Bringing the anxious into calm and content

Lazarus and I had a few rough times this past week, where he struggled with being scared, anxious or insecure.

Last week,  the BO had put him in the outdoor for a grazing break and after doing well alone, something apparently set him off, so he panicked and worked himself in a tizzy, completely sweated panic JUST as I pulled into the driveway.  It scared me.  I saw my boy, alone, running on three legs and as I ran over to him, he whinnied in a tone that was a bit "Save Me!"  He had been doing ok by himself but apparently something scared him and he didn't have anyone there at the time to bring him down and give him confidence.   So, being he was in a major sweat, hived out from bug bites and was running from fear, he had seemed to be extra sore.  I didn't want to walk him any furthur.  It was a rough day for me.  A BIG reminder that he is indeed still very fragile.  

So, I gave him a nice cool rinsing and he calmed down, grazing around me for about an hour.

It ended on a good note and the BO and I agreed that no more leaving this OTTB alone in the outdoor.  

He doesn't seem to be scared of bikes....so that's a bonus.  Well, parked ones anyway ;)

The dogs version of tug of war.  Carly the pup tugging on her sister Caitlyn who tugs her toy away from tank Mason.

So today, back from a little weekend getaway, I was anxious to see how Laz was doing.  If he was sore from Friday's freak out or not.  Thankfully he wasn't showing any new signs of discomfort.  The BO mentioned his appetite today didn't seem great, but after our grooming session, I stood outside with him for a half hour and he ate, ate and ate.  The other horses were out at pasture and I think Laz just wanted some company to eat.  Who knows...but he ate, so that made me happy.

Above is his right front has a big chip in it...Cliff comes out of Friday, so not worried.

Below is his right rear, the foot with the most rotation.  I think it's looking better, there is signs of growth and there is more area to pick out in his V shape area which I think is a good sign.

I groomed him, clipped whiskers and bridle path waiting for the random summer storm to pass.

He was VERY anxious and did a lot of chewing which is his anxious habit.

I unclipped him from the crossties and just 'ground' tied him and it helped ease him up.  I also talked to him and just did my best to soothe him.  He ended up calming down and was goofy again

So, after the rain passed, I decided to walk him and stretch him out in the outdoor arena and do some obstacle work.

All of the pictures below, were taken by the BO's 7 year old grandchild, who was a GREAT helper today.  She took beautiful pictures from my phone (learned it in one second) and sat patiently to the side with 'special' carrots for Laz that she used her fingernails to carve his name into and his age. Tooo cute! 

This obstacle was a new one-and he did great with it.  In fact, he just had swiped a carrot nib from my hand here as we were posing for our 'photographers' request to stop at this obstacle for a picture. :)

How cute is this picture she took of Mason.  I think he did his best to smile for the camera.

Laz's stance. 

 He still avoids standing square.  I know it's only been 3 trims and since mid March since we started, but I just hoped he would stand better.  I'm assuming he knows what is best for him, so if he wants to rest his foot, so be it.  We'll ask Cliff more about what is 'normal' for him at this stage on Friday.

After our hour walk....good boy!

Lazarus way of saluting a thank you for all the troops fighting for our great country.

Happy Memorial Day!

Obstacle Course!

The BO's put up a new obstacle course!

It's fun and works on desensitizing and gives the horses variation to just the big arena.

The Buckskin in the picture, Buck, was so sure footed that he gave BIG confidence to the other horses.

Laz hardly spooked..in fact, the 'car wash octopus' thing..he walked into it, stopped when the flaps hit his face, camel lipped it but for the first few tries wouldn't walk through.  When he finally did, he FLEW through it but then he calmly walked through with no problem.

He nosed the flags on the cones and licked the barrels and sniffed the tarp and walked over the cavellitis no problem.

I figured all this variation is good for regaining his muscles and working on his stomach and back

The BO's granddaughter is visiting for a couple of weeks and how lucky is she?!

Here she is riding 19 yr old QH Jazz

On my way home there were these amazing hot air balloons (don't worry..I was at a red light stopped) and I thought...whoa...that is HIGH! I don't think I could do it!

And in case you wanted to walk the obstacle course with us...here's a video!

He rocked it like a Champ...I was very very very proud!

He got LOTS of carrot nibs for being a brave boy!

One note of concern..after we walked around for about an hour, Laz was tired (granted it was like 85 degrees) and limpy, so I didn't push him.  I let him graze, drink water and just relax with me after doing the course several times.  He did great over the deck board plank but after a few times over it, he seemed sore so I stopped walking him over it.  May be too much for him. AND..I don't think his boots fit him.  His feet are widening which is good, but they are also just a very odd oblong shape right now..so hopefully they'll fit again at some point.  He hasn't shown less limping from the past trim, he seems to be at the same point for the last several weeks.  I'm always wondering what it looks like in there, but I don't want to do xrays (cost and for reasons that it could cause worsening with laminitis).  Cliff says to wait...so we wait. 

I try to focus on rehabbing him for his physical but also for his mental state.  I think he likes variation and he licks his lips a lot so I'm just keeping up with it.  We do our walks 3-4 times a week and he gets a day off in between for just paddock time.

1st bath of 2010

As you can see, Mason is comfortable around Laz when he's quiet and calm.  This was taken after our walk down the road, with BO "C" and Ellie.  Both did great but we came across a neighbor who was cleaning out around the bed of her large pine tree and the horses we CONVINCED we were going to be eaten.  Laz blew back and almost out of my hands on a loose line (loving the loose line btw) and his body language was "RUN FOR YOUR LIVES...I SEE A HORSE EATING MONSTER HIDING!!!!!!!!!!!!"  It took 3-4 times walking back and forth and finally up the women's driveway to show them, we were all safe.  They ended up handling it well.  I'm pretty sure if I was on Laz's back, I would have road rash from being dumped at a super speed.  Ugh.

Calm boy who is learning to stand nice when ground tied and when post tied (safety knots of course)

1st bath since...? September maybe? I scrubbbbed him so clean and we washed his DISGUSTING sheath  and cleaned him thoroughly.  Very satisfying, and I'm sure it felt good for him.  The last deep cleaning bath I gave him, he was very anxious and spooky.  Yesterday, he did very, very well and I even found a sweet itchy spot where he spread out his legs and camel lipped in enjoyment. LOL!

I love how dark he looks when his wet...like Chocolate Metallic

Next up for a bathing, was Jessie.  

She is Ellie's Mom and has the most unique coloring that is not really captured here. She has a red dun stripe down her back, tiger stripes on her legs and shoulders.  

She is a total Barbie Dream horse.

The Beast was quite hungry after our day...what? Go three hours without eating?! The torture.

Here is his "tunnel vision" face.  

He was listening and watching Jessie blast from her paddock out to pasture

This is a cute video of Ellie and Laz enjoying a drink from his paddocks trough after our walk

"Mom, get my good side!"

I only snapped a few photos from last night, but they all look alike!

I guess he thinks this is his good side.

Handsome...

Handsome again...

Oh wait..no, he's still handsome...

Laz did very well, walking on loose line and staying calm.  We did a road walk which he seemed to gimp a little at, so I may throw his boots back on him for our next road walk (if it's dry and hard) to get him thru more comfortably.  I talked to Hugging Cliff and he said "sure" and keeps encouraging that he will get better (LOVE that!!!).  We were joined with BO "C" and Ellie, and another boarder and her pretty buckskin Scotty for a nice trail walk.  When we got back, we all worked on desensitizing and playing in the arena.

And some fun VIDEOS:

Laz is very much like his human Dad, quite athletic and sporty!!!

Ellie and Laz had a fun time together and they seem to give each other confidence and can 'speak' to each other to encourage good behavior.  It's so fun!

This was from the other day, after he rolled in the sand and hopped up with some energy.  I gave him the choice to 'lunge' and buck and run but as you will see, he didn't want to do that.  I assumed he was going to race around like a maniac but he was totally the opposite. Calm and sweet baby face instead....YES!

What rhymes with Apples?!

OK...another hint...look below...

You have to look closely...

But YES..those are freaking dapples on my Laz's back!!!!

NEVER were they there before (in our time together) and I can't believe they are there now!!!

I am taking this as a very good sign that his body WANTS to recover!

DAPPPPPPLLLESSSS baby!!!!! 

So moving on from the dapple excitement  (eeek!) I assumed I was going to have a grooming session due to all the rains but when I got to the barn last evening, it slowly turned sunny and beautiful!

For those green thumbs out there, here is the garden that the BO's and myself/Husband planted on Sunday. Sore hamstrings but let's hope those seeds and plants GROW! 

Vegan wonderland in there people!

Just had to snap one of happy Mason...come on..wouldn't you?!

This photo below was actually a mistake that turned out SO cool. 

A zoom of Laz's chopped of unicorn horn, with all that remains is his crescent star

So, thankfully, even though it was breezy, it wasn't WIIINDY.  So in turn, I had high hopes and was determined to walk Laz on loose reins.  I wanted to see if indeed I was translating my control fears thru a tightly held rope into a tightly wound horse.  

And...he was a total gentleman.  He walked nicely on a loose, double dutch, lead line and we cruised around for about 15 minutes, totally spook free. However the BIG difference was he did pop his head up a few times which in the past would have caused me to pull him back...but instead, I didn't, I just loosie goosed it and sang and told him how brave 'we' are and he calmed right down.  Crazy how these little improvements, can totally work.  So, we were again totally alone at the barn...walking calmly for about 45 minutes.

Angel boy!

He was in a sweetheart silly mood, and kept nuzzling me as we walked from behind, and licking his lips (sweetest sound ever) and doing a few fancy trit trots and wanting to play.  A few minutes later, after working on our "Whoa" halts, and kindly asking for him to back up (he did great), we were stopped and he asked to roll.  When I mean ask, he pawed the ground, looked at me, licked his lips, pawed again, looked at me, and so I stepped back and so "go ahead."

And he did, rolled on both sides and blasted up feeling good with a buck and his Guinea pig squeal "Eeeeeee!"

I offered to let him free lunge (still on the lead but not making him do anything) but he really just wanted to buck once.

Look at how happy he is!

So as we continued to walk around, I allowed him to graze for a minute or so, in the scary corners to encourage him and to reward him.

His face has such character! Looks like he's chewing tabacco

So later on, BO "C" joined us with her gorgeous Ellie, who you may recognize from past photos.  She is Two years old (in April) and "C" is working on making her a bomb proof as possible.  Ellie is a smart, smart filly so she learns quickly, but can also prove to be challenging because she is a thinker.  In the long run, she'll be a great horse.

So we worked on desensitizing with a tarp/baggie thing.

Ellie is quite head shy so "C" worked on that as well

She learned that if she tried to run away or walk away the baggie followed.  If she stopped, so did the bag and she was rewarded.  Ellie quickly learned that getting a carrot was more fun.

PS the smoke is not coming from Ellie, lol

I love how Laz is watching Ellie here

He was really brave with the tarp/baggie.  In about one minute, he was over it and started to play with it.

Another AWESOME thing about Laz...he is 1000% not head shy. I can rub his ears (in fact he loves it) and clip him, etc, he doesn't care.  

So yesterday totally rocked.  

My Bay totally rocked.  

We walked for a total of 2 hours, in the arena for about 45 and the remaining time, around the property on down the residential dirt road on a 'trail' ride.  It totally feels great to walk a calm horse versus a dragon, and it feels good to take our horses on evening walks and get our exercise too!

Basically with Laz's laminitis rehab, and Ellie being only 2, we walk our horses like giant dogs...only we don't pick up their road apples, lol!

Info from Seminar on Laminitis

So the seminar I attended last night was very interesting.  I got some time after the class to meet with the doctor and talk to him about my case a bit.  Very nice man and was encouraging me to continue on my path, and 'go with what works.'  It seems that with laminitis, there is still so much to learn and that not one specific method works with all horses. It's all about prevention.  Great, but for us....we want more information on living with it.  The class was definitely geared more towards obese horses and those pre-disposed for getting Cushings, but I still learned some helpful information.  He did make a point of saying, as we people are getting more and more overweight, so are our horses, dogs, and other pets. I know many people feed out of love and we all hate seeing ribs on our horses, but some breeds (like mine) are just ribby animals and that is OK.  He mentioned, as people, we like to see our own ribs but on our animals...NEVER. lol.  I can attest to that.

I'm pretty sure below was the means of Lazarus getting his laminitis, as he is not overweight nor seemingly a horse that would develop Cushings.  Although now, I think his body may be a bit more insulin resistant so I still have to be really careful about his feeding.  His initial colic/fever may have been brought on by unknown ulcers, or a puncture in his gut, or Putomac, or salmonella, or who knows...

Glucocorticoid effects on the gastrointestinal tract
Both exogenously administered dexamethasone (DMSO) and increased release of endogenous GCs in times of stress increase the permeability of the mucosal lining of the entire gastrointestinal tract of laboratory animals.(53-56) Stress-associated increases in the permeability of the mucosal lining of the alimentary tract in humans have been shown to facilitate detrimental absorption of antigens, toxins, and other pro-inflammatory molecules from the gut lumen.(56)
Laminitis often arises in the face of intestinal disease in horses, suggesting that toxic factors of intestinal origin play an important role in its pathogenesis.(57) Administering either starch or fructans for the experimental induction of laminitis leads to both increased intestinal permeability and intestinal floral changes. Therefore conditions associated with excess GCs might also contribute to the risk of developing laminitis in horses by virtue of increased intestinal permeability and the absorption of toxic factors from the intestinal lumen

Grass and grazing was a topic that Dr. Schott talked a lot about in helping horses prevent laminitis due to ingesting to many soluble sugars.  He compared grazing (for those that are NOT out of pasture 24/7) to releasing diabetics to a field full of candy bars.  He mentioned that here in Michigan (S.E. area specifically) that if your horses isn't on pasture 24/7 and used to the grass changes, that keeping them off grazing from April to June 15th is the safest choice.  They did studies showing if you are releasing the horses to graze even a few hours a day, they can and still ingest as much as if they were out all day.  Shocking!  Feeding them hay during these months is beneficial.  Now that being said..this seminar was geared towards those dealing with Cushings, Laminitis, or obese horses, so it's not for EVERY horse I'm sure.  There really is no rule that applies to all horses, I think, in nutrition.  He mentioned that for keeping your pastures, never mow lower than a 6" height because you are creating higher sugar content for the grass and for turnout, see below.  

From safergrass.org

Safest time to graze: early morning; after a night when the minimum temperature was above 40°F (5°C); on grass that is in a vegetative stage of growth (leaves, not heads) and the grass is under no stress from lack of water or nutrients. Under overcast or shaded conditions, sugar buildup should be slower. A long stretch of cloudy weather will further decrease NSC levels.

Most dangerous time to graze: late afternoon or early evening on a sunny day; grass that is heading or flowering; anytime throughout the day if the night before had temperatures below 40°F (5°C); grass that is stressed for lack of water or nutrients; stubble left from mowing or overgrazing, especially in late fall (or winter in areas where grass stays green)

The thing is to me, that I keep going back to.  Is it better to control when/where your horses eat? Or better to have them on pasture 24/7 like their ancestors?  He did mention in their studies; ponies on pasture 24/7 vs those only out for a few hours a day, had steadier sugar levels that didn't spike and drop.  

What do you do with your horses where you board?  I'm curious to see what the majority is around the US/world.

Dr. Schott also touched on feeding sweet feeds.  He said no horse, no matter what their weight, should be given 4 lbs of sweet feed, a handful (less than a cup) is OK.  He is a fan of senior feeds and L/S feed IF you need to supplement your horse with calories, but he said to do your research and talk to your vet about that because most pleasure horses we own, do not need the extra calories.  They get plenty from their hay and grass.  What I liked about this speaker, is that he wasn't 100% preachy on anything really.  He used drugs on some of his horses that helped, and some he opted not to.  He has some barefoot that do well and he has some shod that do well.  He seemed to be open to learning and studying constantly about different options working differently for horses.

I enjoyed the seminar but at a couple points of the class I couldn't help but feel emotional.  There were slides of horses with laminits from being obese and when they lost weight and were kept to their diet, they were ok. I can't really relate to those cases.  Then there were slides of the very familiar scary hooves and growth patterns that I know all too well.  What struck me is that he said "Now these horses are comfortable and can be ridden but will never be 100% normal again."  That made me so sad for a good ten minutes and I literally almost wanted to walk out.  Looking around, I could almost pick out the people that we so tuned in, that I'm sure had laminitic horses or horses that had Cushings.  That was interesting...almost like a group therapy, lol!

So then I thought...'what is normal' anyway and who has a 'totally normal' horse, right?!  So if they are comfortable, happy and being loved that is more than a lot of other horses get.  I'm going out tonight to see my boy and groom up on him and love him up! (it's raining again, so I assume no walking)

A side note about the barn where I took the seminar at.  It's your typical "WOW" barn.  I drove into a beautifully landscaped entrance into a residential subdivision of beautiful homes that surround this lovely barn with a massive indoor and outdoor arena, stalls for about 40 horses and trails that back into the barn, into our amazing Michigan parks.  The riders and their horses working in the outdoor, were gorgeous.  All big Bays, healthy, cantering and strong riders working. It looked a lot like the places where I rode at growing up.  I took a tour of the facility and couldn't help but think...we sooooo don't fit in here and it is by choice.  The turnouts were so small and pure mud and far from the stables, so it must take 2 hours to get everyone out.  It looked like kennels for horses.  Turnout isn't long either, a few hours to several a day.  Maybe that is enough for some, but for Laz, who has the choice of 24/7..it seems like too little time out.  I'm sure there are a lot of happy people there with happy horses, but for us...it didn't strike me as where I would want him to live.  The other big thing that struck me, is the girl who gave me the tour was smoking.  I hate, HATE, when people smoke at barns.  It's been a pet peeve of mine since I was little. I don't want to smell like an ashtray when I ride and I certainly don't want my horse getting 2nd hand smoke and I DO think it's a HUGE liability for a barn to allow smoking.  My two cents..

  The big plus is that it's 30 minutes from my house! Damn!! But..that was it for bonus factors.  Anyway, they do offer a social membership that the BO and I are thinking of doing, and you get to use the facilities year round for $250 a year...we just have to trailer our horses there (about 30 minutes from her place).  May be worth it come winter time! It's definitely a nice enough barn to use, I just like the fact that we can leave and go 'home.'

Adjusting our communication

After a really busy work week, I only made to see Laz  on Monday evening, Friday evening and yesterday (Sunday).  Not the best showing up but it's hard to carve out 4-5 hours in my day when trying to work to afford my horse...talk about a cat chasing it's tail!

Anyway, Friday proved to be a challenging day.  Winds were whipping around 35 mph and Laz was up around 45 mph and bug eyed!  I hand walked him for 2 hours trying to get him to settle down.  After an hour or so, my BO "C" came and met up with me, with Ellie (her young filly) to work both the ponies together.  Ellie is SUCH a smart youngster and learns so quickly.  She is going to be an amazing horse.  Even though she was scared at some points, she never acted stupid and really listens and gets it.  Half of that (or more) is the BO's natural ability to translate what she is asking of her properly.  

With Laz and I, we weren't quite on that sync of good communication but we did eventually get there with some help.  I was hanging on to Laz's lead too tightly again for fear of getting trampled when he spooks.  I feel that if I can 'control' him with my lead that I can prevent him from jumping on me.  But I think what I'm doing is making him feel claustrophobic and closed in when he's scared.  "C" had me gently lunge him for a bit to allow Laz to choose to get his sillies out and he bucked out a couple times (after our hour walk mind you) and then he focused a little better on me.  She reminded me that a loose lead is going to keep him calm and that I HAVE to trust my horse. So hard sometimes after dealing with years of horses that bowled me over. Those of you that own TB's or any high strung horse, know what I'm talking about, right?! It's always in the back of my head.  When he jumps, I jump.  Not a good combo.

  So I did listen to her and kept a loose line and he almost immediately calmed down and even when he did spook, he just rushed up past me and looked at me like "oh, oops..sorry"  But nothing dangerous.  He just has a rocket flight instinct and if I just continue to work with him and let him know that he can trust  me as his leader, he'll be kept safe.  The other great thing that "C" reminded me of is my bear voice.  She thought I was using too much of it on Friday, and that it was working against me.  It's only for when he is really not listening. Her method is this "ask your horse..if he doesn't listen then you TELL your horse, and finally if they still don't listen... then 'kick his ass voice is used'" So the 1, 2, 3 method and with me on Friday, I was going straight to TELL and never really asking him.  Not fair to him, but I didn't realize that I was growling at him so much, so it was good to have her to check me.  So I revised that when we walked around on our loose lead, and if he spooked, I would just coo at him to calm him down instead of 'barking' at him.   He seemed more responsive to that and I think just needed to be 'talked' to and reassured that he's safe with me.  His spooks don't make him a bad horse, it just makes him a bit more to handle and hopefully over time (and with less wind, lol) he'll settle down and get more confidence.  For such a big boy, he really is a big baby!  I'm not overly confident in handling him because of his size sometimes and I have to work on that.

It is SO interesting that those little communication adjustments in our lesson made SUCH a big difference.  I wish and strive to know WHEN to make those adjustments on my own...opening those lines of communication and learning what he needs and how he learns best from me.  It's fun when you get that 'A-ha' moment of communication.  Love it.

I want to make sure that when I do get back on, that I have my nerve to ride through his spooks and not be a tense rider.  I'm hoping that creating a strong foundation on the ground with him will translate on his back.

Sunday, we just enjoyed Lazarus from a distance because my husband and I went to the farm to help plant the garden.  We planted SO many (hopeful) yummy things; corn, tomatoes, peas, orka, fennel, onions, carrots, lettuces, squash of a few varieties, herbs, and more!  I'm so looking forward to be able to 'ride' and then pluck some fresh veggies for dinner in the next couple months. 

Laz continues to look so good with his metallic summer coat coming in, and has gained great muscle back in his body. I'm setting up a day with a chiropractor out there (per Cliff's rec) to work on his back/hips and help smooth out any internal kinks from being stalled for so long.  

Tonight the BO and I are meeting at a barn in between us to attend a laminitis seminar and a tack sale!  I have like $20 to spend, lol, so I'm sure I won't be buying anything but I hope to hear some interesting things about laminitis and what others are doing.  I do feel like I'm walking in there tonight with a horse whose case should be studied!!! 

On a separate note, but FUN is that I won something! I literally NEVER win contests but I'm changing my attitude and now thinking/dreaming of all the things that I could win now  (lotto would be great!) but I did win a great book from "Pet's Blogroll" which is a great networking site for fellow bloggers who bloggity blog about their furry creatures.  Go check it out if you haven't already and get your blog on there.  I look forward to receiving my winning prize "One Good Dog" being I am a huge pup lover and need a good book to read. Perfect! Thanks!!!

Invisible Monsters

What is funny with Lazarus....or I don't know if 'funny' is the word, maybe different or A-typical, but it sure is strange that he doesn't spook at things you think he would. 

 "A hammock, nah...seems nice.  A tarp, nah, seems like water and I like water.  WAIT?! What was that....do you see it?! I don't either but I'm SCARED, let's get outta here!!!!!!"

Our lessons of walking around the arena, the front yard and now the entire property pose different invisible monsters that I just don't see. It makes it impossible to try and guess when he'll act up. Now I should thank my pony for alerting me when the face eating monsters are hiding, right?! But, I'd rather not.  I would rather Laz chooses to spook in place, and then THINK about:  "why would I be scared....my Mom is here, my BO is here..and I'm pretty much safe all the time so I should just chill and walk nice."

Oh well, in theory that would be nice and maybe he'll get there. He is acting braver and more responsive to my growls when I'm telling him, 'watch it!'  He tends to rush up on me when he's scared or flighty.  I don't might him being a TB and UP, but we are working on doing that spooking nonsense on a level 20-30 instead of a 100, and to not run over me.  He knocked into my leg yesterday and I backed him up about 5 big steps and told him to knock it off.  Other than that, he did VERY well.  When he does spook/get scared of something, he tends to act like he doesn't see me when the BIG spooks come, which is really what scares me. A lot of you have sent me articles about the dominant eye...and I think it's his left. He likes to have his left eye on things, it seems...but again; A-typical.

  We walked about 1/4 mile around the property (where he hasn't been since October) and we even survived when the pastured horses came galloping up to us, and then galloping away.  Boy, did Laz want to take off! Instead I had to check him and I'm pretty sure at one point I said "I AM YOUR MOMMA...LISTEN TO ME!!!"

And he did! :)  I'm feeling better about handling him, not that it isn't intense and scary at times, but I'm learning about this high personality too and how to handle it....well, at least for now, on the ground. In the saddle will be a whole new beast, gulp. 

Below is a video from the same day, where he was feeling more comfortable.

We walked through the barrels and onto the tarp  (this was our first time walking on tarps) and he did great. Didn't even think about it. 

That is what I mean...a typical.

Ok and this video was from a few weeks ago.  I've been having problems with uploading videos on to my blogger for some reason! Grrr, but finally got this to work.

He did so well with the ball but he was really relaxed that day in the arena as well, so he was a better pupil and more open to new things. I will say, when the BO first bounced the ball in, he and I both freaked, lol! 

You can see the end result was bravery!

100th post!

100 entries in my blog!

 This blogging began as just a way for me to channel the extra energy of my obsessive horseiness (it is a word-j/k!) horse love, horse chatting I needed to get out and not drive my husband or any other innocent ears crazy with!  I am so glad that I started this blog when I did.  Before Lazarus got sick it was all about our 'training' and when he did get sick, it turned into a journal of what I was doing and what worked and what didn't.  

The strongest part of this blog, turned out to be YOU...the readers!  Through your knowledge and encouragement, Lazarus and I are where we are today, still fighting, but a bit stronger everyday. 

Thank you! Thank you!

Friday evening, Lazarus got his 3rd barefoot trim and all is looking great according to Cliff.  

When I say 'great' I mean in the way that we are working on healing Lazarus, not that his feet are 100% great and cured.  We are a long way from that, probably a year for his hooves to grow out completely back to (hopeful) normal.  But he's developed a thicker sole that is like a callus for a runner's feet, to protect himself, and his quite comfortable barefoot.

This is his rear right, the most rotated of the two hind.  You can literally see where the wedge was placed and how the hoof's growth was altered by that.  Cliff thinks that the growth at the coronet band looks proper and it will just take time, but for a while it will look really funky as it grows out.

Understatement...but as long as he feels this is 'normal' in the laminitis world, then I feel OK

Lazarus has been feeling great and romping around.
Cliff even suggested that after our walks, I try to sit on his back for 5 minutes bareback, to see how he feels.  He said it's therapy for both Laz and I. :)

I love this picture of Laz sneaking a peek of what Cliff was doing to his feet

This was actually right before his trim...Mason decided he was hot and wanted to roll in this mud puddle.

Digging in like an otter, needless to say, I was thrilled to have Billy, my DH there to bathe Mason before we took him home. 

We did a quick stop by on Saturday on our way out of town.

Laz was moving great but chose to stay in his stall a lot of the rainy and crazy windy day.  I do like that he has that option....but maybe it just makes me feel better?  I'm a cold person, so I assume that he is a bit too, lol!

And the sweetest thing ever...one of my Mother's Day card from Lazarus

The BO's "C" and "J" helped Laz out with the writing and applying the red lipstick to his kissy lips.
So sweet!!!