Saturday 7th December - All 11 seen

Five ponies were resting under the trees near ///elbow.lifeboats.broth at 13:50 this afternoon, taking shelter from the strong winds and rain brought by Storm Darragh. Two others braved the weather to graze on gorse and heather nearby. As I arrived, three ponies approached me warmly, eager for strokes and neck rubs. Despite being quite wet, they seemed to enjoy having their coats ruffled to help them dry off. The two ponies resting under the trees also greeted me affectionately with cuddles and nuzzles when I approached. Not long after, the grazing ponies joined us under the trees and came over to say hello as well.

While I spent time with the group, the yearlings emerged from the gorse bushes to the southeast and moved toward the trees for shelter. They started walking in my direction cautiously, mindful of the ponies. When I saw them approaching, I walked over to meet them. They looked really well and, though damp, were not as wet as the ponies. After relaxing and chewing their cud for a while, the yearlings moved northwest toward ///aside.splashes.boxer, where they found a comfortable spot to lie down and rest.

The ponies took turns to come over and spend time with me, thoroughly enjoying plenty of strokes, especially around their ears and necks. They were very relaxed, often bowing their heads and resting their hind legs as they soaked up the affection. They were all very friendly and offered lovely nuzzles and cuddles throughout.

I began saying my goodbyes shortly after 15:00 and started walking away, only for the ponies to follow me through the trees and out into the open. As the rain intensified, I gently encouraged them to return to the shelter of the trees. After a final round of strokes, they allowed me to leave about ten minutes later, following me for a bit before moving deeper into the trees on the far side of the path.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.