The locals have ancient common rights to graze animals in the New Forest — it’s one of those peculiar medieval survivals that hang on in various bits of the country. As well as being quaint and picturesque, it helps maintain the Forest as open heathland, which is a valuable wildlife habitat. Some of the other ancient rights have been tweaked to protect the forest: so the commoners are supplied with firewood by the Forestry Commission as a replacement for the right to collect wood from the common land.
The New Forest ponies are the most famous animals, but there are also cows and donkeys like these ones.