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...

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

We like our future and enjoy it presently

"Gurgle, hiss, snort, grumble
Wake up..I'mz hungree"

How bad can a day be when it starts out with this wrinkly face?

Ooops.
No, not a rescue on Craigslist.
Just Laz treating his skin to a mud mask
One good thing about snow, is there's no mud.
Damn...but I'm NOT going to say anything bad about a 40 degree day!

Laz standing quietly while I attempted to remove the mud.
As I was currying, he flinched at one spot and gently swung his head at me.  I stopped and looked, and sure enough he had a dollar sized patch of hair missing from a love bite.  The skin wasn't broken but he obviously didn't want my rubber curry going over that now bruised part.  How sweet for him to gently tell me and not try to bite, balk, kick.  He is kind.
Playful too, as he kept rummaging through his grooming bucket and picking out each brush one at a time.
"Use this one...now this one...I hatz that one"
Lately instead of lunging only to begin, we do some Parelli games.
If he needs to run around and buck, I allow him too but he has been so calm for a long while and not showing  want/need to run around like a crazy man.
(of course I just cursed that)
I try to introduce some new things at least once a week.
Today, I worked on cracking my carrot stick (whip thing) on the ground to try and desensitize him to the sound and action of it.  It's been a while since we've worked on this.  At first, he was a little worried and starting trotting around me in a circle, not frantic but he definitely wasn't confident. I stood there, looking down at the ground, body relaxed while repeating to crack the whip enough to get a sound on the ground, over and over and over.  After a few minutes he came towards me asking to come in.  I stopped and allowed him too. I always want him to think I'm a safe zone for him.  I ended it there and moved on to other games and praised him for being brave. I know it may sound trivial but it's not. I see our progress and where we need work. It's nice having sight on that.
We end those mental games with a nice ride where we translate some of the ground work, through riding.
It's helped our riding and our partnership.

Another wonderful thing about blogging is I get to go back and compare notes from our past, to our present.
This post was from last March, a year to the day
A lot has changed for the better.
March 2010 was when I decided to fight one last time, get a barefoot trimmer and try a more holistic approach to healing his laminitis.  What a leap of faith but luckily I had a lot of readers that helped us down this path, and we are so so so so happy to still be heading in a positive direction. 
Physically and mentally....for us both! lol
Laz's health continues to improve and his feet are growing and we are still trimming and allowing his horn grow at the rate it does with no severe rushing.
His stance has changed. He used to have his RR stand underneath him, not putting much weight on it.  Now he stands square and I catch him often resting his LR which was something he never did. Surely a good sign as he improves in his muscling and balance.
Some annoying things I noticed is it seemed warmer a year ago and drier.  Oh well, I needed that for him when he was healing, so thanks. ;)


I have to say, riding him today, was peaceful success.
He was peaceful, sighing and walking confidently on a loose rein, picking up a trot with my slightest cues of gathering up the reins and thinking of a 'Trot'
Our games/training have helped us improve our communication.
I am learning that the more I trust in him, the more I should.

What a lovely boy he is.  
How lucky I am to still have him!
Love you Laz!!!

And my sweet Mason...my little chocolate co-pilot.
Who snoozes in the sun on our way home, after walking around with us during our ride.

7 comments:

  1. I would just like to say that the first photo put the biggest smile on my face...

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  2. Very cool and I loved the Laz mudd mask!!!! That was a doozy of a one!!!

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  3. Laz was totally mud bogging! LOL, I hate to say that I welcome the sight of a muddy horse over a frozen one!

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  4. This is such a great post. I'm so happy Laz is doing so well. Keep up the great work. :)

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  5. I looked at that pic with all the mud and your capation about Craigslist rescue. There is no way that fat and sassy (in a good way) horse would look to anyone like a rescue. He looks fabulous. You have done such a good job with him. I remember your distress and fear a year ago. You have both made an amazing recovery. Good for you!!!

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  6. I love all these horses in these blogs wth their big ole winter hay bellies! Makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside! Yes, we are lucky to have these gorgeous fatties!!!!! But ugh, all this new mud! I can live without it!

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  7. The mud is the worst, but grass should be here soon! Winter is over.

    You really have come so far with your Laz man. Happy days for you both. And Pudgie and your Chocolate co-pilot, sigh, can you ask for anything more? Life is rich and wonderful!

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