Saturday 11th January - All 12 seen

I arrived later than usual this afternoon and began by breaking the ice on the trough and removing the chunks. The water level was fine, with no issues.

The yearlings were grazing in the gorse bushes near ///rock.unwell.booms at 15:15. They quickly emerged onto the path to greet me. They were friendly, cautiously approaching to sniff my hands before accepting strokes. The boys were happy, relaxed, and in good health, with their thick winter coats keeping them warm in the bitter cold.

The ponies were found further southeast along the path near ///misfits.retain.widen at 15:30. Polly warmly welcomed me, emerging from the thicket with soft nickers as I approached. She was incredibly friendly, offering cuddles and nuzzles before settling in for a long neck rub. The other ponies were grazing nearby and gradually came over one by one to say hello and enjoy some strokes. Although the area where some of them were grazing was particularly icy, they navigated the slippery ground with ease.

After our greetings, the ponies returned to grazing but stayed close, frequently coming back for more strokes and rubs. Several enjoyed back rubs as they munched on gorse. All eight ponies were happy, relaxed, and in excellent condition. Around 16:15, the yearlings wandered along the path and began grazing in the gorse bushes near the ponies. To ensure the group had enough water, I broke the ice on several puddles along the path.

As it grew darker, I said my goodbyes at 16:30. The ponies followed me northwest along the main path, stopping in the area where the yearlings had originally been grazing to enjoy more gorse from the bushes on both sides of the path.

The cows and the ponies were good today.