Saturday 22nd February - All 12 seen

The ponies were gathered near ///playfully.crypt.tops, close to the tank pits, at 14:00 this afternoon. Most were resting in the warm sunshine, while a few grazed among the gorse and heather. They were all very friendly, coming over one by one to say hello and enjoy some strokes. Davinia was especially affectionate, greeting me with soft nickers before settling in for a long neck rub and rewarding me with endless nuzzles. The crack on her front left hoof wasn't causing her any issues, with her moving around completely normally. She rarely left my side and was seen walking across grass, mud, swamp, heather, and the footpath. At one point, she even jumped out of the tank pit with ease.

Gradually, the ponies wandered southwest, with many stopping at the second set of tank pits for a refreshing drink. Unfortunately, the warm sunshine also brought out a few flies, which occasionally bothered the girls. They alternated between grazing in the gorse bushes on both sides of the track near ///photos.shovels.tidal and returning for more strokes and rubs. Several stood peacefully in the sun, enjoying long back rubs. All were happy, relaxed, and in good condition.

At 14:55, the yearlings were lying down in the heather near ///pursue.works.stop, resting and chewing their cud. Yearling 278 looked particularly good today, with the lesions on his nose almost completely healed. After a few minutes, yearling 276 got up and wandered over to greet me, enjoying some initial strokes. After I took a few photos of the boys, he returned and stayed with me for the next twenty-five minutes, loving having his ears, neck, chin, and back scratched. He rewarded me with affectionate head rubs and licks. The yearlings were all happy, relaxed, and in good health.

By 15:30, the ponies had moved slightly southeast along the track, but were still happily grazing. They each took breaks to come over for more strokes, quickly relaxing, with several bowing their heads and resting a hind leg. While spending time with them, I noticed the cattle wandering past in the distance, initially stopping to graze in the heather near ///swing.verve.slim before crossing the track to munch on gorse.

Just as I was finishing my goodbyes at 16:15, a heavy rain shower rolled in. The ponies didn’t seem particularly bothered, but I decided it was time to call it a day and said a final cheerio. As I was leaving, I saw the yearlings taking shelter in the thickest gorse bushes.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.