Saturday 13th December - All 11 seen

At 13:55 this afternoon, the yearlings were happily grazing in the heather near ///melts.sonic.odds, north of the northern path through the site. They were all incredibly friendly, coming over one by one to say hello and enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. They had clearly spent time in the gorse earlier and were happy for the loose pieces to be removed from their heads and backs. The boys were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After our greetings, they stayed close, resting and chewing their cud. They thoroughly enjoyed long neck and back scratches while standing in the sunshine, thanking me with gentle head rubs. After a while, they returned to grazing, though one always stayed with me, keen for more attention. I said my goodbyes at 14:35, leaving all four grazing peacefully.

Shortly after 14:40, the ponies were resting in the sunshine on the track east of the ammo compound near ///starfish.wimp.sugar. They were just as friendly, taking turns to come over, say hello, and enjoy some strokes. All were happy, relaxed, and looking great.

After our greetings, the ponies alternated between grazing, resting, and coming back for more strokes and rubs. Several particularly enjoyed having their necks and withers scratched, relaxing completely and resting a hind leg. They were very affectionate, offering nuzzles, licks, and cuddles.

At around 15:10, I met Nicky, who had come up to check on the ponies. She was pleased to see them all in such good condition. We checked the dark mare’s hooves and are happy with them for now. As noted previously, the damage to her rear left hoof is from an earlier injury and is gradually growing out. She is not showing any signs of discomfort and is walking normally, but we will reassess if anything changes.

After Nicky left, I spent some more time with the girls, who were grazing in the pasture southeast of the ammo compound near ///weep.shelving.acids. They enjoyed more strokes and rubs before I said my goodbyes at 16:35, by which time it was fully dark and turning cold.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.