Several thousand reflective collars have been put on New Forest ponies these past few months to help keep them safer at night going into the winter months.
Collars are fitted onto the ponies during ‘drifts’ – the process whereby ponies are gathered up by agisters for a general health check.
The aim of the collars is to increase awareness of ponies to drivers in the New Forest and, as a result, help limit the amount of accidents on the roads involving livestock.
The collars are funded by the Verderers of the New Forest Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) scheme, which funds various projects and works to restore and enhance the internationally-important habitats of the Forest.
Around 35,000 reflective collars have been fitted on ponies over the past few decades to promote awareness of the issue.
Fitting reflective collars is one of various initiatives – which also includes placing salt licks away from the roads to keep livestock away from the roads and traffic after gritting, and a social media campaign encouraging drivers to pass wide and slow near animals – designed to reduce road accidents involving New Forest livestock.
Incidents tend to increase during the autumn months, when the evenings draw in and the clocks go back.
Drivers must always reduce their speed when travelling across the New Forest, and pass wide and slow when near livestock.
The animals have right of way in the Forest and drivers should expect animals to step out onto the road at any moment.
Anyone involved in an accident with an animal should wait at the scene and call 999 immediately.