Saturday 8th March - All 12 seen

At 14:30 this afternoon, the yearlings were lying in the shade near ///talent.sweat.boils, close to the western perimeter fence. They were resting and chewing their cud, but were being bothered by swarms of flies. Within minutes of my arrival, yearling 276 got up and came straight over for endless neck, ear, and back rubs. He was very affectionate, offering gentle head rubs and licks throughout. He especially enjoyed having the underside of his neck and chin scratched, and seemed grateful that I was keeping most of the flies away. Around 15:10, he lay down again but remained happy to be stroked. All four yearlings were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After saying goodbye to the boys and emerging from the trees, I spotted the ponies grazing near ///fried.dried.shuttle at 15:25. They were content but were also being plagued by flies. They were all incredibly friendly and soon started coming over to say hello and enjoy some strokes. The girls looked great in the warm sunshine, but were eager to find shade after stopping for refreshing drinks from the deep puddles. The group moved south, stopping to graze in the pasture near ///moats.easily.metro, where they enjoyed plenty of heather and long grass.

Once they reached the shade, they were much more comfortable and came over one by one for more strokes and rubs. Polly and Davinia were especially affectionate, soaking up relaxing neck and back rubs before rewarding me with cuddles and nuzzles. The ponies were all happy, at ease, and in excellent condition.

Shortly after 16:35, the ponies started making their way north, stopping to munch on some gorse before joining the yearlings near the western set of tank pits. Yearling 276 enjoyed a few more strokes before disappearing into the gorse bushes with his friends when the ponies took an interest in them. Most of the ponies continued grazing, while a few took the opportunity to relax in the sunshine. 

I said my goodbyes around 17:10, but as I left, the whole group followed me to the ammo compound, where they continued grazing. After another round of strokes and final farewells, they crossed the path and set off down the track to the east.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.