Tuesday, May 6.

Andrew Parry-Norton said: ‘I am delighted to be re-elected as CDA chair. I will continue to fight for commoners in all areas and ensure our voices are heard so we have a bright future to look forward to.

‘And I would like to place on record my thanks for all the work Robert has done as vice chair. He has gone above and beyond to help commoners over the years and his support to me has been invaluable.

‘I am now looking forward to pushing on for 2025/26 and seeing the CDA go from strength to strength.’

The full committee for the year ahead can be viewed below.

2025/26 Committee

Mike Eccles (President), Andrew Parry-Norton (Chair), Keith Mansbridge (Vice Chair), Richard Deakin (Treasurer), Hilary Harper (Secretary)

Elected members: Mark Adams, Sami Blastock, Adam Coutts, Ben Dolbear, Erika Dovey, Sam Dovey, Fiona Gover, Kay Harrison, Tom Hordle, Bill Howells, Brian Ingram, Ben Mansbridge, Martin Pate (Hon Solicitor), John Pooley, Daisy Slocombe, Debbie Stokes, Robert Stride, Philip Stride, Tony Vanderhoek, James Young, Alex Crook (farm vet), Laura Trigg (equine vet)

Co-opted members: Jonathan Gerrelli, Robyn Loveless, Julian Pothecary, Anita Smith, Alice Rowe, James Young

This is a report on salt licks, signs and replacement fences in the New Forest, organised by CDA committee member Tony Vanderhoek. The report was first published in the CDA annual report for 2024/25.

Salt licks

The CDA salt lick project is now in its fourth season led by Bill Howells and myself.

After a trial over three winters up along the B3078 Cadnam to Fordingbridge with 17 salt licks sited, it was decided that we should now extend it to the B3054 Dibden to Beaulieu/Beaulieu to Lymington road.

The accident figures seemed to show a reduction in the B3078, with the highest number of accidents now along the B3054. We were a bit late in getting the salt licks out this year (24/25) as we had to renew the Forestry England licence and a risk assessment to include the B3054. This also involved a ‘recce’ along that stretch of road to figure out their best sites and how many we would need for FE to agree on before issuing the licence.

Thirteen more salt bins were needed, so Bill and I set to work sourcing old tyres that were the right size and buying the bowls, chain, shackles and bolts to finally putting them together them in Bill’s workshop. Once made, we put them out as soon as we could with the salt blocks. A total of 30 bins are now sited.

The salt lick scheme is one initiative trying to reduce the number of animal accidents

This attracted media attention and BBC South Today paid us a visit. This was aired on TV and on radio/social media at the end of January with valuable contributions from Gilly Jones and Hampshire Police highlighting animal awareness whilst driving through the Forest. All helpful stuff.

The good news is that 2024 had the lowest animal road deaths recorded. Let’s hope we can reduce the animal accidents even more with the combination of all the initiatives that we have ongoing in the Forest. We would like to add that The New Forest Trust are now kindly funding this project.

Signs

The CDA and has for several years organised the production of signs sited mainly at the Crown lands Forest car parks to try to prevent visitors from feeding, petting and generally to keep away from our livestock with also messaging to keep dogs under control. Although they won’t totally prevent this interference, it does certainly help.

Quite a lot of effort has been made by all involved to originally initiate and fund this, but it is now generally accepted that this is important and should continue to help protect commoners and visitors alike.

The first livestock signs produced about five or so years ago certainly created a lot of attention and since then have been replaced with more permanent yellow ‘no feeding’ signs on posts mainly at the Forest car parks and camp sites. At the same time as both these sign formats were deployed, 32 large yellow roadside (‘A frame’) signs were used especially in times of peak visitor pressure that were funded by the FE, Verderers and CDA.

Liked by Rangers, this made their job easier in educating the public when caught interacting with the livestock. Forestry England were deploying these but have now decided that they will only deal with the smaller yellow ‘no feeding’ signs on posts.

Keep your distance from animals sign

The problem with the large signs is that they have a habit of falling over, being trampled upon or being stolen. The surviving 20 or so are still used but now generally at pubs, etc. and off the Crown lands. The yellow ‘no feeding’ signs at the car parks are generally holding up okay and I was pleased to see that the Rangers look after them by cleaning them on their visits.

There are no plans at the moment to change or add what are out there now, but at some point we will have to decide on where we go with the signs. With incidents involving livestock, signs are all important.

The future difficulty is how much signage and where without ruining the character and look of the Forest.

Other signs that are being used are ‘slogan signs’. These were originally produced by Hampshire County Council to be fixed around different locations on their signposts and ‘rotated’ around to a seasonal timetable so that drivers would still be made aware of them without the message going stale.

These have now been used for about two years now and does require a lot of effort to keep moving them around. The CDA along with the great help of the Young Commoners are keeping this going and hopefully making an impact.

Fencing

In late 2020, I submitted a presentment to try to resolve the very poor fencing at Cadnam along the A337, as we were especially worried about our animals breaking through and wandering on to that busy road.

This led to further discussions about the general poor fencing throughout the Forest ‘A’ roads and a further presentment was submitted shortly after (during lockdown) on behalf of the CDA to completely replace the poor fencing along all the Hampshire County Council-controlled ‘A’ roads throughout the Forest with higher quality fencing.

A bit of persistence paid off and eventually HCC agreed to replace all this fencing with wooden post and rail/stock netting. Understandably, they didn’t have the funds to do it all at once but over a period of time.

Four years later, I’m pleased to see that large stretches have been replaced. The fencing is far more robust and stock proof and can better cope with fallen branches landing on it. Any breakages tend to be very localised to one top rail rather than pulling down a whole stretch of weak post and wire fencing.

Another benefit about this fencing is that it is highly visible from the road (and in my opinion more pleasing to the eye) and any damage can be quickly and easily seen and reported in comparison to the post and wire.

The only problem we will face in the future that I can see is that the wooden posts nowadays have poor quality preservation and can rot off at the base much faster than in the past (especially in wetter areas). It’ll be interesting to see how long these last before needing replacing.

The fact that the fencing is being replaced over a time means that at least it won’t all need doing at once! It’s good to see that HCC is taking this seriously and doing what it said it would do.

Future funding is uncertain though as councils are surviving on less and less money. We will have to wait and see what happens, and hope for the best.

Tony Vanderhoek, CDA Committee member

Other articles from CDA annual report

Andrew Parry-Norton outlined a number of key issues facing commoners in his monthly video update.

He talks about a report from New Forest National Park Authority member Brice Stratford looking into commoners getting recognition as a ‘national minority,’ as well as an upcoming visit by DEFRA officials and a meeting with Camping in the New Forest among other things.

Watch his video in full below or on the New Forest CDA’s Facebook page here

In case you missed any of Andrew’s videos from recent months, check them out below.

This is a report on Open Forest management, by New Forest CDA vice chair Robert Stride. It was first published in the CDA’s annual report for 2025.

CDA committee members Robert Stride, Keith Mansbridge and Brian Ingram attend the Open Forest Advisory Committee (OFAC) on behalf of the CDA and its members. OFAC discusses all of the major works on the open Forest which may or may not impact on our commoning activities.

A wide variety of works have been carried out in the last 12 months which benefit commoning and commoners. These include track and passageway repairs, wind blown trees across tracks, birch felling and vegetation management with the tractor mounted mulchers, which makes short work of even the oldest gorse.

Unfortunately, last season because of the wet winter and early spring, we were unable to get much of the burning programme done. The perennial question, ‘is the weather good enough to go burning?’, was upon us this year and we were out this spring on every day that allowed.

Contrary to many commoners’ beliefs, it isn’t really possible to burn before February. We are lucky that the burning teams are made up mostly of commoners who work as employees or contractors for FE, which gives us an added impetus to get the burning right.

One of the challenges we have faced this year have been the ongoing problems at Pennymoor which will need remedying this summer. The bridge has been removed and the passageway is non existent.

The CDA and Verderers representatives have insisted that a robust passageway needs to be constructed which is passable year-round for commoners and their livestock.

We have also had site meetings at Anderwood and Millyford Green. At Anderwood, we agreed to clearing more of the trees off the wet lawn and to rerouting the drain out of the inclosure through a piece of low lawn and back in to the culvert under the road.

The Millyford Green project was rejected as it was decided it would be detrimental to the existing remnants of lawn which would be permanently ‘rewetted’ by infilling the drain.

Bridges are a vital part of getting around the open Forest and this year we have had quite a battle to ensure critical bridges are retained. After quite a few meetings with the FE civil engineering team we have come to an agreement.

The bridges will be maintained to the current standards. However, as they do not come up to the standards required for horse riding bridges (high sides etc), it will be left to commoners and other horse riders to make their own risk assessment before using the bridges and to understand that they use the bridges at their own risk.

My greatest sadness is that there is not a system or funding in place to train the next generation of Forest workers, or the opportunity for them to gain experience working in the Forest. The current team were lucky enough to have been trained by previous generations of skilled craftsmen, which is critical as this is such a unique place and skills cannot be learnt in college or on a modern training course.

The CDA team are responsible for suggesting cut and burn sites to OFAC and for reporting any problems or issues to FE. Please get in touch if there are aspects of open Forest management that you feel should be addressed, or areas you feel would be good to add to the cut and burn programme.

Robert Stride

This report is from James Young, chair of the Encroachments Sub Committee and was first published in the New Forest CDA annual report for 2025.

It has been another busy year for the Encroachments Sub Committee and we receive excellent support from the Encroachments Working Group, which is now up and running again under the secretariat of Julie Stubbs with the support of the New Forest Association. All the original stakeholders have re-engaged and we go forward into 2025 with renewed enthusiasm and determination.

As is usual we have had reports of several new encroachments and these include a couple in Ashurst where the fences appear to have been moved and a heap of boulders and soil in Brockenhurst which is not only preventing access by stock but also could pose a danger to them.

Unfortunately, we are also investigating a serious encroachment by a commoner at Minstead involving over 300 metres of fence moved out from the original. This will have to be resolved because it involves a much larger area of land lost than on a standard garden encroachment.

Inevitably, several long-standing encroachments remain on file and we are desperately trying to encourage the Highways Authority to get involved in our group to try and bring these to a conclusion. This is because not only have the fences been moved out from the original but they are now so close to the metalled surface that they present a hazard to road users.

It is not all gloom and doom, however. A new fence was under construction at Holmsley when we were alerted to the problem. The landowner proved most helpful and involved us at all stages when the hedge was cut back severely and the new fence as far as possible replaced on the line of the original.

Encroachments are such an important part of the work the CDA does and are not something that we can deal with on our own, so we look forward to further successes on all fronts as well.

James Young, chair of Encroachments Sub Committee

Foal season is almost upon us, meaning the first of the New Forest foals will be emerging over the next few weeks.

The foals are the offspring of the stallions turned out last summer which means they are both sired and born on the Forest.

The foals’ arrival coincides with the spring grass and it is hoped that this, along with better weather, will provide them with the best conditions to develop and thrive.

This signals an important time of year for New Forest commoners, with the majority of the ponies out on the Forest pure-bred with bloodlines that span generations.

It forms a small but significant part of the rich history and culture of New Forest commoning and commoners, who play a hugely important role in managing the landscape.

If you’re enjoying the National Park, please be extra cautious around grazing animals and in particular the foals given their unpredictability and lack of road sense.

Stallions will be released on the New Forest for a six-week period this summer.

A total of 21 have been chosen and will be turned out to breed with the free-roaming mares from Monday, 12 May.

A select number of stallions are let out each year to help maintain the New Forest pony bloodlines and control the number of foals born each year.

The stallions are chosen based on their type, conformation and temperament.

Kerry Dovey-Whiting, who helped judge the stallions for the New Forest Pony Breeders and Cattle Society, explains the background behind the judging. “It is really important the colts are inspected, as one colt or stallion can sire up to 40 foals, so if you permitted a stallion with a conformational defect to breed, that fault can be passed on to lots of ponies,” she says.

“It is vital for the New Forest pony breed that there are new foals each spring to prevent numbers decreasing and the breeding mare stocks to dwindle. The ponies’ grazing helps to keep the natural ecology balance on the Forest.”

Since 2010, the New Forest Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme has provided funding for back-up grazing for up to 30 stallions each year. The scheme is a partnership between the Verderers of the New Forest, Forestry England and the New Forest National Park Authority.

This funding encourages commoners to own stallions and ensures they have land to graze on during the long period when they are not permitted to be on the Forest. From the pool of 30, a number are released each year.

Members of the public are warned not to approach the stallions and to keep their distance from them. Dogs should be kept on lead and drivers are being urged to take extra care across the Forest.

This is an update on animal accidents in the New Forest from Gilly Jones, who is chair of the Animal Accidents Reduction Group and who leads the New Forest Roads Awareness campaign over social media.

The report was first published in the New Forest CDA annual report for 2025.

We are hoping that all commoners will be thankful that the livestock deaths are again coming down. The year 2024 saw the lowest numbers of livestock fatalities in history. The start of 2025 hasn’t been too good, so we all need to up our game.

Commoners had 37 animals killed on the roads in 2024, down from 42 in 2023. If we go back to 2014, 68 animals died.

There are many reasons for this, including Operation Mountie, a multi-agency working group which includes commoners, Forestry England and National Park rangers, NFDC staff and obviously Hampshire Police do an anti-speeding session once a month. We also do extra Operations as and when collisions happen.

There is also a huge amount of work done by commoners, CDA and the Young Commoners on social media.

Out of the 22 pony deaths in 2024, only three had collars on. We have no way of knowing how many livestock lives have been saved by animals that have been fitted with them, but the numbers will be huge.

The after effects of an animal accident in the New Forest

Dartmoor is now following the New Forest and fitting its livestock with them. There is work going on to find ones suitable for donkeys. I know some commoners think the collars are dangerous, but I hope that they will rethink it.

Please lead by example and drive with care around the Forest and when dealing with the livestock. Everyone has a video camera on their phone and we are under a huge amount of scrutiny.

Speed is not always the reason for a collision, and again we are working on your behalf to educate drivers. All our social media pages are slowly turning the tide and getting the public to know, like and trust commoners.

We have worked with Hampshire Police to make sure all call centre staff are fully trained in how to deal with a livestock collision call.

I am hoping that 2025 will get better, and I will carry on working as hard as I can to reduce the number of collisions.

Gilly Jones, chair of New Forest Roads Awareness

New Forest CDA chair Andrew Parry-Norton made two presentments in front of Verderers at their April open court session.

The first presentment thanked Forestry England for ‘a very successful burning season’ while the second was a counter presentment following a suggestion at the March court that pony numbers in the Forest have increased.

Andrew also talked about pony welfare to the court, and urged anyone who sees a poorly animal to report it to the Verderers.

You can read both presentments, heard on Wednesday, April 16, in full below.

CDA Presentments – April 2025

See below for New Forest CDA presentments at Verderers’ Court from recent months.

This is the Young Commoners’ review of 2024/25, written by chair Daisy Slocombe. It was first published in the New Forest CDA annual report for 2025.

I’d like to thank Louise for her excellent work as Chairwoman of the Young Commoners’ committee over the past four years. Our long-serving treasurer Carla Wateridge has stepped down, along with Dan Wilding and Pete Fogarty – thank you all for your dedication.

Thanks to Robert Stride and the Point-to-Point committee for their hard work on the 2024 Boxing Day race. It was great to see so many Young Commoners racing, especially winners Cassidy Francis, Amelia Long, Jake Moore, and Isaac Lovell (who secured a hat-trick) – a huge well done to you all.

Congratulations to Kay Harrison and Alison Tilbury on their Verderers’ election success. Thank you to all commoners who support, advise and encourage Young Commoners.

The past year

The year 2024 started with a halter-breaking and handling morning delivered by Jenny Tillyer. Later in the month, the committee made a presentment, outlining our concerns about the proposed changes to ice cream sales.

In May, we had an informative evening, hosted by Ollie Cook, regarding funding available to commoners. We ran the CDA stand at the New Forest Show, and despite hot conditions, it was a success. Thank you to all who volunteered.

September’s successful evening, hosted by the Adams family, featured Robert Maton and Gill Wright discussing what makes a good colt.

In August, committee members Lucy, Ines, Steph, and Louise assisted with the gymkhana at the Breed Show. We were given a seat on the Verderers’ stallion consultation committee, with Luke Blomfield representing us. Guided by Luke, we have put forward the idea of an Injured Stallion Fund – we will keep you posted.

Committee members met to discuss the PA2 study results on future Government funding. Disappointingly, few young commoners filled out the survey. It is important we voice our needs to ensure commoning continues. Ben Dolbear is our expert, so please do approach him!

In November, the committee made a presentment on bridge accessibility. In February, we welcomed Jonathan, the NPA and CDA communications officer, to our meeting. We want to show a true representation of young commoners. The more the public understands, the better chance we have of educating them.

Recently, we have welcomed Matt Pooley, Rowan Cranton and Isaac Lovell to the committee. It was incredibly encouraging and refreshing to see so many eager young commoners apply for a spot on the committee. The committee encourages all applicants to stay involved and actively participate in events throughout the year.

All Young Commoners needed

It’s been great seeing new and younger faces at events and meetings this year. The current climate is bringing significant changes to the Forest – changes we must address.

This is a pivotal time to stand up, be counted, and take action by learning from our elders, working with peers, and confidently voicing our opinions. Some meetings or events may not be thrilling, but showing up is essential.

I encourage both new and familiar faces to attend YC and CDA committee events. This is our shared Forest – one we must continue showing up for.

Young Commoners at an information session

Forestry England (FE) housing

Towards the end of the year, two FE properties became available for rental. In line with the New Forest Housing Review, they were marketed specifically for practising commoners.

We thank the Verderers for notifying members and the association about these opportunities, though FE’s minimal marketing was disappointing. Despite the short application window before Christmas, we understand FE received multiple applications.

This clearly highlights the continued need for commoners’ housing, and I’m pleased the properties have been offered to young commoners.

What next year has in store

I’m looking forward to seeing what the next year holds for the committee and every young commoner in the Forest. The committee is committed to securing commoning’s future and protecting our Forest, not just its financial future.

We plan to host a summer round-up in June (TBC), lead educational walks, run the NFS CDA stand, organise training, make presentments on pressing matters, and continue advocating for Young Commoners.

As chair, I welcome new ideas, feedback, and input. I want every young commoner to feel supported, heard, and enthusiastic about our future. If there’s an issue you’d like addressed, please reach out to any committee member.

Daisy Slocombe, chair of the New Forest Young Commoners