Friday 4th July - All 6 seen

At 17:00 this afternoon, the ponies were gathered near the track to the east of Brock’s Hill. As I made my way down the hill, they all came over to greet me at the bottom. All three were very friendly, happily enjoying plenty of strokes and rubs. After a while, they returned to grazing but took turns coming back for long neck and back scratches. The girls were especially affectionate, offering gentle nuzzles and the occasional lick in return. With quite a few flies around, they seemed glad to stand close to help keep the flies off from their faces.

At around 17:25, the cattle wandered through the thicket to join us. Steer 75 soon lay down to rest and chew his cud, while steers 178 and 257 continued grazing in the long grass to the north. All three looked content, relaxed, and in good condition. By 17:45, steer 75 had got up and wandered off to join the others grazing in the warm evening sun.

The ponies continued grazing to the east of Brock’s Hill, but regularly took breaks to come over and join me in the shade for more strokes. They were an absolute pleasure to spend time with — calm, affectionate, and clearly enjoying the company. They stood close, relaxing and resting a hind leg, leaning in for attention, particularly enjoying neck and back rubs. Before long, all three had gathered around me in the shade, content to stand close and rest together. They thoroughly enjoyed the fuss, offering cuddles and nuzzles in return.

Shortly before 18:40, the ponies wandered off to graze in the long grass to the northeast. I took that as my cue to leave, saying my goodbyes a little while later. The girls remained happy, relaxed, and in excellent condition.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.