The ponies were not in their usual place today. After over an hour of searching I was about to give up until I saw a Taff's grey coat in the distance.
Most of the ponies didn't approach and as the heather was very dense I decided to stick to the path where Fflach and Taff were grazing nearby.
Taff |
Taff is usually the one to approach but today he was set on grazing and only acknowledged my presence with a quick glance before he went back to feeding.
Fflach's behaviour on the other hand was very surprising; usually she is one of the more timid ponies but today she not only approached me but also sniffed at my jacket as if taking in a scent. I was pretty wary of her as she had placed herself between me and a tree and so I backed off slightly just in case she decided to swing around and lash out with her hooves; all she did was follow. She followed me 200yards up the path and only stopped when Taff called her back. It probably looked pretty comical as when I would stop to turn around she would also stop; then as I turned my back to walk on I would hear hoof beats behind me.
I don't know why she followed; either they've seen me enough to know I'm not a threat or they're getting more habituated to people in general. I don't give them food and I stay within a reasonable distance so I can check their health, it is up to them if they approach me; but I've never been followed before!
Fflach |
Fflach being my shadow! |
The other ponies decided to keep their distance and I could not get a good view with the camera so decided to abandon the idea of taking anymore shots and moved on to try and find the more elusive Col and Jack...unfortunately I failed.
Here are some other interesting things I found while searching:
The butterflies at Bickerton seem to be slowly disappearing as they are becoming much harder to find; a sign that summer is slowly coming to an end.
Gatekeeper |
Bessie having fun looking like a demented hound! |
In September the site is hoping to house 5 new ponies with a following 7 in November; I would since have left for Cumbria but I'm hoping to catch up now and again. I'll have to brush up on the new ponies ID; it'll be a challenge, but all good things are!
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