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07/24/2002: "Relief!"
It was actually COOL this morning! Lord have mercy, I don’t know what I would have done if we hadn’t gotten a little break like this soon. That super heat AND humidity was really getting to me. It was getting to the point that all I was able to do with the horses was keep their “living quarters” clean and fly-free. Even real grooming was almost beyond me - and they were too sweaty to brush anyway. Indy had sweat running down his legs and across his hooves!
Of course Indy’s being an efficient “sweater” is a GOOD thing, since with horses -as with humans - sweating is the means by which the body disapates heat. Ami is not quite as efficient as Indy, and she was puffing a few times - something I never saw him do. In fact, he was still tearing around the field :o) Thus confirming in Ami’s mind that he is totally nuts LOL!
We even got some REAL rain on Sunday afternoon. It rained HARD for quite a while. Indy and Ami were out grazing at the time, and they stayed out through the whole thing. I didn’t know what Indy would do in a hard rain - we hadn’t had one since he’s been here! - but I would NEVER have expected Miss Ami to stay out in such weather. Either she did it because he did or she had just been so miserable the driving rain felt good. Whatever, they both got a wonderful rain water bath, and their coats felt SO soft and silky afterward :o)
Now that it’s at least a little cooler and less humid, I can continue my ground work with Indy. We are still concentrating on getting him over his fear of being sprayed. Yesterday, I was able to get him to relax while I held the applicator mitt at eye level. This is a BIG first, since protecting his face is the major component of his fear. I have not and will NEVER spray anything in his face - once I convince him of that, we should be well on our way to conquering this thing.
Meanwhile, I’ll have to keep a close eye on Ami’s grazing time. Drought stressed grass that has just gotten a good rain is one of THE most dangerous forages for a horse prone to grass founder. I’d hate to reduce her time out playing with Indy, but sometimes we have to do what we have to do - whether we like it or not. Tough Love I guess.
