Tuesday 31st March - Both seen

The ponies were contentedlygrazing just to the south of the track in B6 at 1430 this afternoon.  They both appeared well.  The collared one has a gorse twig entangled in her mane but would not let me remove it - if it's anything like dealing with a long haired dog it's going to need scissors.

As I approached the site from the small car park to the west of Velmead two electric scramble bikes whizzed across in front of me coming from the direction of Bourley Road.  They were very quiet but very fast.  Fortunately they turned away from the cattle grid back towards the Aldershot Road.  Bikes like that would be real a danger in the enclosure as they would give the ponies little notice of their approach and would no doubt startle them if they were on or near the track.

Monday 30th March - All 2 seen

At 11:45 this morning, the ponies were resting under the trees in the far southwest corner. They were both very friendly, taking turns to come over to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. Afterwards, they moved to the fence by the racecourse, where they settled to relax and bask in the sunshine whenever it broke through the clouds. Both happily accepted long neck, shoulder, and back rubs while resting, frequently offering gentle nuzzles in return. Every so often, they would snack on holly or stretch their necks through the fence to nibble at the gorse. The girls were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I was about to leave shortly after 13:00 when they both followed me out into the pasture and along to the corral, clearly not ready for me to go. They continued taking turns to wander over for more scratches, each one eager for attention. The one not being fussed over would graze contentedly on the surrounding fresh grass. I said my goodbyes at 13:30, leaving them both peacefully grazing.

The ponies were all good today.

Monday 30th March, both ponies happily eating gorse along the track towards the test track gate

They both seemed good to me

Sunday 29th March - All 2 seen

At 14:25 this afternoon, the ponies were grazing on the grassy island by the Gelvert stream. They were both very friendly, taking turns to come over to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes. After saying hello, they returned to grazing, crossing the stream to reach the fresh grass at the side of the pond. Shortly after, light rain began to fall, and the ponies moved into the woodland by the fence line for shelter, continuing to alternate between grazing and returning for more attention. They were both happy, relaxed, and looking well. The ponies gradually moved east, eating holly while continuing to shelter from the rain. After a while, they reached the pasture by the test track gate, where they ventured out to nibble on fresh grass. They continued to come over for scratches, and after grazing for a while, seemed to appreciate having the rain wiped from their backs. With the rain showing little sign of stopping, I said my goodbyes at 15:40, leaving them grazing in the pasture east of the pond. As I was leaving, I noticed they had gone back under cover. The ponies were good today.

Friday 27th March - All 2 seen

At 15:00 this afternoon, the ponies emerged from the thicket in the southwest corner and came over to meet me at the corral. They were both very friendly, taking turns to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. They particularly enjoyed long neck and shoulder rubs, finishing off with some satisfying back scratches. When not being fussed over, they grazed nearby, nibbling fresh grass and gorse.

The ponies did not venture far, preferring to stay close and receive plenty of attention, which I was more than happy to provide. By 16:00, they had moved out to the main path, where they continued to enjoy the lush green grass, slowly making their way east along the track. I said my goodbyes fifteen minutes later, only for them both to follow me to the exit. After a final round of strokes, I slipped away while they wandered back toward the corral to resume grazing.

The stile at the main entrance was replaced today by the fencing contractor.

The ponies were all good today.

Thursday 26th March - All 2 seen

At 13:50 this afternoon, the ponies were resting under the trees in the southwest corner of the site. They were both very friendly, taking turns to come over to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. After a good while, they moved to the fence by the racecourse and stood in the sunshine while continuing to be fussed over. The girls were both happy, relaxed, and looking well.

The ponies are continuing to shed their winter coats and appreciated having the loose hair brushed from their backs and sides while resting in the sun. After about ten minutes, they moved back into the shade, munching on holly from some branches that I’m assuming the fencing contractor chopped down and left on the ground for them.

At 14:50, I said my goodbyes, only for the girls to follow me out into the main pasture, where they started to nibble on the fresh grass. They alternated between grazing and returning for more scratches. At 15:10, after a final round of strokes, I slipped away, leaving them both grazing peacefully.

The ponies were all good today.

All 2 seen. Fencing contractors on site

 I saw the 2 today and both looked very well. 

FYI we will have fencing contractors on Brocks Hill most of this week. They will be: replacing rotten fence posts with new winter cut chestnut posts, tightening the wire, re-setting any wobbly posts. We finished the pipeline side today, under supervision from Esso/fisher German technicians. 

We will repair the stile while they're there.

Thanks as always for your help lookering!

2pm, Mon 23 March, none today and now see we’re down to two and glad to know they were spotted earlier

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Momday 23rd March - All 2 seen - Stile over the fence at the entrance damaged

Carried out an extra check on the ponies this morning to ensure they were settled and doing well. Shortly after 10:00, the two remaining girls were resting under the trees in the southwest corner. They both noticed me approaching and came out to say hello, enjoying some strokes. They were calm, relaxed, and looking well.

Over the next hour, they took turns enjoying longer periods of strokes, particularly neck and shoulder scratches. The non-collared pony called out a couple of times, perhaps checking if the others were still within earshot. They then moved to the fence line beside the racecourse, where they stood in the sunshine and enjoyed more attention. I left them relaxing peacefully shortly before 11:30, both resting a hind leg.

The bay youngster is feeling a bit brighter this morning after receiving pain relief when she got home last night. She is now on a course of antibiotics and will be recovering in the comfort of a barn with plenty of good food.

I mentioned in my blog on 15th March that the stile over the fence at the entrance was damaged—“destroyed” would be a more accurate description. Is this something that HIWWT would fix, or should this be reported to the MoD?

The ponies were all good today.

Sunday 22nd March - Pony Update - now 2 ponies on site

At 12:45, the ponies were browsing gorse deep among the bushes to the north of Brock’s Hill, near ///took.yell.acrobatic. They were all very friendly, stepping out into the open to greet me and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. All were happy, relaxed, and looking well in the sunshine. After our initial greetings, the girls alternated between grazing and returning one by one for more attention, thoroughly enjoying long neck and back scratches. Over time, they drifted gradually towards the eastern side of the hill, continuing to graze on grass and gorse. Shortly after 14:00, Nicky arrived to check on the ponies and to take four back to the New Forest, as they are due to foal in the coming weeks. After Nicky left at around 15:25, the ponies remained calm, grazing near the corral, although they occasionally called out for the others. After about twenty minutes, however, they suddenly set off at full speed down the path towards the racecourse, before returning a few minutes later along the track to the north of Brock’s Hill. All four came straight over to see me, and I immediately noticed that the bay youngster had a deep cut on the left side of her face. She was happy for me to inspect and clean it thoroughly, although it was bleeding quite heavily. I was able to reduce the bleeding, and after informing Nicky, I stayed with her in the pasture to the southeast of Brock’s Hill, where the ponies had settled to graze. It appeared she may have collided with a branch or something similar while running.

Before Nicky returned, the ponies went for a walk about, briefly visiting the trees in the far southwest corner before gradually making their way over to the swampy northeast pastures. Thankfully, I caught up with them, and they followed me back to the test track gate just as Nicky arrived at 18:35. We then loaded both the bay and the dun youngsters onto the trailer so they could return home together. Afterwards, I remained with the two remaining ponies until 19:30 to ensure they were fully settled, leaving them grazing peacefully in the dark in the pasture near the test track gate.

Saturday

 No show today. Couldn’t find them at 8.30. 

Friday 20th March - All 8 seen

At 13:30 this afternoon, the ponies were resting peacefully in the shade of the trees in the southwest corner of the site. They were all very friendly as I made my way around checking on them, happily accepting plenty of strokes and rubs. Several greeted me with soft nickers before being fussed over and then returning the affection with gentle head rubs and nuzzles. All eight were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After an initial loop around the girls, they alternated between resting, munching on holly from the bushes at the edge of the trees, or coming over for more attention. They thoroughly enjoyed long neck and back scratches, relaxing completely, lowering their heads and resting a hind leg. The girls continue to shed their winter coats and appreciated having the loose hair brushed from their backs and sides. Poppy, whose coat is particularly striking currently, especially enjoyed having her back brushed and is shedding her thick winter coat the most.

By 15:30, the ponies had started drifting off to graze in the pasture to the north, enjoying the warm sunshine and gradually moving towards the main path. They browsed gorse at first, but once they reached the open area, they preferred to nibble on the fresh grass shoots. They continued to come over for more scratches, happily accepting back rubs while grazing. By 16:00, most of the ponies had moved out to graze on both sides of the main path. I said my goodbyes about twenty minutes later, leaving them all peacefully grazing. As I walked away, the two youngsters followed me to the exit, keen for a final round of strokes.

The ponies were all good today.