Too Hot

We were over a hundred degrees yesterday.  We very rarely get that hot, and never with the kind of humidity we have right now.  I brought the horses into the deep shade near the house so they could cool off.  They stood tied, quite happily, for 4-5 hours.

I like how this picture naturally has dark borders, and Bella is a little bit lit up in the middle.  Too bad she's so fat and itching on the tree.

Today felt cooler but when I went to check on them, this is what I found.  A soaking wet horse.  For some reason Scout is always the sweatiest.

I braided Bella's pretty mane so her neck could cool off.

She's such a sweetie.

All three of them, standing happily (except Bella has an itch). 

I sprayed them all down with fly spray too - the horse flies are huge and mean!  I can't imagine being this hot and plagued by horse flies.  They don't appreciate the fly spray.  I wonder why they never make the connection that it makes the flies go away...

The donkeys seem to deal with the heat better.  Or maybe it's just that they're hairier so I can't see the sweat as readily.  They're still shedding like mad but it's pretty normal for donkeys to take forever to shed out their winter coat.  Pedro is doing fine after his wandering binge, although his hooves are warm.  This afternoon he gave me a scare.  I thought he had a great big long goob of snot hanging out of his nose.  But it was just a piece of hay stuck to his nostril.

I bought a surcingle for Joseph today.  I can't wait to try driving him.  I want to try that with the donkeys too.  But it's too hot for any kind of work right now.

I am already sick of this heat and humidity.  If I wanted to live in this kind of climate I'd still live in New Orleans.  But if I lived there I'd have air conditioning.