The Autumnal Equinox has just happened.

 

Equal daylight to equal nighttime.

 

We’re coming up to a cooler time of the year……………….but it’s not here yet.

The weather is in no way cooler…………for sure.

Not one iota.

It’s still super hot.

I looked into a water tank at Mary Constance’s and there was a teeming batch of tadpoles…………….big ones……………..already sprouting hind legs.

Mary Constance does live close to Bullfrog Creek.

Earlier this week it got up to 96 degrees Fahrenheit.

Today, it was a mere 92 degrees………………………..chilly………………………..real hypothermia-potential.

All the horses are breathing heavily.

I feel bad for them……………..and………………I worry…………….a lot…

Later on in the year, rings will show up on their hooves as they grow out.

Ridges on a horse’s hoof can indicate stress in their lives or diet.

All of the horses will have ridges showing at the same level on their feet.  It will be indicative of this summer’s heat stress affect.

 

 

Another example of stress is when a mare weans her foal.

 

Both Mom and baby will later show those same rings on the growth area of their hooves……………..kind of like the rings on a tree’s trunk.

After haying a horse over winter, and then putting them out on fresh/green/spring grass in the pasture………………that can cause ridges too.

You have to watch out for founder…………………and that’s real bad…

Even though we are a few days into Autumn (and it really doesn’t feel like it), I know we are all SO DONE with this Season’s heat……………….roasted and well-done.

 

We don’t get the pretty leaf changes down here that they do up North.

 

 

The poplar tree’s leaves can turn golden, but they quickly go crispy and brown…………….that’s about the sum total of Florida’s Autumnal leaf display.

Around the end of the year and the beginning of the new year, the Red Maple’s leaves change to…………………………………..red.             Surprise!

But we are still in the depth of steaming, saturating heat.

……………………………………It’s been brutal.