Campsite in New Forest with ponies?

[shelley72]

Just watching something special with dd and justin was at a New Forest campsite where ponies wandered amongst the tents (which may or may not be a good thing!). I think the children would love this, do you know which campsite it may be?
Thanks

No idea but horses and tents are not a good mix IMO. Plus one kicked my dog last year

Hollands wood is one. Gorgeous but busy campsite in the summer. Ponies are very naughty.

Found Holland's wood very noisy as so big......

We went to one called ?Round hill ..its on the forestry comission campsite website anyway...we had a wonderful week there, lots of space for children to run, lots of other families, not too noisy, lovely warm showers!

Have a look at the reviews on the uk campsite website too

Roundhill is lovely, and the children loved seeing the ponies, but one did barge into our tent and squished my then 2 year old! She is now 4 and still remembers it, still v wary of ponies...

Ponies are evil food-thieves (and I say that as a horse-owner!) and you really don't want them wandering around your campsite. I've seen a pony bring a tent crashing down by leaning against it for a rest.

As a good compromise, can I suggest Long Meadow? It's across the road from Hollands Wood, basically just a big field with marked pitches & a shower/loo block, but it has cattle grids at the entrances and a gate that opens directly onto a cycle lane/footpath into the woods, streams with rope swings over and is a walk through the forest/over the downs to Brockenhurst, during which you will encounter all the ponies you can shake a stick it, while your food/belongings remain safe on the campsite! Lovely owners too.

Deer do wander onto the site late at night/early in the morning (and are often in the field next door, accessible by stile), but are far less intrusive/thieving.

Hollands Wood is the campsite that Mr Tumble is at, but we too had issues with stroppy ponies. I grew up in the New Forest and had ponies for years but even I found it a bit intimidating.

If you do go, take a large pump action water pistol to get rid of them!

Thank you for all of your replies. So camping with ponies NOT one of my better ideas then . lovecat i will have a look at the long meadow site -sounds a little bit safer !

Please dont shoot new forest ponies with water pistols !!!! not the best idea :(

Never found the ponies that bad tbh - just dont keep food in your tent and keep a handy apple to chuck in their direction if they steal your marshmallows

We camped there. A pony broke into the tent and ate my M&Ms. Thieving so n so..

Pretty much all of it tbh. If you hurry up, you'll catch the new foals still being all wobbly :)

Ashurst is another one where the ponies wander in amongst the tents. Personally I have never had a problem with them. We did get burgled by ponies a couple of times, but if you make sure all the food is put away they shouldn't bother you. It is lovely to sit outside the tent in the evening and watch deer and ponies wander by!

We're camping at Roundhill this coming weekend, looking forward to it and thanks for the tips on keeping food out of the ponies reach

We camped at lots of the New Forest sites when I was a kid, ponies wandering around all over the place. Aldridge Hill was the one I remember most. It has a stream running thorugh it that we used to build damns in

(disclaimer - this information may be several decades out of date)

Ponies are not the problem, it's those who feed them & teach them how to get food.

I've come across one family lifting their children up to set them on the pony to take pictures.

They are not supposed to be touched.

We camped amongst ponies and cattle one year, it was great until one crapped on my tent.

SO many happy childhood memories of cheeky ponies in new forest! Obviously respect that they are wild animals, don't feed etc

Its not just the ponies at Hollands Wood that are a problem but the bloody squirrels. We had a non SIG tent when we went and they were in the tent whenever we were out. Wrecked/chewed loads of stuff including all our food.

If we'd had a SIG I'd have been worried they'd have eaten the tent!

They're not actually wild, they're owned - watch out for the brands. And if your dc as what they're farmed for, tell them it's hair for violin bows

we were told they were wild, it does sound much more romantic that way!

Mummypud - when a delinquent pony has just trashed next doors' tent and is heading for mine, which contains my sleeping baby, then damn right I'd squirt it with a water pistol.

It's safe for both of us. I can defend my tent without risk of getting kicked and it does the pony no harm. What would you suggest?

Yes, they are owned but they live the life of wild animals so should be treated as such.

Free range, then

jojay its not the best idea ... Squirt a pony with high force water gun you are likely to send it frightened , bucking and running into someone elses tent !!! no there may not be a better idea but if you are worried about safety probably not a good idea for camping .

Shout, clap and stamp to make them go away :)