Tuesday 30th April - All 7 ponies plus one foal seen

The ponies were all grazing on the southeast side of Brock's Hill in the area around ///lies.exits.clinic at 16:10 this afternoon.  This included Megan and her foal.  There were lots of flies around today, with the ponies having to swish their tails and stamp their feet frequently to keep them at bay.  Despite this, they were all relaxed and looking good.  After a while, six of the ponies wandered off to graze on the eastern slope of Brock's Hill.

Both Megan and her little one were doing well.  The foal was more steady on his feet today and was wandering around close to mum.  He seemed more alert and inquisitive than yesterday, and was curious about his visitor.  Like yesterday, he was seen to nurse several times.  The little one also lay down and snoozed a couple of times in the warm sunshine with mum watching over him.  By 17:00 they had wandered round to the east side of the hill, just off the main path.

The six ponies had spread out but continued to graze on the side of Brock's Hill.  Megan continued to munch on grass while the little one rested.  I eventually dragged myself away at 17:45 after saying my goodbyes.

The ponies were all good today.

Tuesday 30th April - 6 seen

Found six of the ponies on the cleared area SE of Brock's Hill (where we found the metal last week) at around 1030 this morning.  They all appeared well and were enjoying the sunshine, including having a good roll around.  I spent about an hour wandering about but was unable to find Megan and her foal.  I was guessing she was in among the birch trees (E4) but the site remains very wet and I couldn't get to some parts without my wellies.  

Tuesday 30th April, 8 - 9am

 Great weather for a change. Lovely blue sky although a tad chilly on Brocks Hill. Great visibility.

Not sure where the ponies were hiding today. Plenty of evidence on the ground but no sight of them.

Had a good wander around. Plenty of folks with their dogs and even a few joggers enjoying the early morning sunshine.

Many thanks.

Best,

Ronnie 

Monday 29th April - All 7 ponies plus one foal seen

As per Carolyn's earlier post, Megan has given birth to a beautiful foal.  They were found in the area around ///origins.tastings.track at 16.05.  Two ponies were keeping them company, although mum wasn't allowing them too close to her baby.  The other four ponies were happily munching on grass on the northwest side of Brock's Hill, not too far from the main path.

Both Megan and the little one were doing well.  The foal nursed a couple of times and was seen to be drinking milk.  He also lay down and had a couple of naps, with mum watching over her.  Nicky is going to come up in the next couple of days to check on them.

As I was leaving the site just after 17:50, the group of four ponies were grazing in the sunshine in the southwest corner of the site.  They were all happy, relaxed and looking well.

The ponies were all good today.  It was lovely to meet Megan's foal.

Monday 3pm, 29th April. 7 ponies seen plus one foal!

They were spread out w3w ///sketches.issued.calendars 

One pony with foal appeared from wooded area.  Tilly stared then ran towards them and kicked back legs at each other.  Shortly after another pony did the same.  Mum and foal seemed well from a distance

Rang the office to report.

Sunday 28th April - All 7 seen

The ponies were spread out grazing in the thicket around ///troll.dignitary.flock at 13:55 this afternoon.  They were all happy and relaxed.  They were remarkably dry considering the heavy overnight rain and frequent morning showers.  The ponies were enjoying a variety of long grass and the occasional bit of gorse and heather. They all took a break and came over to say hello.

The ponies continued to graze and slowly moved north, getting to the swampy area around ///laser.wimp.skills by 15:10 when I said my goodbyes.  They were all looking really well in the afternoon sun.

The ponies were all good today.

Saturday 27th April - All 7 seen

Saw the earlier blog post and headed out to Long Valley to check on the ponies.

All seven ponies were happily munching on fresh grass on the northern side of Brock's Hill at 14:25.  They were all happy, relaxed and looking well.  They all came over one by one to say hello.  The grey was the first to come over and after gently nudging me with her nose several times, received a long ear rub.

Four ponies were happily grazing in the pasture around ///risk.atlas.every when I left them at 15:10.  The other three were grazing at the side of the slope around  ///putts.geek.rods.

I tried calling Ned and Jayne to let them know the ponies were all okay.  Ned called back a short time later, and I let him know.

The ponies were all good today.

PONY POSSIBLY OUT - Saturday 27th April 12.50pm

 The grey pony has been reported out on the other side of the gate to the rest of the herd. Ned has looked (12.50pm) and cannot find it, but he did see 6 ponies when he arrived which unhelpfully took off  when he approached. 

The pony might have jumped back to be with the herd? If anyone is going today please count and update blog, or call Ned or myself. My mobile is: 07909 968657 Many thanks, Jayne 

Friday 26th April - All 7 seen

The ponies were found in the far northeast corner of the site, in the area around ///shield.blend.spreading at 09.40 this morning. Most were initially grazing in the thicket, but came over to say hello, saving me from the worst of the swampy ground. A couple were standing relaxing in the sunshine. They were both happy to stand and receive head rubs. Slowly, the ponies all came together and started to relax. They were all enjoying the somewhat rare warm sunshine, and soon began to rest a hind leg. Tilly was happy to receive extra ear rubs, and soon closed her eyes and rested her head on my shoulder. I said goodbye to the girls at 10:25 with them all still happily relaxing. The ponies were all good today.

Metal on site

Thanks for the information re. the discarded metal. Given the potential danger to the ponies, as you say we will need to keep an eye on this. If I and the Trust can help please blog accordingly. For example if you need us to remove metal from site with a vehicle or if it's light enough to remove out of the grazing area, and we can remove it off site from there. 

Many thanks. 

Tuesday 23rd April - now 7 ponies on site

Nicky visited the site this afternoon and picked up Phillipa (photo below from Sunday). She is returning home to prepare for the birth of her foal in the next few weeks. There are now seven ponies on Long Valley.

The other ponies were all happy, relaxed and looking really well. They all came and said hello after we put Phillipa on the trailer.

As per Steve's earlier post, we had just finished having a chat about the danger of discarded metal to the ponies, when we found a whole host of sharp, rusty metal screw pickets in the surrounding area.  Some were buried deep in the ground and needed pulling out, while others were just lying on the grass.  They were all removed from the site.  The metal was found in the area around ///sloping.ripen.prosper.   During my visit on Sunday, I also found some rusty metal in the southwest corner, which was also removed.

The ponies were all good today.

Tuesday 23rd April, 5 - 5.45pm

 Weather Overcast and chilly. Good visibility.

I noted Steve B earlier blog re the ponies and Gordon's visit.

I had a wander round the site. Plenty of fresh evidence of the ponies North West of Brocks Hill but no sight of the them.

Many thanks.

Ronnie 

Tuesday 23rd April - Metal Detecting

Arrived at the car park near the Forester's in time to see Nicky opening the gate onto the site.  After parking and walking up to the cattle grid, as we rounded Brock's Hill, we could feel the thunder of hooves as the ponies raced to greet Nicky and Gordon (who had also just arrived on site).  I'll leave Gordon to report the detail of the 'pony trading' and just note that we hauled out around a dozen rusted steel screw pickets (barbed wire supports) that previously had been invisible but seemed to reveal themselves the moment Nicky mentioned concerns about the danger of metal to the ponies.  They were in the area around the ditches south east of Brock's hill where the contractors have cleared the scrub.  Gordon has a photo.  Next time I go on site I'll look for more.

Sunday 21st April - All 8 seen

The ponies were all grazing in the area around ///crackles.fuses.inherit on the northwest side of Brock's Hill at 11:25 this morning.  They were all happy, relaxed and looking really well.  The ponies were super friendly today, with them all coming over to say hello.  They were all happy to stand and be stroked.

The ponies slowly made their way southwest, crossing over the main path at 11:50.  They wandered into the southwest corner of the site, where they all continued to graze.  Several ponies came over to say hello again and were happy to receive ear rubs.  It was very pleasant when the sun came out from behind the clouds on an otherwise breezy day.  The ponies were all still happily grazing when I said goodbye at 12:30.

The ponies were all good today.