PONIES, donkeys and cattle on the open Forest were found to be in good condition despite the wet and windy weather of the last month.

This was the verdict of the verderers’ winter welfare tour this year.

The tour was attended by representatives of the RSPCA, the British Horse Society, The Horse Trust, World Horse Welfare (formerly ILPH), the Donkey Sanctuary, the New Forest Commoners’ Defence Association and the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle Society, as well as the regional field manager from the Government’s new Animal Health Agency (formally the DEFRA State Veterinary Service).

The welfare tours take place every spring and winter, and provide an important twice yearly opportunity for the national and local welfare organisations to see the condition of the stock for themselves.

It covered a wide area of the Forest and 444 ponies, 17 donkeys and several cattle were inspected.

A spokesman for the verderers said: “All representatives present remarked how surprised they were to see the good condition of all the animals, particularly in view of the wet and windy weather we have recently experienced, as well as the first of the winter frosts. “Once again the agisters were praised for the excellent job they have done in removing ponies which have fallen below the verderers’ standard.”

The official verderer, Oliver Crosthwaite Eyre, said: “Despite the tough conditions out on the Forest recently the animals have fared reasonably well, and there have been no welfare problems as yet, thanks in no small part to the diligence of our team of agisters. The one thing that the ponies and donkeys in particular find hard is a combination of wind and heavy rain, both of which have been in ample supply of late.

“The key to success out on the open Forest is to be proactive, and the owners of the animals and the agisters will be carefully monitoring the condition of the animals over the remainder of the winter, and any which fall below the verderers’ standards will be taken off the Forest”.