Post by juliab on Sept 14, 2008 9:19:00 GMT -5
The weather had been quite a bit cooler lately so I started turning out during the day and night and only bringing everyone in for their grain. It worked out fine until yesterday when I came back from visiting my daughter in Charlottesville to find poor Jasper running and running, lathered and miserable. The other horses wouldn't let him in the barn and he was being driven crazy by those big biting flies 
I got him inside and he threw himself down by the hay bales and just lay there heaving! I drizzled some cold water over him for a while and moved as much stuff out of the way (he was between the hay bales and the wall) and then he was able to get up and back himself out of the small space and I got him into his stall. I wished I could have walked him around to cool him down, but the flies would have gotten after him again, so I alternated spraying him with water and rubbing him down with a towel. He was REALLY itchy from all the bites and just loved the rubbing and his stall is big enough for him to have a good roll so he did lots of that. I put his fan on and made sure he had plenty of fresh clean water and some hay and when I checked on him later at feeding time, he was pretty much back to normal.
Poor baby
It is going to be hot and muggy today so everyone is in with fans again. I know that 24/7 turnout is best, but not for my sensitive chestnut TB baby - he's much happier with night turnout on hot days!
I got him inside and he threw himself down by the hay bales and just lay there heaving! I drizzled some cold water over him for a while and moved as much stuff out of the way (he was between the hay bales and the wall) and then he was able to get up and back himself out of the small space and I got him into his stall. I wished I could have walked him around to cool him down, but the flies would have gotten after him again, so I alternated spraying him with water and rubbing him down with a towel. He was REALLY itchy from all the bites and just loved the rubbing and his stall is big enough for him to have a good roll so he did lots of that. I put his fan on and made sure he had plenty of fresh clean water and some hay and when I checked on him later at feeding time, he was pretty much back to normal.
Poor baby
It is going to be hot and muggy today so everyone is in with fans again. I know that 24/7 turnout is best, but not for my sensitive chestnut TB baby - he's much happier with night turnout on hot days!
