Commoning

All the ponies and cattle in the New Forest have to be clearly marked to show who
they belong to.

A hot iron is used for ponies and for cattle freeze brands are used and/or an ear tag with a mark representing the owner’s brand.

Branding is essential for several reasons:

• To help ensure health and welfare regulations are enforced
• To make sure that marking fees have been paid
• So an owner can be notified if an animal is injured or involved in an accident.

The Verderers keep a register of the brands. At one point there were over 1,600 separate
marks recorded but it’s estimated that only 500 are actually in use.