5pm, Mon 14 Jul, none seen

Did a good search of the site and kept looking from the hill but couldn’t see them.  Didn’t venture into the dense areas which is where they must have been.

Water sources

 Thanks for keeping such a close eye on the water levels - it's good to know that both the pond and the stream in the NE corner still have reasonable water left. 

As Grace put in her blog last week our thinking was to remove the 3 cattle as cows drink lots during hot weather, ponies not so much. Alas, it needed 2 attempts by the Grazing Team to persuade the cows to depart so they stayed on site longer than planned! But we wanted them off before the 5 day heatwave we've just had.

Thanks all as ever for all your help with checking - it's much appreciated.

Sunday 13th July - All 3 seen

After checking all the usual spots, including the woodland by the fire hydrant sign, I followed the fence line east along Aldershot Road to the northeast corner searching for the ponies but had no luck. As I began making my way back south, moving between the different sections of the pasture, the ponies appeared from the thicket to the northwest and came over to greet me near ///pictures.severe.thin at 16:30 this afternoon.

They were all very friendly, approaching one by one to say hello and enjoy some strokes, offering affectionate nuzzles and cuddles in return. The area had plenty of bushes, providing some welcome relief from the warm afternoon sun. Although there were quite a few flies about, the ponies didn’t seem too bothered and happily let me brush them away from their faces.

After our initial greetings, the ponies alternated between grazing and coming back for more fuss. They all thoroughly enjoyed long neck, shoulder, and back rubs, responding with nuzzles, cuddles, and the occasional lick. All three were relaxed, content, and in good condition. It was a pleasure to spend some peaceful time with them this afternoon.

The ponies continued grazing, gradually moving to the northeast. After a final round of strokes and rubs, I said my goodbyes at 17:30, leaving them contentedly grazing in the pasture.

The available water in the pond continues to evaporate in the warm weather, but there’s still a good supply of drinking water near the fire hydrant sign, where it trickles into the surrounding area. This remains the ponies’ preferred drinking spot.

The ponies were all good today.

Friday 11th July - All 3 seen

At 19:10 this evening, the ponies were happily grazing in the pasture east of Brock's Hill. Pandora came over to meet me as I made my way down the hill, greeting me with soft nickers. She thoroughly enjoyed having the sides of her neck stroked, rewarding me with cuddles, nuzzles, and licks. 

After a good ten minutes, we wandered over to join the others, who were still grazing contentedly in the warm sunshine. One by one, they came over to say hello and enjoy some strokes and rubs. All three were happy, relaxed, and looking in great condition.

As is started to cool down, the girls continued alternating between grazing and returning for more attention. They were all incredibly affectionate and content to simply stand and be fussed over, enjoying long neck and back rubs while resting in the last of the evening sun.

I said my goodbyes at 20:40, leaving them peacefully grazing in the pasture further east from where they'd started.

The ponies were all good today.

Thursday 10th July - All 3 seen

At 18:00 this evening, the ponies appeared around the corner onto the track along the east side of Brock’s Hill just as I was coming down the slope. They were very affectionate, thoroughly enjoying long neck, ear, and back rubs while relaxing in the shade, offering plenty of cuddles in return.

By 18:30, they had started grazing along the eastern slope of the hill, enjoying the long grass with the bracken provided some welcome cover from the flies. The girls frequently returned for more strokes and scratches.

At 18:45, they wandered over to the northwest corner of the site to rest in the shade among the trees and have a drink by the fire hydrant sign. They lingered in the woodland, happily relaxing and enjoying more attention, rewarding me with gentle nuzzles and cuddles. After a while, they resumed grazing among the trees, gradually making their way east, following the fence line along Aldershot Road.

I said my goodbyes shortly after 19:15, leaving them peacefully grazing in the cooler evening air.

The ponies were all good today.

Wednesday 9th July - 3 Cows off

Hi All, 

Thanks so much for your patience checking on them in the heat! 

We after a day of the cows being very uncooperative manged to get them in and off site. This will save the water for the Ponies as the weather heats up over the weekend. 

As of today the spring is still welling up good  

So just the lovely three Ponies remain. 

Thanks so much! 

Grazing Team 

Wednesday 9th July - Three cows seen, ponies OK

I hadn't seen Sarah's post before I set off this morning to make up for missing Tuesday's visit. The cows were in the NE corner according to NoFence so I thought I'd start at the south of the site.  Here I met the team who had come to remove the cattle. They enquired if there were ponies on-site as, if so, they wanted to avoid them getting in the way.  I set off to start looking for the ponies in the three corners away from the cows so as not to get in the way.  On the way I took a look at the Gelvert, dry, and the pond, which has gained some water.

Having not seen the ponies I was on my way back up onto Brock's Hill when I met one of the team who told me she had seen the ponies, who being not far from the cows had come to see what was going on and wanted some of the cake on offer.  She had led them to the SE corner out of the way and said they were all fine. We walked to the corral together but the cows had not arrived.  I said goodbye and walked back towards my car by the Forresters.  As I passed the pool by the hydrant what did I see but the three cows looking sheepish - one was being awkward apparently. The team knew where they were as they had turned the collars back on.  Hope they had more luck collecting them from here!