Monday 16th June - Pony Update - All 6 seen

At 16:00 this afternoon, the ponies were happily grazing on the far side of the ditch by the Gelvert Stream. As I approached, they greeted me with soft nickers before jumping the ditch to come and say hello. Both were very affectionate, taking turns to enjoy long neck and back rubs in the shade, and rewarding me with gentle nuzzles and cuddles. The girls were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

Meanwhile, the cattle were lying down in the pasture by the Test Track gate, resting and chewing their cud. The ponies accompanied me as I wandered down to check on the steers from a distance.

At around 16:30, Nicky arrived with two more ponies to join the group. As soon as they were released from the trailer, they eagerly stretched their legs and galloped off towards the thicket by the racecourse fence line, followed by the two resident ponies. From there, they ran along the track on the eastern side of Brock's Hill and disappeared into the distance.

After Nicky left, I went in search of them and ended up in the northeast section of the site, where I found the cattle. Steer 75 was lying down near ///prove.salmon.crinkled at 17:40. Steer 178 was grazing nearby, but soon came over to join me in the shade for a neck rub. Close by, steer 257 was happily grazing on the long grass and is continuing to improve — his movement even better than yesterday.

At 18:00, all four ponies came running past, stopping as soon as they saw me before coming over to say hello. The cattle wandered off but watched curiously from a distance. It was lovely to see the two newcomers again, both happy to receive some strokes. While checking Polly — the pony with the white blaze — I noticed a nasty gash at the top of her right leg, which was bleeding. I gave her a good check and called Nicky, who turned around and made her way back to site.

By 18:30, I had walked the ponies over to the eastern side of Brock's Hill. Polly was content to stand for strokes while the others grazed nearby. When Nicky arrived, we loaded Polly onto the trailer so she could return home for treatment. Nicky left around 19:00, with the ponies following her partway along the track on the northern side of the hill. Afterwards, the three remaining ponies made their way to the corral, where they settled down to graze on the fresh grass. I left them there peacefully eating at 19:30.

The cows were good today, and the three ponies remaining on site were also well. Wishing Polly a speedy recovery.

UPDATE: Nicky has confirmed that Polly is safely back in the stable after having her wound cleaned and treated by the vet. She’s been given antibiotics and strong pain relief. The injury was most likely caused by a stake of gorse. It will take some time to heal, but she’s expected to be okay.