BEFORE YOU BUY

Collect a buyer’s card giving you an identity number from the auctioneers’ office and purchase a sale catalogue. Note that bidding is in guineas, ie one guinea = £1.05. All lots are subject to VAT unless otherwise stated at the time of sale. All lots at the fall of the hammer become the property of the purchaser.

Ensure you have a suitable trailer/lorry for the transport of unhandled stock before you bid. Most stock will have to travel loose so ensure that your lorry is partitioned into pens of not more than 3.7 metres length: and that trailers have a fully closed rear, either by having doors, bars or a grille fitted above the ramp. Ensure that there are no loose objects or protuberances in your trailer/lorry. Do not use haynets — a loose animal could get caught up in one.

In all cases you should comply with all current legislation, eg the Transit of Animals (Road and Rail) Order 1975 and the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 1997. The police are present and check all vehicles thoroughly.

HOW THE SALE WORKS

Vendors back in their lorries onto the loading ramps and the ponies are off-loaded into inspection pens. Here they are checked by NFLS stewards and a veterinary surgeon for general condition. Any animal considered in poor condition, unwell (eg showing signs of cough, runny nose, ringworm etc), injured, too immature, or not up to travelling some distance, will be rejected and not allowed into the sale.

The auctioneers check the details of the animal against the entry made by the vendor and a sales ticket showing the lot number is pasted on the pony’s rump.

Passports, or registration application forms for some Forest-born foals, are lodged in the New Forest Pony Breeding and Cattle SocieWs (NFPB&CS) mobile office.

The ponies are penned up according to their lot numbers and moved along to the sale ring, in as near as possible correct numerical order. Each pony goes through the sale ring individually.

The sale is divided into four sections:

1. Ponies eligible for registration with the NFPB&CS.
2. Ponies fully registered with passports issued by the NFPB&CS.
3. Ponies registered as First Cross or Part Bred New Forest Ponies, issued with
passports by the NFPB&CS.
4. Animals not eligible for the above sections. They hold either identity-only passports
for equines of unknown breeding, or passports issued by PlOs other than the
NFPB&CS.

From the sale ring, ponies are released into collecting pens and are then moved into watering and hayed-up pens.


AFTER YOU HAVE MADE A PURCHASE

Pay at the auctioneers’ office and collect your receipt. Go to the NFPB&CS office to collect documentation. You will be given either a full passport, or a copy of a registration application form which will be made up to a passport and sent to you shortly, on payment of the £7 transfer fee.

Unless stated otherwise, assume that all ponies are not halter broken. Do not attempt to put headcollars on before loading. The official handlers are experienced stockmen used to dealing with unhandled ponies. Show them your receipt and ask them to load your animals.

WHEN YOU GET HOME

Your stable should have no loose objects or protuberances which your youngster could get caught up in. Do not use haynets. For the first few days shut the top door or fit two wooden bars across the upper half of the stable door.

Before unloading, fit a headcollar which has a short grab-length of baler twine fitted. Do not remove this headcollar for several days, until you have established a satisfactory relationship handling your youngster.

Fit a very long leadrope (8-10 feet or more) to the headcollar before you get the youngster out of the lorry/trailer.

Keep the youngster stabled for a few days until it is eating and drinking and knows you. Do not expect to be able to catch unhandled youngstock if turned out in a field. Lead out for daily exercise and a little grazing.

To make physical contact with an unhandled youngster, approach the withers, not the head. Gently groom with either hand or brush working from the withers along the back, and from the withers along the neck. Move slowly and talk quietly to establish communication and confidence.

If possible, use a halter (ie, not a headcollar) to lead your foal out. A well-fitting halter has a self-regulating reaction on the foal and you will have much more control if he rears, pulls etc, until he has learned to walk quietly beside you.

Worm immediately and establish a regular worming programme.

Keep your passport safely. You will need to produce it for veterinary treatment or to sell the pony.

Beware of the temptation to overfeed. The native pony’s natural food does not consist of knee-high lush grass or large amounts of concentrates. Overfeeding can lead to digestive and laminitic problems and too rapid growth,
which can put excessive strain on the legs and joints.