Friday 20h February - All 8 seen

At 14:00 this afternoon, the ponies were sheltering from the rain under the trees in the southwest corner. Tilly spotted me approaching and came out to greet me with soft nickers, before thoroughly enjoying a long neck and ear rub. The other ponies were just as friendly, taking turns to come over and say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. The girls were all dry, so they had obviously retreated under the trees when the rain started. After our initial greetings, the ponies alternated between foraging for acorns, eating holly, and returning for more attention. Most enjoyed long grooming sessions and appreciated having their necks and backs brushed, with gorse carefully removed from their manes and tails. They were completely at ease—resting a hind leg and even closing their eyes. All were happy, content, and looking well. The chestnut pony still had a small amount of discharge in the corner of her left eye. Otherwise, her eye looked fine and didn't appear to be causing her any issues. A close-up photo has been shared with the owner. Later in my visit, after emerging from the trees to graze and getting caught in a shower, her eye appeared cleaner, as the rain seemed to have washed it. Around 15:15, the rain eased, and the ponies started venturing out from under the trees to graze among the gorse bushes in the surrounding area. At one point, the sun even came out briefly, before another rain shower passed through. The ponies frequently returned to enjoy more neck and back scratches. I said my goodbyes at 16:00, only for the girls to follow me out onto the path near the main entrance, clearly not ready for me to leave them. After a final round of strokes, I slipped away and watched them start to graze among the gorse near the entrance. Just as I was leaving, Alice arrived to carry out her staff check. The ponies were all good today.