Saturday 5th April - All 12 seen

The ponies were happily grazing near ///briefing.blog.wove at 14:05 this afternoon. Most were nestled among the gorse bushes, but quickly emerged to greet me, eager for strokes and rubs. They were all very friendly, offering gentle head rubs and nuzzles in return. A pleasant breeze helped keep most of the flies at bay.

Davinia was especially affectionate, enjoying a long, relaxing neck rub in the sunshine. I noticed she now has a crack in her front left hoof, though it wasn't affecting her movement. I also spotted a graze on the right rear hip of the chestnut mare. It didn’t appear to be causing her any discomfort, but it's worth monitoring in case it worsens.

The ponies gradually made their way to the western set of tank pits, stopping for a refreshing drink of water. They soon continued northeast, grazing around the eastern tank pits. By 15:10, seven had settled in the shade of the trees near ///face.snowy.annoys. They were happy for me to walk among them, offering more strokes and scratches. Polly especially enjoyed having the sides of her neck stroked—she completely relaxed, rested a hind leg, and looked ready to doze off.

Wondering where the dark pony with the white rear sock had gone, I found her grazing among the gorse bushes near ///ranches.envoy.duke at 15:45. She soon came over for more strokes before returning to her grazing, showing no urgency to rejoin the others. I said cheerio about twenty minutes later.

At 16:20, the cattle were lying down among the bushes near ///pint.airbase.shock. As has become the norm, yearling 276 immediately got up to greet me, soaking up endless strokes and rubs. The others followed when they got up to stretch, enjoying some attention before returning to the shade to chew their cud. Yearling 276 came over again and thoroughly enjoyed a very long back and neck rub. When I paused for a rest, he gently nudged me to continue 😊. I was pleased to see the dried blood on his front left hoof was gone. I said my goodbyes at 17:15, and he lay down again as I walked away. The boys were all happy, relaxed, and looking well.

I did a final check on the ponies at 17:30, and all eight were happily grazing in the sunshine near ///polka.boss.tenders.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.

Friday 4th April - Staff Check - all 12 seen

Found the yearlings resting in the woodland edge by the sailing club. Number 276 was his usual affectionate self. I noticed he has a spot of dried blood on his front left hoof. No obvious signs of cause or further bleeding, and he seemed in usual good spirits. 

Warty yearling appears to have a small growth above his right eye. Nothing to worry about but will be keeping an eye on size. 

Ponies were all dozing in woodland by the ammo compound. I spent a tranquil 15 minutes with them looking them all over with a few coming over for strokes. Davinia was especially friendly and rested her head on me for a snooze 😅

Nearby there was a helium balloon which caused much excitement when I picked it up to take it away, they obviously thought I might have something tasty for them. 

Great to see them in such good condition coming out of winter! 

Have a great weekend everyone and thanks once again for your efforts this week. 

Thursday 3rd April 278 possibly ticks

Found all 4 cows easily at ///dragonfly.limp.custodial. I had a look at 278 & it looks like ticks to me. Lots of them between his back legs. He must have backed in to some long grass with loads of them just waiting. I think I shall tuck my trousers in to my socks before putting on my wellies next time. Other than that they all all looked good.

Then they followed me back to the gate.

I found the ponies at ///against.deflection.education. They all looked good.

Wednesday 2nd April - Afternoon

 Easily found the cows just behind the corral, they were enjoying the sun and all 4 of them laid down in the dead broken for a chill out.

278 Possible issue - just before he laid down I thought I saw a large amount of warts/growths between his back legs.  It may have just been matted hair balls but I think not.   Can someone else get to have a look when he is standing?

All 8 ponies were at the side of the track at the Ammo Dump eating the gorse.  They all looked well but 1 pony has a hoof that may need trimming.  

All the others appeared fine.

Monday 31st March - All 12 seen

The yearlings had tucked themselves away in some large bushes by the road, near ///tablets.conquest.hikes, at 15:20 this afternoon. They were lying down, relaxing, and chewing their cud, but were bothered by a large number of flies. Yearling 276 immediately got up to greet me, eagerly enjoying nonstop strokes and rubs. Even as I made my way around to check on the others, he followed along to keep me company. He is absolutely adorable! I eventually dragged myself away just after 15:45, after saying my goodbyes. The boys were all happy, relaxed, and looking well.

The ponies were just making their way into the trees north of the ammo compound, near ///crackled.bind.risking, as I approached at 15:55. They were all very friendly, taking turns to come over, say hello, and enjoy plenty of strokes. After a bit of jockeying for position, they quickly settled down to rest. The girls were more than happy for me to wander around, giving each of them extra strokes and rubs. I received lots of lovely nuzzles in return, especially from Davinia and Polly.

I said my farewells just before 17:00, leaving them all still resting in the shade. Surprisingly, they weren’t too bothered by flies. They were all happy, relaxed, and in excellent condition.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.