Hot Memorial Day

Whew, it was humid today. We got a lot of rain sometime over the night but that didn't clear out the humidity.

Even my rats are hot--I had to put a desktop fan on top of their cage and aim it downwards. Nola is stretched out beneath it right now.

The mosquitoes and gnats were out in full force at the barn. The gnats kept flying into Limerick's ears....what is up with these things? I didn't see them at our old stable. They like to hang out inside her ears and suck her blood; they don't move unless I scrape them away. I ordered a fly mask with covered ears for her today--the Schneider's Mosquito Mesh mask.

I feel a little bad asking the barn guys to put a fly mask AND a grazing muzzle on her (and I hope her boyfriend recognizes her beneath all her head-dressings) but what can you do?

One thing I won't do is ask them to top-dress her grain with rice bran oil, which I also ordered today from McCauley Bros. Feed & Supplies.

I feel Limerick is already getting enough grain. Due to her history with laminitis, I am understandably reluctant to give her more grain. Beet pulp alone doesn't seem to be adding weight to her frame (but she sure loves it so I'll keep giving it to her) so I'm moving on to the oil.

A few posts back, I gave a short but sweet grass biology lesson. Remember how I mentioned how bad sugar was for Limerick? Most grains also have a fair amount of sugar and starch in them. Certain kinds, like the one Limerick is on, have a very low (tolerable) amount of sugar and starch. But even then, too much isn't a good thing. There, now you understand my dilemma.

Limerick's current diet:

Daily--

5lbs Buckeye Safe N Easy pellets
7-8 flakes 80-70% grass, 20-30% alfalfa mix hay
Nibbles of pasture grass here and there

4x a week--

About 3.5 liters soaked beet pulp
Various treats (carrots, bananas, apples)

Once upon a time, I used to give her about two apples and four carrots in one visit, but I didn't see her as often back then. Carrots, apples, etc, do also have a lot of sugar in them, too, so I limit her overall treat intake to the equivalent of four pieces of apple, four pieces of carrot, etc, per week.

Not a big deal. She considers the beet pulp a treat, too, so that relieves some of the guilt I feel when she looks for treats after a good ride--and she will, she always knows when she's been very good--and I only have beet pulp to offer.

Anyway, I already have the barn guys feed Limerick grain out of her own tub (with a carefully marked scoop, no less), give her a Smartpak every morning, and strap her grazing muzzle on before the horses are turned out onto the grassy section of pasture. Soon they'll have the fly mask to deal with. They are patient, nice guys but I am sure they will think I'm an anal whacko (not that I'm not one, but you know) if I ask them to top-dress her Safe N Easy with rice brain oil, too.

So I'll just do that myself when I feed the beet pulp, or if I get to the barn at around feeding time.

Reason number 345 to move to Kentucky--I can do every damn thing myself and not worry about "barn guys" thinking I'm a paranoid freak.

Happy Memorial Day!!!