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.