Why are there so many acorns this year?

Every few years, nature produces an abundance of fruits, nuts and seeds. This is called a mast year and this year, 2025, is one. Apple trees are laden with fruit, oaks have more acorns than usual and even holly is producing a good crop of berries for Christmas. 

For us horse owners, this can be a blessing or a problem. Where grazing has been diminished due to the dry summer, horses at pasture may be feeling peckish and more inclined to eat acorns if there is an oak tree shedding these on the ground.

For horses, cattle and sheep, acorns are poisonous, so you should deny them access. Pigs, however, enjoy and thrive on acorns. In the New Forest, pigs are released to eat the acorns and other fallen bounty such as crab apples – collectively known as pannage. They grow fat and the ponies are kept safe!