Necking in the rain

A grey day and by the time I got out with the dog the weather was closing in - it was barely possible to distinguish sea from sky.

A new herd of seven ponies has arrived to crop the coastal zone over the winter. Their gentle grazing and fibrous droppings benefit the terrain and preserve it as a suitable habitat for a variety of plant and animal species.

Horses are social creatures and I stopped to watch these two indulge in some mutual grooming. They may have been licking the salt off each other's necks but it looked like an affectionate exchange. A solitary horse is not a happy horse and this group will need to support each other through the cold months to come.