ponies are here

The 12 exe moor ponies arrived yesterday 21st April.  They are all on the main reserve.

Various things transpired to make it rather more fraught than usual.

- The road from gyll's lap to kings standing was closed for road works.  But this got sorted out, and bob came in from the south, whereas I thought he was going to come in from the north, which was easier.

- The padlock to the South heath got rusted up, and would not open.  Hammer and wd40 sorted out.

- I left all the locks open and went to the north to let bob through the barriers.  He then came through the south, and let out the ponies on his own.

- I went round to check them, after bob had gone, and found the 2 on the OL1 ok, and then went along the M1 to find the 10.  I came back along beeches avenue, only to find them all up at the roller stand, talking to the 2 on OL1.

- preparing to go, I suddenly noted that one of the ponies was on the mound.  Then both of them.  Found how they had forced their way in, and forced them out again.  Phones Monty, and during the call saw them on the road !!  Monty was now on his way from berwick.  I chased the ponies along the road towards the cottages, and managed to go round them in SH and block them at the 5 bar gate ( just).  The pair went to the small wooden gate and commiserated with the rest of the herd.

- a long half an hour later, Monty arrived and we eventually managed to shoo them through the roller stand gates onto the main reserve.

So we now have the whole herd on the main reserve.  We will have to move the whole herd onto SH for blitzing the vegetation there at some time, and guaranteeing the succession of nail fungus.

wow.  A bit too stressful for me.

Martin