Feeling hot, hot, hot!

Limiting work to the early morning and late evening is Gus' recommendation for beating the heat - though he might prefer no work at all!

After what seemed like the wettest summer ever in Southern Ontario, I'm not complaining about finally getting some sizzling summer weather, even if it's at the end of September. Not sure if it's officially a heatwave but with temps in the low 30s and humidex values reaching 40 for the past few days, it sure feels like it!

Let me be very clear - I LOVE this kind of weather and LOATHE everything about winter. Every single day without a sweater at this point is a bonus, as far as I'm concerned. But to be honest, even I am struggling a little this week. Saturday I was so drained after mucking stalls that I didn't even bring Gus in from his paddock, let alone tack him up and ride him. I even broke down and turned the A/C on in my house - something I've only done 3 or 4 times since May. 

I don't know if something in our bodies switches when the calendar flips to September, but hot and humid this time of year seems harder to deal with than in mid-July. Gus is struggling a little too, and gave me a bit of a fright today when he developed swelling in all four legs that made them look like sausages. With no fever, no soreness and no change in behaviour or eating habits, I was pretty confident it was simply stocking up doe to the heat and humidity. But still, it's not something any horse owner wants to see when they come in the barn!  Happily an hour or so of walking and light work brought the swelling back down to normal, and Gus' cool shower afterwards was a nice treat for both of us.

If you're in Ontario, what are you doing to beat the heat? What are you dealing with elsewhere in Canada? Is anyone already having to blanket and bundle up for winter? Any tips you all can share to make the coming frigid season more bearable would be greatly appreciated! In the meantime I'm going to enjoy one more week of sweat and swimming pools :-)

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