Behind the scenes ahead of New Forest stallion inspection 2025

This weekend marks the New Forest Spring stallion inspection for 2025 at Beaulieu Road sales yard.

Colts and stallions will be presented for inspection on Saturday, April 5 by the judges and a select group will be chosen to go out on the open Forest with free-roaming mares later in the year.

The event is organised by the New Forest Pony Breeders and Cattle Society and three judges are invited to inspect New Forest colts to ascertain whether the colt meets the required breed society standard before being allowed to be used as breeding stallions.

The inspection runs in three parts, as outlined below.

• The three judges assess the colt for type, conformation and temperament. All colts have to achieve a minimum pass mark of 70/100 to then be checked by a vet.
• The vet will check for any abnormalities or defects in the colt which could be passed down to his offspring.
• Once a colt has passed, an owner can elect to present their colt in front of the Verderers. Judges are then looking at the colts and older stallions to pick the top animals to be released on the open Forest to serve the feral mare herds, to produce the spring crop of foals for next year.

One of the judges from the New Forest Pony Breeders and Cattle Society, Kerry Dovey-Whiting, provides an insight into what is being looked for at the inspection.

“The idea of inspecting colts is to ensure only ponies with correct conformation and ponies which exhibit New Forest pony breed type can go out to breed foals. It is important to protect the New Forest pony breed by not allowing colts with poor limbs or inefficient movement to sire foals.

“In the inspection I am not looking for perfection as no colts are perfect. We (judges) use a scoresheet to assess movement, type, and general conformation, which gives the colt an overall mark.

“Not all the judges have to pass the colt –  two out of three can be sufficient. It is really important the colts are inspected as one colt or stallion can sire up to 40 foals, so if you permitted a stallion with a conformational defect to breed, that fault can be passed on to lots of ponies.

“The colt inspection is a big day for pony colt owners, and some don’t understand when their pride and joy doesn’t meet the required standard. However, it is not just one person’s opinion. Having three judges means the overall scoring produces the right colts passing on the day.

“I am looking for colts which I think will enhance the New Forest pony breed and help improve some of the breeding mare characteristics”

“It is vital for the New Forest pony breed that there are new foals each spring to prevent numbers decreasing and the breeding mare stocks to dwindle. The ponies’ grazing help to keep the natural ecology balance on the Forest.

“I am looking for colts which I think will enhance the New Forest pony breed and help improve some of the breeding mare characteristics. For example, native ponies should be able to live out in the wild and browse on the natural vegetation.

“To achieve this, they need well-defined jaw lines and need efficient movement to travel in their grazing haunt. I am looking for colts to have the right amount of bone, meaning not too spindly a leg to achieve the best crop of foals.

“I really enjoy looking at the young colts and following their progress to see how they develop and the foals they have in the future years.”