New Forest ponies trampling your pitch and scrounging for food

[PaisleyLeaf]

On behalf of my 6 year old DD..... which site is good for this?
Ponies wandering around your pitch and maybe some deer.

[dreamingofsun]

be careful of new forest ponies, especially feeding them - they are wild animals and can bite. there's a place called bolderswood where they feed the deer once a day.

[fruitshootsandheaves]

The ponies feed the deer?..now that would be worth seeing

[Saggyoldclothcatpuss]

Please, it's a lovely idea, and by all means camp in the forest, but don't try and get near the ponies. They are mainly wild, are bound to be unpredictable, and possibly dangerous. If you encourage them with food, you will make life hell for future campers. And could get bitten or kicked. I have ponies, please take my advice in the spirit it's offered.

[thisisyesterday]

hahahhhaahahahahahahahahahahhahahahahahahaha @ "don't try and get near the ponies"

sorry. no offence. having camped in the new forest as a child i can assure you that the ponies will be there. right there. breaking into your tent for food.

there is no escape! lol

actually, lots of the ones wandering around the campsites are not wild, they're owned by people who put shoes on them.
i know this because I got kicked by one of them and have been scared of horses ever since!

we used to go tooooo.... um.... B... B... will have to go and look it up

[thisisyesterday]

Brockenhurst.

[PaisleyLeaf]

I know Saggy. You're quite right and I do understand that. (we have seagulls).
I just mean it'd be nice to have the ponies around. Just incidently.
I won't be luring them.

[MavisCruetTheFairy]

We walked through one of the big New Forest campsites a coule of years back and encountered the classic "pony inside tent (tent not much bigger than pony) -- faintly hysterical campers" scenario. I'll try to remember which one it was if you really want to recreate the experience for your DD, but it didn't look much fun.

[Grockle]

We camp at brockenhurst and never have ponies breaking in. The do gather right by the pitch but so far have never been braver than that. Squirrels are another matter

The deer sanctuary is at Bolderwood and there's some waymarked walks there too

[thisisyesterday]

ahh maybe they are not so brave as they were back in my day lol

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

a pony (not a NF one but a welsh one) kicked my (adult) sister over a cliff; brambles caught her so a happy ending but I would be v wary with a child

[gloomy]

[andiem]

When we were at Hollands wood we saw a donkey go up the steps and into someones caravan. The ponies are very crafty they can step over the guy ropes around the tent so you don't know they are coming.

[socialhandgrenade]

I've been to Hollands Wood. Stupidly left DS birthday cake in tent as I thought it impossible for ponies to undo tent zip. WRONG!
Lucky DS ended up with substitute cake from Asda (my baking is crap, so probably just as well for everyone)

[Hullygully]

bastard bastard ponies

[PaisleyLeaf]

That sounds lovely MoFo. Just what I mean.
We've camped in another forest for the last couple of years, where there are deer (apparently). We walked miles, all on our own (no dog or anything) binoculars etc. Several times, both years - and not a footprint.
Plenty of deer teddies in the gift shop, deer postcards etc.
I just think it'd be nice for DD to get her fill of wildlife this year.

[thisisyesterday]

BALD... horses/ponies are evil. I keep telling people this but they won't listen to me

i can't believe one kicked your sister off a cliff! and that the "happy" ending is that she fell in brambles. evil bloody animals

[thisisyesterday]

and yes, they can undo zips! clever things. when they're not kicking people to death

[Popbiscuit]

Oh bliss! Camping with Ponies? Sign me up!

[BoysAreLikeDogs]

yy the unhappy ending would have been her splatted on Manorbier beach (I think it was Manorbier)

nasty creatures with bitey teef and hurty hoofs

[Moodykat]

Having grown up round there I would recommend roundhills in brockenhurst. I used to ride through it and it's right on the edge of a huge area of open forest. May I add though that new forest ponies don't wear shoes but they are all owned by people but essentially wild animals and some can get nasty, especially if they have foals around.

[MrsFriskers]

Roundhill is sister site to Hollands Wood (forestry commission campsite). Their warden does an onsite talk/walk as dusk falls, so you may see and hear all sorts of wildlife. Ponies are incidental, but bold and bitey, so you are encouraged not to feed them, and keep all food in your car.

[Moodykat]

Sorry for the crap grammar! It's late!

[MrsFriskers]

Sorry moodykat xposted with you - slow typing

[rightsaidfred]

We had a load of hassle from the ponies at Brockenhurst a couple of weeks ago scrounging food from our picnic rug (damn baby led weaning)
They had foals and were quite agressive. One kicked our dog.
There was also a cow mooing at close range and nudging the tent in the early hours of the morning!