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...

Thursday, August 19, 2010

Still knocking on wood, but less

I can't help but think that I got VERY lucky.  I feel like we are having such amazing progress that it sometimes scares me into thinking I could jinx myself...but then I remember, "no, we worked hard to get here." So we deserve it, Lazarus deserves it.

Anyway (knock on wood regardless) things are going great.  Lazarus now is able to graze most of the day in his private pasture, which is good grass but nothing spring lush (thank god) so it was a great time to do it.  He is getting a few flakes of day, of alfalfa/grass 1st cutting mixed in with his regular 2nd cutting grass hay...doing well with it.  He is to slowly get back on Selenium over the next 3-4 weeks until his gets his normal dose.  I think for now, that is the only supplement I'll have him on for a while.  I don't want to put anything in his body that could trigger some effect on his feet.
About our ride.  Actually, to back up, Mason my Chocolate sweet boy is not feeling well.  Something is up and I'm keeping an eye out. He's thrown up a few times over the last week and a half.  Today, he puked in my car but it was just liquid.  When he was a young pup, he used to throw up when he was hungry, and he got his dinner late today (bad Mom) because we were at the barn late...so maybe...but I'm watching for anything else and then will promptly take him into the vet.  Other than that, he seems mostly normal..a teeny bit more tired than normal.  Fingers crossed my Masie Pie is ok.
In horse news, my wonderpony and I had another great bareback, halter only ride. Go us! 
It was really windy today and the neighbor (who I swear knows when I ride because it's when he draggs out all the rusty crappy tools and machines he decides to work on) was causing a ruckous.  It was making Laz quite attentive (he does NOT like the neighbors, I assume becuase of the noise and it's behind trees so he can't see what is going on to tell him it's not horse eating) and a bit on edge.  Of course, when you feel your OTTB tense up, it may make you more tense, right? So I realllly tried to just breathe, talk with Laz, encourage how handsome and brave he is, and keep the reins LOOSE.  We did great. He only spooked SO minor that it was impressive. Impressive because, I swear, he usually would have done his side jump spook, but today, he just dropped and tossed out his right front as if he was like "I"m outta here, but wait...I think we are actually ok Mom"  
He's THINKING!!! I'm so happy for that, that I rewarded him with pats and praise. I don't mind if he spooks, if he's thinking.  He's courage is building.  We are now from a pea to bean. YES!

His hooves are looking great, except he chipped his front right (club foot) and it looks ugly but it's not bad.  The concave cupping is really starting to appear when I pick out his hooves (not quite yet in the severe laminitic left) and they look healthy and strong!  He has not wanted to trot lately, not on the lead, not when riding.  When I say trot, I mean, literally trot for about 6-7 beats, that is it. Probably 15 seconds. I ask, and if he wants to, then we do. If not, I leave it alone and figure he's not ready.  

So instead, after our great 20 minute ride, I did a mini back massage that the Chiro showed me to do. It's amazing how quick he sweats where I rub his loin area.  She told me to go against the muscle. So at his loin areas, before his hips, I rub up and down (like North and South) which is against the muscle strings which grow horizontal with the back bone.  He seemed to like it. I'm not as strong as the Chiro though.

Also, I received a great newsletter from Michigan State University, about Equine "Big Medicine" and thought I would share...click HERE.
 There is some great advice, and some things to think about...I myself am starting to question all the vaccinations 'needed' for horses but need to do TONS more research.  I do think, in my heart of hearts, that Laz's colic/fever that caused his laminitis was from Putomac, which he WAS vaccinated for. 

6 comments:

  1. Please keep an eye out for Mason! My pup (Lexie) got really sick a month ago. She threw up a few times and was acting really tired and my mom got worried a took her in. The vet said she brought her in just in time or else we could have lost her. Had some sort of infection in her intestines that a lot of dogs get (they don't know the cause) and they were bleeding. Said if we had waited any longer to bring her in she would have started have bloody diarrhea. The whole thing was super scary, she spent the night at the ER Vet. I don't want to scare you but I just want Mason to be okay and if he has the same thing that Lexie had it can be serious :( poor Mason, feel better cute pup!!

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  2. I hope Mason is doing better soon, poor sweetie. Laz is just a great boy learning how to listen first and shy later. He is listening to you and your relaxed seat and hands! I wish I could learn how to massage the boys. Pie would love it but Sovey would not stand for it. I now have Sovey where he allows me to brush him fairly well with the soft brush. This is a BIG step. I do think innoculations are a tricky business in horses and dogs and cats! Should we or not?

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  3. Glad Laz continues to do well, and sorry to hear Mason isn't quite right.

    Potomoc is a chancy vaccination - it doesn't provide great protection and some horses do have bad reactions - one horse at our barn did and we stopped using it. Our vet used to recommend it but no longer does. I do the other vaccinations (5-way, W Nile, flu/rhino and strep/strangles and do believe they are a good idea, and we also do rabies which can sometimes make horses pretty sore for a day or two.

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  4. I agree that I am on the fence with vaccinations. I don't do my dog anymore unless I need to for a class or something. They have been vaccinatated enough.

    Same with my horses. They do without unless they are leaving the farm. I just think once they have the first series that they are good for much longer than we used to think they were. It seems that it is a great way for vets to make money. I can't wait until they start doing more research on how long vaccines are effective for.

    Healing thoughts to Mason.

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  5. My dog always gets her rabies, but that's the only one she gets. I can't give rabies to my cat, she had a really bad reaction 2 years in a row (got a huge, fluid-filled "node" at the injection site (different vets and places, btw) which ruptured and she then got an infection...) and the new kitten probably won't get it either. They're always inside, unless on a leash, we almost never have visitors of the 4-legged kind.

    I hope Mason is feeling better soon!

    It's also great to hear how Laz is doing. :)

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  6. I hope Mason is okay. My dog used to do the vomiting (or rather regurgitating) on an empty stomach.

    I'm happy Laz is doing so great! Sounds like he's really progressing. :)

    I believe that vaccines and chemical dewormers can cause colic/fever/founder/laminitis/etc. I only give my dogs and horses their first round of vaccines, then they don't get anything (dogs do get rabies because it's required by law) else. I've never had a dog get sick from not having boosters. I believe the first round provides all of the protection they need.

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