September

Pigs go out for pannage

In September the Forest quietens down. The heather begins to fade and the drifting season is in full swing. Commoners usually attend the drifts where their animals run, helping out on foot or on horseback to round up the ponies for their annual health check. For commoners it is the most social time of year.

The ponies on the Forest look well and the pigs are usually let out for the pannage season towards the end of the month.

Barns will probably now be full with this year’s hay and straw, with some space left by those who will soon cut some bracken.  Wood sheds too will be stocked up in preparation for the cold of winter. Commoners have always earned their living in multiple ways, and some continue to sell hay and logs to local customers.

The daily chores of tending to the riding horses and animals on the holding continue as well as preparations for the winter. Hedge cutting is permitted to restart from 1st September, and hedge and fence repairs will be made in preparation for any winter grazing on the holding for New Forest livestock.