Over thirty New Forest ponies have died already this year as result of eating acorns.
Although edible to humans, acorns contain pyrogallic acid and tannin which is poisonous to some animals, including horses, sheep and cows.
Because New Forest ponies are free wander to amongst the woods it's almost impossible to stop them eating the acorns, of which there of plenty of this season.
Each year commoners, called Verderers - those with a right to eke a living from the forest - turn out pigs into the forest to forage for the acorns.
This ritual, known as Common of Mast or Pannage, is a sixty day period when pigs were let loose to be fattened before slaughter.
In yesteryear some 6,000 pigs roamed the forest hoovering up the potentially deadly acorns but today just over 400 are released to do the same job.
As a result of eating acorns, those ponies more susceptible to the poison, will suffer liver damage and internal bleeding leading to a slow and often painful death.
Due to the large crop of acorns this year, it has been agreed by the Forestry Commission and Verderers that there will be an extension of the Pannage season until Sunday 15th December 2013.
There are over 50-100 ponies killed on the New Forest roads each year.
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