Since I’m going out of town today and the horses are going to be stuck inside until Sunday I decided to leave them out longer this morning. I went out and put fly masks on Spirit and Prize. The flies get bad here about 9:00 AM so that is when I usually bring them in. But it wasn’t too bad out so I figured they could handle it with a little help from the masks. Rosie, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with her mask. Flat out refused to put it on. So I said fine. Have it your way.
Fast forward two hours. I look outside and they are clustered around the gate. I went out to let them in. The flies were bad enough that Spirit (who comes in unaccompanied) ran ahead of the girls, who I was leading, to get into the barn. Normally he grazes outside until I go out and remind him to come in.
In the rush I didn’t really look at Rosie until they were all settled in their stalls. Her left eye is swollen half shut. The lower lid especially is swollen to gigantic proportions. I put some arnica gel on her lids to bring the swelling down. I’ll go back before I leave for work and see if the swelling is going down. Poor pony. She looks like someone punched her repeatedly in the eye. I did take time to point out that that is what happens when she doesn’t listen to me about putting her fly mask on.
Poor Rosie! Hope she’s better now. That happened to Clyde – eyes swollen shut, dripping disgusting yellow goo – we bought a fly mask (in a fetching shade of lilac) and the problem went away.
He looks dead miserable in it though.. ‘me grandma thinks I’m a girl ‘orse I swear it, Tils’. ‘At least it weren’t pink, Clyde.’
(aha, but only because she couldn’t get a pink one)
We have a fly problem in the spring, but by summer two things happen: A) We finally get around to buying the Trap-N-Toss fly traps (non-chemical, just water and an attractant) and B) The Cacadia Killer wasps finally wake up. The wasps patrol the horses waiting for the flies to land on the horses and then ZAP, sting them and eat them without hurting the horses. Most wonderful thing ever.