Sunday 8th December - All 6 seen

The ponies were grazing in the gorse bushes to the south of the path near the main entrance at 13:20 this afternoon. After some initial greetings, they crossed over to the western slope of Brock's Hill, where they began grazing. One by one, they approached for proper hellos and happily received plenty of strokes and rubs. The foal especially enjoyed his usual neck rub, responding with affectionate cuddles and nuzzles. Despite the blustery conditions, the ponies were all happy, relaxed and looking really well as they slowly made their way along the hillside, enjoying lots of heather. The ponies continued to graze, but would frequently return for more strokes and rubs. The mares were all rather damp from the weather, but the foal was noticeably wetter. He seemed to enjoy having his coat ruffled to help it dry, before doing a series of hops, skips, and jumps and running off at full speed in a big loop, only to return repeatedly for more attention. He was very amusing and was having lots of fun. Several ponies took turns rolling in the muddy ground, ruffling their coats. Tilly caused a brief moment of concern when she rolled into a trench and appeared to struggle to get back up. I rushed to check on her, but she was fine and seemed to thoroughly enjoy a long neck rub as she relaxed. The ponies continued to move east, grazing on a mix of grass, gorse, and heather. When they reached the end of Brock's Hill, they stopped to drink from the large puddles along the eastern side before crossing into the pasture to the northeast to continue grazing. Shortly after 15:00, as the rain intensified, I said my goodbyes. It was a pleasure to meet Sarah and her partner, who were out walking their dog during my visit. The ponies were all good today.