Thursday 1st January - All 8 seen

Happy New Year! All the very best for 2026.

At 12:45 this afternoon, the ponies were gathered on the eastern side of Brock’s Hill. A couple were lying down and were happy to be approached for strokes, while the others rested nearby. They greeted me warmly and enjoyed plenty of strokes and rubs as I moved around checking on them. However, they were not as settled as usual, shifting position occasionally and remaining on heightened alert, pricking their ears at even the faintest distant sounds. There were quite a few people and dogs around today, although most kept their distance.

As time passed, the ponies gradually relaxed and became more settled. They frequently came over for attention, thoroughly enjoying long neck and back scratches and offering gentle nuzzles in return. Even during a couple of wintry showers, they stayed close, leaning in for more strokes. Occasionally, a few wandered off together to the northeast to browse heather or gorse, but they soon returned.

At 14:40, a couple of ponies moved off toward the main path and headed west, out of sight. After about five minutes, I went to check on them and found them walking slowly up the path toward the racecourse. When I turned back, the other six were following closely behind me. The girls soon began browsing gorse in the bushes and foraging among fallen leaves, while regularly coming back for more strokes and rubs.

Around 15:10, I left them briefly to walk up to the southwest corner, checking the fence along the side of the racecourse. Not long after I arrived, four ponies followed, clearly curious about where I had gone, with the remaining four joining shortly afterwards. They settled beneath the trees, although they occasionally became unsettled when people passed nearby or dogs barked on the racecourse. I stayed with them until 16:15, leaving them calm and resting peacefully as darkness fell and the temperature dropped.

The ponies were all good today.