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Horse RidingHorse Riding in the New Forest is truly a great experience, especially if you are an avid horse fan. The forest is a haven for both horse and rider and offers a truly amazing riding experience for both the established horse rider down and even the humble beginner. There are many beautiful things to see whilst riding in the forest, you will of course always encounter at some point, the many different animals that roam freely around the national park. Sheep, pigs, donkeys, cows, and of course, the New Forest ponies that can be found everywhere, lazily meandering all over the forest year round without a care in the world. You will of course have been given advice from your Horse riding school before you ventured out not to feed the ponies as they are in actual fact wild. Whilst trekking in the forest, it is worth noting that from April through to July, the stallions are set loose to breed with the mares, and If you should come upon a herd of ponies and there is a stallion amongst them, it would be a wise move to admire and take photos from a distance, and then to just simply move on and enjoy your trek. Another thing worth knowing if you are considering pony trekking around the autumn period, is that this is the time of year when all the forest ponies are rounded up in a series of drifts. Even though these ponies are wild they are actually owned by the forests commoners, and the drift is the time when they are all rounded up and branded by having their tails clipped (commonly known as tail marking), so ownership can be readily established. This is also a time when the ponies can be vetted and treated where required. Due to the obvious dangers of sometimes hundreds wild horses being rounded up, it is not a public event, and caution must be taken whilst pony trekking to avoid any areas where the drifts are taking place. Horse riding in the New Forest is unrestricted across common ground, but you still need to be courteous and obey the rules, of which you will be fully informed by your riding school. Common sense dictates really, for example there are hundreds of gates in the forest, and it is important that once you and your horse have gone through, to make sure that the gate is closed firmly behind you so that other livestock in the forest can not escape. There are many different ways of getting a taste of horse riding in the forest, from two hour riding trials to a full day's riding. Or if you are looking to stay a little longer to get the most from your time in the park, then there is the option of doing a full week or two where you can map out the stops around the forest with places offering stable and paddock for your horse, and guest house accommodation for the rider. This is a really the best way for the experienced rider to explore the national park with all it's wonderful scenery and landscapes, and streams, and not forgetting all the wonderful wildlife that you may encounter that roam freely around the forest. For beginners' once you have experienced horse riding in the forests and across the open heath land, you will no doubt want to carry on with your riding experience at the end of your visit, quite simply because of the fantastic time you will have had. And you will no doubt want to go horse riding in the New Forest again and again to explore and enjoy the open access the forest gives to riders. If you found this page useful please bookmark it for others to share - Thank you 
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