File:Grazing on gorse near Cadman's Pool - geograph.org.uk - 1744875.jpg

English: Grazing on gorse near Cadman's Pool The ponies have become the symbol of the New Forest. These native ponies – thought to be descended from the wild horses that once roamed all over Britain – have taken the place of William the Conqueror’s deer as rulers of the forest, and rightly so for they were here even before the Normans came.

Although they live in an almost wild state, they are all privately owned by the commoners – people living in the forest entitled to certain privileges. In the 19th century an attempt to improve the breed was made by letting Arab stallions run in the forest; this resulted in a cross unfitted for the rigours of the wild. A later experiment using stallions from Exmoor, Scotland, Dartmoor and Wales introduced a new breed which evolved into the more or less distinctive type seen now. Today, only stallions with the local stud-book pedigrees are allowed to roam. The sturdiness of the New Forest pony comes from being born on a windswept heath. In winter it has a woolly coat, and long protective hair on the back of the fetlock causes the rain to run to the ground. The animal has developed a beard and horny tongue to enable it to cope with the gorse shoots which is its most reliable food. Every year, there is a ‘drift’ or round-up, in late summer and autumn when the ponies are brought in – some to be sold and others to be retained for stock. The forest is turned to a glorious yellow by the flowers of gorse in March or even earlier after a mild winter. A member of the pea family, it is also known as furze and, in Scotland, as whin. The 2-6ft bushes are useful as well as beautiful being planted for hedges in Ireland. In Scotland the young shoots used to be crushed in whinmills and fed to cattle. I myself often gave sprigs of gorse to my horses as a treat. Whinbark is still used for a yellow dye in the manufacture of tartan cloth.

An old country saying is that when gorse is out of bloom kissing is out of fashion. Common gorse ceases to flower in June, but lovers are safe because there are two rarer species which ensure that there are some flowers throughout the year.