Saturday 2nd May - All 7 seen

At 14:50 this afternoon, the ponies were resting in the shade of the trees northwest of the ammo compound, near ///guitars.bookings.line. The girls greeted me with soft nickers as I approached, before taking turns to come over for a hello and to enjoy plenty of strokes and rubs. A light breeze kept them cool while also helping to keep many of the flies at bay. All three were happy, relaxed, and looking well.

After our initial greetings, the ponies settled back down to rest around me. They thoroughly enjoyed long neck and shoulder scratches, as well as having their backs and sides brushed. They completely relaxed, lowering their heads, resting a hind leg, and often closing their eyes. I did notice that Polly has a small chip on her front left hoof, but it wasn't causing her any issues. After a final round of strokes, I said my goodbyes at 16:10, leaving them resting peacefully.

At 16:20, youngster 278 was grazing in the pasture near ///poses.hires.snore, about 90 metres north of the northernmost path. The other three were grazing in the thicket just to the south. He immediately wandered over to greet me and thoroughly enjoyed a long neck and back scratch. After about five minutes, the heavens opened, and we quickly took shelter under the trees to the north. Youngsters 276, 282, and 283 soon came to join us, but even in that short time, they had become soaked. They took turns coming over to say hello, enjoying some strokes and having the rainwater brushed from their faces and backs. The boys were all content, relaxed, and in good condition.

After greeting me, the boys gathered around to rest and chew their cud. They took turns stepping forward for long chin, neck, and back scratches. They were all very friendly, offering gentle head rubs as they leaned in to be fussed over. After a while, youngster 278 wandered off to graze on a patch of grass among the trees before moving on to browse some leaves. He soon returned, ready for another back rub. By 17:40, the rain had stopped, so I said my goodbyes, leaving the boys resting under the trees. As I walked away, they initially followed before stopping and heading into the thicket to graze.

The cows and the ponies were all good today.