Riding in the Newforest??

huskydamage

huskydamage

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I've booked a holiday for me and my pony to Burley in the Newforest. Where I ride at home is all road, so this will be a real novelty for me, I'm really looking forward to it!

I was going to get an OS map as I'm pretty good at following maps out riding,but I don't want to get in trouble going somewhere I shouldn't! Do I need to buy a permit to ride in it, or is this not needed?

Can you literally just ride everywhere in the open bits/ There must be some kind of code/rules?

I'm a bit wary about going through gates also, because if saw a closed gate I would just assume I'm not allowed in there! Do they make it obvious when there are areas that are off limits?

I have been camping there a few times but not with my horse before, so looking for some words of wisdom, if anyone can point me in the direction of some good sites with info etc for the newforest hacking newb?


Thanks :)
 
What a treat your in for! As far as I'm aware you don't need permits (rode over that way from youth to about 2 years ago!) the gates are usually enclosures, which your allowed to ride in however beware of riding schools/bikes/dogs :)
From burley you can head in the Brockenhurst direction under the bridge and from there can ride to wilverly, longslade, setthorns, brown hills, over the greens near tiptoe, it's a fantastic area, there's a few Streams to paddle in too! Also setley pond... I so miss the hacking but sadly I am no longer over that way :( if you have a trailer I'd also recommend going over to the fordingbridge side, there is beautiful hacking from Gorley/hangersley including the red shoot and royal oak who are very horse friendly from memory if you fancy a pub refreshment ;) the white buck in burley also used to be horse friendly however I haven't ridden there in a few years! It's a beautiful place, enjoy :)
I'm now going to reminisce about the rides I miss so much!
Also if your looking for beach it's not far in a trailer to Milford/highcliffe area but I think you have to be off by 9am (I think it's allowed before then this time of year but is stoney!)
 
Also look up new forest equestrian directory, they have all the local goings on such as pony round ups (getting caught in one is interesting :/) and also pony sales etc or any news such as strangles or things to be aware of. Sorry to double post :)
 
When are you coming? PM me if you prefer. Make sure you have adequate fly repellent against our revolting crab flies!!!!

As GOMP has said the drifts could be an interesting ride should you come across one. There are plenty of tracks to follow, if you go off them avoid green swampy areas as there are a number of bogs to ride and get stuck in!

High Corner Inn at Linwood also has stabling and is a nice pub for a relaxing stop.
 
You can ride anywhere you like on the Forest, including through the inclosures, the O.S. map is really good for showing the main routes. One really good rule of thumb, when on grass, don't ride where you can't see pony poo - then you won't end up in a bog. Boggy ground looks lighter in colour and is often very bumpy looking. There are plenty of tracks to stick to anyway. If your horse doesn't wear shoes then just be aware that the ground can be gravelly, particularly through the inclosures. Some of the tracks are also bicycle routes so just watch out for fast cyclist. Depending on the time of year you might encounter crab flies - a lot of outside horses don't like these and none of the fly repellants seem to do much good. If you keep away from the herds of ponies (a good idea anyway) you should avoid some of them but they tend to live in brackeny areas. The stallions have gone in now so you are safe from them but the drifts start to take place in August and there are generally two a week in different areas of the Forest. It's worth trying to get hold of a drift list in order to avoid them. The pigs don't go out until October-ish but there are some that live out full time (not many). There are loads of lovely places to go from Burley including the Holmsley railway line (now defunct, obviously). The strangles out break has really died down now but the simple rules for anyone riding on the Forest at any time are don't let your horse drink from Forest puddles, ponds and troughs, or have nose to nose contact with New Forest Ponies.
 
Just a quick post re crab flies.Bought a youngster from this area last September & he had a few on him when he arrived,not that they bothered him.Never knew these things existed until one popped out between his hind legs ! They are nigh on indestructible. Found squashing them underfoot the answer. Some of the horses on our yard went nuts when they landed on them.Seems local horses are used to them !
 
thanks for the info everyone- useful stuff- I will definitely have to check out the horse friendly pub! It sounds awsome really looking forward to it :)


Crab flies? They sound chummy :s can you just pull them off or are they like ticks and the head will be stuck in or something?
 
You have to catch them and then pull them apart (sorry but true) and then they still keep moving. They are loathsome. They don't embed themselves like ticks but they do hide under the tail and around the sheath or teats and then they wriggle like mad if they are annoyed. I am still to find any evolutionary or ecological reason for their invention.
 
SarahWeston said:
You have to catch them and then pull them apart (sorry but true) and then they still keep moving. They are loathsome. They don't embed themselves like ticks but they do hide under the tail and around the sheath or teats and then they wriggle like mad if they are annoyed. I am still to find any evolutionary or ecological reason for their invention.
Click to expand...

LOL Sarah, neither have I! I had to apologise to someone at a show a couple of weeks ago. Son's pony had taken some with her and their pony was going mad. I can't kill them either, makes me shudder.
 
Some spot on advice form Sarah Weston so haven't got more to add, the thing with the crab flies is unavoidable if you come between April-October. The horse flies can be bad too but they are only bad June/July normally. I always joke that I'll leave the crab flies on my horse to later release at a show, but I'd never be that mean so always de-crab him before loading up! Most horses do get used to them eventually but I've known a few people over the years that have had to remove their horses from the forest as they just couldn't get used to them.
 
SarahWeston said:
You have to catch them and then pull them apart (sorry but true) and then they still keep moving. They are loathsome. They don't embed themselves like ticks but they do hide under the tail and around the sheath or teats and then they wriggle like mad if they are annoyed. I am still to find any evolutionary or ecological reason for their invention.
Click to expand...

I have perfected the finger nail to finger nail crab fly squishing technique! They make a satisfactory pop.
 
We moved from Somerset to the New a Forest on November.

We love it here and love exploring!

My tb is still getting used to the crab flies and we have had a few mental moments!
Apart from Deosect a good fly spray is Phaser, I use the gell too.
Run all around sheath/ teats abs under tail.
The crab flies favourites place!

Enjoy yourself and stop and a nice pub!
 
My yard is ten minutes up the lane until you are on the forest, it is heavenly. From burley there are so many routes. I really hope you enjoy your time here. I find Vaseline helps with the crb flies, under tail and between legs and they can't get a hold. They are horrible but I put up with them for the beautiful riding. Quite hrs out there at the moment though so be careful. If you are out hacking alone and exploring would be a good idea to look up the verderers web site as there is lots of info and emergency numbers on there too. Most drifts put up signs when they are about, though not always!! Have joined in a couple completely involuntarily I hasten to add. The red shoot, Alice lisle and the white buck are all pub friendly, the high corner inn I believe is as well but not ridden there. Main thing is even this time of year do t start too far from the track as there are boggy areas in abundance. Really hope you enjoy it, I'm only a couple of miles from burley in crow, near picket post so if you were planning on heading over that way and wanted some company PM me, not much of an excuse needed for a pub ride :)
 
I didn't know what a crab fly was and looked it up and came across this hideous creature!!


crab-mccrabtan.jpg



For a few horrific seconds I had visions of them crawling over my horse and nearly vowed to never visit the Forest again before coming to my senses and realising it was a fishing fly :D
 
well those look bloody horrible! what about if I stuck some oil/cream up her legs and round the tail if those are the bits they like, would that put them off a bit?
 
I tried that with my crab fly phobic youngster and the crab flies were put off landing on the oily bits so crawled on the rest of his body instead provoking bucking fits. I then added a very light weight high viz exercise sheet and managed like that until he got used to them.
 
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