It has been suggested that there are no longer truly wild ponies present in the New Forest (Hargreaves, 1992). Indeed, as Russel (2002) pointed out, there are many feral equines present across the UK which have evolved from wild and domesticated stock and are typically managed as a commodity using extensive farming practices. The New Forest (NF) pony is such a commodity. The NF pony is one of the nine recognised U.K. native breeds (Tyler, 1972) and has been depastured on the New Forest for over 1000 years. The extensive farming of the NF pony is overseen by the New Forest Verderers Society. All ponies are individually owned but run unrestricted in semi-feral breeding herds on the New Forest. It was estimated that there were some 3500 head at the end of the 2005 breeding season. Every autumn (October to November) the ponies are rounded up for checking, marking, worming, weaning and the removal of surplus individuals. Weaned and surplus stock are then marketed and sold at the New Forest pony sales held at Beaulieu Road (BR).

Time budget studies focus on the amount of time individual animals allocate to mutually exclusive activities. In the wild, horses’ behavioural patterns revolve around maintenance behaviour and reproduction (Forgacz 1999). They have evolved as nomadic, trickle feeding, prey animals. Hence, they don't necessarily suit the confines of a domestic environment where their “mutually exclusive activities” may include stereotypical behaviour.

Various time budgeting studies have shown that “the behaviour of horses within the domestic management system was significantly different to that of the wild horses” (Forgacz, 1999). In one study domestic horses spent less time in motion, foraging or lying flat than wild horses (Forgacz, 1999). This accords with earlier studies, reported by Kiley-Worthington (1987), which show that wild horses graze for approximately 60% of their time. Even those in various forms of domestic management system, but given access to unrestricted forage, will tend to perform ingestive functions for around 47 - 57% of the time.

Reiki is an increasingly popular form of complementary therapy. It originated in Japan, and is used to promote relaxation and healing (Rand, 2000). Reiki is a vibrational therapy that is claimed by practioners to be a method of channelling universal life energy (Mansour et al., 1999). This energy is then claimed to balance the biofield and initiate the body's own healing processes (Miles & True, 2003). The therapy involves the flow and transfer of energy, from the practitioner, to the patient. Often described as the “laying on of hands” (Rand, 2000), patients report feelings of warmth, deep relaxation, sleepiness, happiness, increased spiritual awareness, (Rand, 2000) and improved pain control (Olson et al., 2003).

Reiki has become popular as an adjunct to conventional medicine (Miles & True, 2003; Olson & Hanson, 1997), and is increasingly being used alongside traditional palliative care for people with serious illnesses (Miles & True, 2003; Wardell & Engebretson, 2001; Neild-Anderson & Ameling, 2000; Mansour et al., 1999; Bullock, 1997; Olson & Hanson, 1997).

Laminitis is accepted as one of the most common causes of lameness in horses (Johnson et al., 2004). The painful and crippling condition is potentially fatal and has obvious far-reaching implications for the welfare of affected animals, . However, considering the prevalence of the disease, the exact aetiology of laminitis has still to be unanimously identified (Hale, 2005; Bailey et al., 2004; Mungall et al., 2001). Although there are several causes of laminitis in horses, studies into the dietary-induced form of the disease have found there to be a strong correlation between ingestion of large amounts of soluble carbohydrates and the development of laminitis. Excessive consumption of cereal starch or soluble sugars found in pasture have been linked to the aetiology of the disease (King and Mansmann, 2004). Indeed, in a recent study carried out in America, it was concluded that 53% of all laminitis cases were dietary induced, with 46% attributed to “lush pasture” and 7% caused by grain overload (USDA, 2000).