New Forest Ponies

I guess that if you've only got an hour to spend in the New Forest then what you would want to see most would be New Forest Ponies. So, how lucky was this? 
Or, as I have just read, there are about 5000 of them living in the area so seeing them was perhaps inevitable rather than lucky. 
They and the cattle in the background are what gives this forest its unique characteristics of areas of short cropped grassland surrounded by airy deciduous woodland. Compared with the damp dark pine Cumbrian Forest at Whinlatter it felt and looked as different as chalk from cheese. With the late afternoon sun shining through the venerable beech and oak trees it certainly gave a feel of 'Olde England' . It would not have been surprising to come across an armoured knight or a man in green in the short foray I took. I wish I had had more time to explore - although I would not have missed the time spent walking around springtime Wellow valley with friends in the morning either. 
This evening I'm writing from a hotel room overlooking the Swanwick marina and boatyard and wondering if I'll be able to find the right wharf in Southampton and who I'll be sharing boat room with this time tomorrow.