About this Blog

Meet my very 1st horse, Lazarus.
I couldn't wait for Santa anymore or ask one more time for a pony for my bday (after age 30 it got embarrassing). I took matters in my own hands and I finally decided to pick a pony that needed a new home. Laz found me as I contemplated with this idea. He was sweet yet very sassy, fresh off the track, Thoroughbred (OTTB).
Join us for our re-training, rehabbing from laminitis and testing all parts of mixed up horsemanship and partnership, and luck...

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

"ooooh my back!"

Pudgie said he's been feeling really left out of the blog
So, here is his cuteness and NO pictures of Mason. ;)
Pudgie wants you all to know that he loves to lick our leather couch before taking a nap.
So Lazarus had his 1st Chiropractic appointment!
She used this little tool thing for pressure points but said I could use the blunt side of my hoof pick handle
Laz was VERY responsive!
He felt everything....some times he was a bit stressed and chewed.
Other times he humped up and did his Guinea pig squeal of "I don't LIKE this!"
Chewing but standing
"Mom, please hide me in your pocket!"
"Oh wait...THAT feels gooooooooooood"
"Ok, I'm over this..."
Thanks to BO "C" for taking the pictures so we could concentrate!
The Chiro was sweet and told me massage techniques and pressure points to hit for in between our sessions.
I'm going to stick some of that in with our Masterson massage, which Laz, really really likes.

Isn't this strange, below!?! 
To me at least...the parts where she was massaging and pushing and popping her chiro magic were soooo sweaty on Laz.  She said it's normal and to ice it for a few days and that sometimes on TB's she's seen where the skin starts pussing a day or so later, releasing stuff. 
I certainly hope that doesn't happen to him!!!
So ice away we did
She mentioned (and I talked to sweet Cliff who called too to check on how our chiro appt went) that he'll be sore for the next few days
The little patient..he is so good at being understanding.
He is sending his good thoughts to his online girlfriend, Denali, who goes into surgery tomorrow.
He wishes they could rehab together in his paddock.
He drank a ton of water which I know is great to flush out any of the released toxins.
Good boy Laz!

Then today I came across this article in "The Horse" and it basically reiterates what Cliff is thinking.  
That Lazarus is limping more now due to his muscles and back than from his hoof....possibly.  So I am going to use this Chiro once a month to see if it starts helping him out to feel more comfortable

8 comments:

  1. I am certified in equine massage therapy though I never suck with it enough to make much off of it.
    When a horse has a knot in it's muscle it will hurt, hurt real bad but the second it is gone theres instant relief. Kind of like if you have a piece of glass in your foot. It hurts like hell to take out but the second it's gone the pain is too. That is why the horse licks their lips after pressure/pain has been relieved. A horse licking his lips is a sign of stress being relieved. Unlike popular belief of the horse learning something. It's the same as when you are in a stressful situation and the stress is taken away you relax and sigh really deep.

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  2. Aaaawww, lucky Laz-boy! I went to a chiro for a while and it made me feel soooo much better, so I'm sure it will help Laz, too. And I certainly agree that he could be very sore from being out of alignment and having muscle issues -- I'm sure he had to really contort himself when he was going through the acute stages of laminitis. He was probably in a "defensive" position for quite a few weeks, and I'm sure his muscles and bones are all out of whack because of it.
    Interesting about the sweating (and pus -- eeeww!). When Salem got adjusted, he didn't have any of that, although he had a fairly quick adjustment -- maybe 10 or 15 minutes.
    And, LOL, Laz is such a good patient! I can't believe he's keeping that ice pack on his bum -- must feel really good!
    Oh, and just out of curiosity -- what did the chiro say about Laz? Like, is he "out" in specific areas, etc.? I'd be interested to hear what she thinks is going on with him.

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  3. So glad things are going so well with your chrio visit and your continued uses of the Masterson techniques. Good work!! Laz is a very lucky boy! It has been documented for many, many, years that a horse will sweat in areas that the muscle has fired very actively, I suspect this is what happened when Laz was ajusted. Lots of energy to that muscle and resulting...sweat. I also use sweat patterns to help determine what muscles a horse is using or not using. As you get Laz into better condition as he moves around more, note his sweat pattern and notice if it changes. Excellent resource is Jec Aristotle Ballou's book on Equine Fitness,she talks about sweat patterns a little in it, and I think you and Laz may really enjoy some of the exercises to help him to get his body back into balance again. That and they can be fun...got to keep that bright mind of you OTTB busy!

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  4. Syd-Laz is such a licker when I give him massages but not so much during this Chiro episode. I think he was enjoying parts of it, but also a bit worried and hurt during parts. I love a good licking and eye rolling!!! :)

    Frizzle-always great questions!
    Ok, so the Chiro thought he was a bit out of whack as a whole. His bad foot, right rear, so he is throwing everything weight-wise to his left to compensate. Poor Bubba! She said his pelvis was torqued over, and his hips a bit, and he had some ribs popped out of place probably due to all the laying down he did. She probably worked on him for a good 20 minutes or more. He is "out" in several areas and with his foot hopefully continuing to heal, his stance will approve with a few more adjustments.
    He is SUCH a great patient..I didn't even mention that Mason and the BO dogs both forgot and ran into the electric fence two seperate times scaring Laz to spook and he kept that ice pack on! LOL!

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  5. I love that ice pack on his back! That is so funny. I hope the chiro is able to help!

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  6. yay for the Chiro! How did we survive without them before? Laz looks like a happy boy and I am sure that will help him in his recovery. I am going to get Reno done soon as well, as he is a bit frozen on his right hind end.

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  7. Puss?!? I've never heard of that! I think that would be interesting!! I'm sure that Denali wishes that she and Laz could share a stall and rehab together!! How about I ship her to you? Two thoroughbreds would be cheap right!? Ugh.

    Denali will see the Chiro once all of this is done. Her back is all out of whack, I can tell just by looking down it. Nothing will go on her back until that is fixed. Aka, cha-ching, cha-ching.

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  8. I think Laz will start to enjoy the chiro as much as he enjoys the massage once he realizes it makes him feel good. Tucker was very suspicious the first time he got adjusted, but now he comes right to the front of his stall for Dr. M and looks so relieved when he gets his poll or his pelvis done. Never heard of the puss situation though -- that's really weird!

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