Happy? Horses

After a week in greener pastures, there seems to be a problem or two developing. From a distance, things appear to be good with happy horses munching away.

 I wasn't down to see them for a few days but noticed that they had all put on weight, a lot of weight. The comments about Biz were things like "I don't think the saddle will fit" and "The cinch won't do up".

 They all seem happy, but it is time to go home and on a diet.

 Alpine is a little  a lot chubbier than she should be.

 The worst thing was that two of the three horses broke out in lumps, and one was biting and pawing at her belly. My first thought was "Colic". It turns out that they were fly bites from something or other. There was a matted pile of hair over a scab that could be picked or combed off. It was not pretty, but much better than the dreaded colic.

 It turns out that the horse with the most winter hair was affected the least and vice versa. The belly's were the worst.

Any way I brought them home to lose some weight, and make it easier to brush and comb them. The latter put each horse into ecstasy, which means that the biting and kicking were likely trying to relieve an itch. Tucker kept coming back for more and more brushing. The only things different from where they were and our place is a 50 foot elevation and a free flowing creek (partial swamp). The theory is that something hatched out and started eating horse meat. Anyone out there know what the little dudes could be? I spared you the oozing close-ups.