We've had a huge operation today to bring our conservation ponies back home. Although we've loved having ponies on the Marsland reserve for nearly 10 years, sadly the site is no longer safe and secure for our ponies. There has been no news of Jeremy the pony who went missing from there and I've been reading tonight that 12 Hebridean sheep have also now gone missing from the pasture there adjacent to where the ponies were grazing...
...So with much planning - we had two lorries (thanks to Jane for letting us borrow her big lorry), panels on loan from Vanessa (thanks to John and Minnow for collecting them for us), and a trailer loaned from Ted and Jenny (and the right attachment fixed by Roy and panels securely loaded)...and a team of 8 people including Gill, Margaret, Isabel, Catherine, Paul (who also drove the big lorry) and Cilla, and Martin (who travelled all the way from Oxford to help us and towed the trailer with the panels)...and Roy to look after the yard and sort out the ponies there!
It's taken a lot of planning...not only for the day itself but also arranging homes for the ponies to go to as we are really pushed to have 11 ponies on the yard! We are so pleased with how the day went and we are so thankful to everyone who has helped - it went so smoothly with Paul leading Breeze up and everyone else stationed in special positions to make sure Breeze and Puffin followed. It all happened nice and calmly.
Paul loaded the ponies for us - Breeze in the small lorry, and Puffin and Star in the big lorry...and thanks to Catherine, Isabel and Martin who got everything tidied up at the end and all the equipment loaded back up onto the trailers.
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| Meeting back at the yard...reunited again...not just a herd of "brown" ponies! |
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| Munchie and Breeze reacquaint |
It was a smooth journey home and the 3 ponies were pleased to see their friends - they all know each other except for Arthur and Topsy who have arrived from other places. After a while to settle down, we let Star in with Topsy to explore our lusher pasture...and then Puffin and Breeze went for a good run around with the boys. Munchie and Breeze seem particularly fond of each other and also seem to have done a lot of charging about!!
We really can't thank everyone enough for their efforts! There'll be much work in the days ahead but at least we know they are safe now.
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| Puffin showing off his moves... |
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| ...and his hairstyle! |
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Munchie's feet are feeling great again and he's been doing a fair amount of charging around this afternoon!
Bobby, Munchie and Breeze in the photo here.
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| A bit calmer at dinner time! |
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| Topsy and Star this evening |
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