Friday 20th June - All 6 seen

At 18:30 this evening, steer 178 was resting in the sunshine to the east of Brock's Hill. He was contentedly chewing his cud and happily accepted a neck and shoulder rub. He looked relaxed, comfortable, and in good condition.

The ponies were grazing further east but soon made their way over, with Pandora greeting me with soft nickers. As they approached, steer 178 got up and wandered off to graze in the thicket to the north. The ponies were all very friendly, enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs, and offering gentle nuzzles in return. After a while, they resumed grazing, gradually heading north but regularly circling back for more fuss.

By 19:10, steer 75 was lying down near the Test Track gate, relaxing and chewing his cud in the evening sun. Steer 257 had settled in the shade of the bushes to the south, clearly preferring the cooler spot. Both steers were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

There's still plenty of drinking water available in the pond. A small amount remains in the Gelvert Stream south of the main path, about halfway towards the racecourse fence line. The water that was immediately south of the main path, hidden by the bushes, has now dried up. North of the path, the stream is completely dry. However, there's still drinking water by the fire hydrant sign and to the southeast where the water has pooled.

At 19.30, the ponies were grazing in the wooded area near ///months.logo.nature, close to the fire hydrant sign. One by one, they came over to spend more time with me, thoroughly enjoying long neck, shoulder, and back rubs. They were incredibly affectionate, offering the sweetest cuddles and nuzzles as they soaked up the attention. It genuinely felt like they didn’t want me to leave, with each one coming back repeatedly for more strokes and scratches. They were an absolute joy to be around this evening.

By 20.15, I said my goodbyes and left them grazing peacefully. But about 300 metres later, all three came trotting after me and walked by my side all the way to the entrance. After another round of strokes and even more cheerios, they wandered off to graze by the corral at 20:30.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.