Horses in the moonlight; or, night turnout

What a pretty picture! Horses in and out of shadows, as the moon hides and reappears behind the clouds. Grazing peacefully.
What's missing? Foot stomping, agitated tails swishing, sweating while just standing around. Ah yes, the joys of night turnout.
Night turnout is one of my favorite ways to bring added comfort to my horses during the hot, humid days of summer. The benefits include relief from flies and heat, easier access to your horses during the day when you want to ride, but for me, it has been the best way I have found to get rid of horse flies and deer flies, those fierce little bloodsuckers that are active only during the day. I have repeatedly found that just a few days of night turnout is enough to confuse the flies, and send them off to easier feeding grounds. To which I say, good riddance!
It typically take my horses no more than a day to get used to the idea of night turnout, so I switch their schedule around on a day when they won't be working.
As a massage practitioner, there are benefits too. That foot stomping leads to tighter shoulders, along with the possibility of hoof and leg concussion injuries. The tail wringing leads to tighter, fatigued muscles in the hindquarters, and if the horses are stressed by being hassled by flies all day, they will be tighter all over. Night turnout can be an easy thing to do to give your horses a higher level of comfort.
Do yourself and your horses a favor. Try night turnout when the biting flies get bad!