New Forest loses top stallion

The New Forest Court ofVerderers is to call for police to investigate further after a New Forest pony mare was killed outright and a well-known stallion had to be put down after being hit by a car in the Forest.

Sue Westwood, clerk to the Court of Verderers, says: “Drivers must be aware of ponies when they are in the Forest. We believe that there may be more to the tragic death of these ponies than was initially apparent, so I will be writing to the police to ask them to look into the case again.”

The stallion, Smiler Of Sheepwash, was regarded as one of the best sires to live on the Forest, having been shown in-hand and under saddle, hunted and competed in hunter trials.

The 17-year-old, who was owned by Peter Pidgley of Boldre, was also the first Forest-bred stallion to have semen collected by the West Kington Stud to store for future use as part of the Rare Breeds Survival Trust’s Regeneration project.

Hampshire Police has stated that it was unable to prosecute the driver, as there were no independent witnesses. The accident took place in daylight on a road in what is said to be an open section of heath and no other vehicle was involved.

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