Massage time

Mason patiently waits an hour in the car to head to the farm, his beloved place. He literally starts whining with excitement when I put on my 70 layers of horse smelly clothes, anticipating that he is coming with!

How can I say "no" now, so basically he's been coming out with me since October!?

So, I was reminded by a fellow bloggy friend, Frizzle, about equine holistic massage therapy and stretching.

I asked the BO, "C" about it and of course, she knew everything about it. What knowledge! She stretched his tail, we did belly lifts (he wasn't 100% in love with those) and I try to always do the carrot pilates weekly. C also stretched his shoulder by pulling his legs and it was SO amazing to see how Laz totally responded to it and LOVED it!

Here, I am doing the neck stretching that "C" taught me and he just dropped his head sooooo low and lovely and siiiggghed!

Kisses are a part of my therapy!

Here are just some cheezy photos that I asked "C" to take! I don't have enough of Laz and I...well, I can never have enough! :)

Please dont judge the outfit or no makeup!

Look at his eyes, he was soooo happy and relaxed. Licking and sighing, it was a great release!

"I need a pillow"

Laz says "thanks Aunt C and Frizzle for the reminder to my Mom that I like massages!"

"Can I JUST be a horse!?"

I have to say, I think, Lazarus is being patient in his healing. For the most part, he relaxes, eats and drinks and maintains a good attitude. This video is from last week, when I arrived at the barn and it was just tender. Those moments where literally I felt my heart swell, like those days where you ride and you feel really connected and communicating perfectly. I HAD to pull out my phone to record it. Laz being sick has taught me to really cherish the time I do have with him, and I'm eager to have it thru photos/videos as well. After a quick tape, I put my camera away and just enjoyed it between he and I.

This video is from yesterday. I spent a good hour + chipping at the 3" ice layer that revealed soft sand underneath. We've had a couple of decent weather days and I really wanted to get his paddock back to level so when it does freeze up, he won't have to maneuver around holes, divets and hilly sections. C & J added two more tractor shovels of fresh sand just for his comfort as well. Not to mention, re-adjusted his stall door and opening so he won't bump his feet when going in and out of his stall. How lucky are we!?

You can see Lazarus was quite happy with his new sandy paddock and for a few minutes, reminded us that he just wants to be a horse!! :)

Also, this is the first time I've seen him roll onto his right side which is a huge sign of improvement in my eyes!

**YOU MAY HAVE TO HIT REFRESH AT TOP OF BLOG, TO SEE THE CORRECT VIDEO OF LAZ ROLLING AND BUCKING ABOVE..I HAD PUT IN WRONG VIDEO AT FIRST..SORRY & OOPS!

Paging Dr Jekyll..it's Mr Hyde!

Wow.

Maybe it's horses in general, or maybe it's TB's? Do other horse owners out there sometimes wonder if their horses are like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?

Lazarus was a sweet calm boy when I first arrived. Being a good patient and taking some weight off his legs. He allowed me to come into his stall while still laying down and rub on him for a good 10 minutes.

Awww, my sweet boy! My Bubba...

Everyone was in a chill mood, it was a balmy 35 degrees and the sun was out for the afternoon.

Then the wind picked up, the sun hid away and my TB shot up from his snooze like someone lite a fire under him. From there, he was sweaty again (note: I had the vet out today and he said Laz is still doing fine..just normal ups/downs), and then ornery.

Then all the other horses were playful, running and bucking down to their pastures and back up to Lazarus and down again. That pissed him off. He wanted to run, he wanted to play with them. But what he could do, was hump his back, scream a little "weeeiii" and bunny hop around. He literally was spinning around pivoting on his left hind leg holding his right up protecting it. He dug a hole in his sand paddock (which thanks I had to fill back in!) He's done that before and calmed right down. Well, this time, he did it during my re-wrapping of his legs and almost jumped on top of me! It scared me! I think sometimes when he's in his crazy TB moments, he doesn't see/hear/think about me. I can equate it to my lab. Some days he is chill on the couch wagging his tail lazily and other days he is running so psycho that he practically blows my knee caps out. I had to wait 20 minutes for Laz to calm himself down (actually the other horses calmed down which in turn calmed him down) to finish wrapping him. I stood in the doorway on his stall/paddock just waiting and somewhat hiding so he couldn't knock me over. Yikes! I've been feeling like he's calming down and being such a gentleman lately that I'm hoping he doesn't come out of this and reverts back to crazy TB!!

I think the truth is...there will be days where he does and I'll have to embrace it and keep working.

Such is a Thoroughbred. :)

Keeping an eye out

That almost makes me laugh! "Keeping an eye out?" Like I haven't been doing that since I first got Laz and especially since early October when this whole mess started.

Well, what I mean by that is today he seemed a bit punky. His eyes were runny (it is cold and windy but today was actually decent) and he was sweating slightly behind his ears and in the front of his neck, above his chest, in a spot not any larger than a pencil length. In fact, if you look at the picture of Laz at the top of my blog, you can see a sweat spot. It was half the size of what is in that picture. Still, it concerned me today. He is on half dose of his anti-inflammatory and I talked to C about bumping it up, but when she saw him later today she thought he looked back to normal.

Being nice enough that I actually took off my ski/barn jacket (keep in mind, I still had one two thermal long sleeved shirts, a fleece jacket and a vest on) I thought I could yank his coat off and really groom him and look at him.

Proof that the sun was out! I love love love untouched soft snow like this when it glistens in the sunshine! Looks like sugar was dumped everywhere at the barn!

Here is the sweet boy, looking back at me while I was currying his body. He seemed to really enjoy it today. See how his eyes are in this picture...they were half cast the whole time I was out there. Now, the other horses were all in that vibe too, laying down, totally happy and relaxing..so maybe it was just the time of day/weather/????

For as much as I LOVE Laz's blanket (and love sticking in my hands underneath to get warm) I do like to yank it off and really look at him, groom him.

This photo is obviously before the grooming. Laz is not the horse that stays clean. Not for one minute. He lays down, he rolls, he buries his head in his hay to shake the fines out. You can see here, he favors laying on his left side which is always shown by his mucky left leg. It comes off easy enough. So between his leg wraps, quilts and blanket, it's nice to free him of that and just groom him thoroughly.

Before I left, I tossed his blanket back on and fed him a couple of carrots. Can I just say, I adore when he turns to follow me?! It's a fave of mine now. Simple pleasures in life.

Here is his snarky face below. He does this attitude thing when I feed him carrots (ONLY when I'm on the other side of this dutch door) he semi pins his ears back while he chews and waits for more. Like he is the king of the stable. When I first got him, that used to scare me. Now it makes me laugh because I know he is full of B.S.

Feel better Bubba!

Winter Bonding

I am so pleased with how quickly Lazarus is seeming to respond to his mega shoes. His personality has been super sweet in the last few days and just wanting to play, cuddle, he is enjoying being groomed and lately has been smelling me and resting his head on my head or tucking it into my chest. Just a lover!! And I couldn't be eating it up any more!

These few photos are from Friday and it was cold!

His mane almost looks iced frozen in time but I softly brushed that out for him. I am glad that I let his mane grow out long so he has that extra protection for the winter cold. It's killing me because he looks so dapper with a nice short TB cut. He looks a little unkempt right now but I know it's better for him.

These photos are from today, a sunny Sunday with much milder temps so it felt great to be outside!

Laz and Ellie like to gaze at each other over the gate and share his hay sometimes. They keep nice company and look at those blue skies!

Here is a close up of Ellie, she is a 1+ year old Roan Paint who is simply gorgeous!

Every time I pull out my camera phone to snap photos, Laz thinks "Oh..peppermints?!"

In addition to being so calm today, wanting to bury his head into me, he was moving pretty darn great. He came in 3-4 times when I was walking in between his stall/paddock to the barn to socialize more. Very encouraging!

Of course, I had to sneak handsome Mason in, who is doing well playing 'farm dog' and behaving nicely. It's so nice to be able to have him run around and get his play/exercise in while I'm there. On our hour drive home, he falls asleep before I hit the first stop sign. :)

Snow Cone!

Lazarus was a trooper on Wednesday, getting all four new mega shoes on. He paid for it yesterday and C said he was in pain and not moving much. She moved him inside where he would eat/drink in close proximity and could lay down in his 2ft of bedding.

Today, however, he seems to be back on track and being his goofy self. He is recovering faster with round two of shoes in comparison to five weeks ago.

So, being a good boy, he treated himself to a snow cone!
Slurp, slurp, slurp!

Enjoy Bubba! (just stay away from the yellow snow)

Two more steps on to the road to recovery!!! (we think)

I think some of you can tell, that I never want to jinx anything...but the positive side of me always loves to siiiiing good news! So (chirp chirp) here we go!

Lazarus had good..er, great xray results!!! Meaning no more rotation! The custom shoes with wedges and Equi-pak are creating the support he needs to keep his coffin bone stable in his hind legs. He front feet looked great and actually he grew (in 5 weeks) a lot of foot which shows good signs of the blood pumping properly from heart to hoof and back up.

Yes, yes, yes!!!!

I have to say, walking into the vet's to review the xrays last night, I had a surge of panic and fear. It helps to have the best support of not only my husband, but of the barn owners, C & J where we board at.

Exhale...

This was a great idea of C and the Vet, placing Laz's feed tub in front of him to keep him happy and occupied while the farrier worked on his two back hooves. He was nerve blocked but still those two hurt the most, and we want to do everything to keep his G.I. from flaring up with anxiety and ulcers. He was happy to munch along. Sorry about the awful quality of pictures...it was at night, fluorescent lighting and my blackberry phone. (yada yada)

Laz only has a few welts remaining. Something quite interesting I learned from Vet is that welts/allergic reactions are caused by something the horse has been exposed to before. They can't have an allergic reaction to something entirely new to their bodies (go figure?!) AND that it takes about 4 months for an allergic reaction to completely cycle through and leave their bodies. For now, we are holding off on the supplement G.U.T which seemed to cause the reaction. Perhaps an ingredient in it, etc. Totally sucks because I am a HUGE fan of Uckele's products and not to mention I spent the money. Oh well!

My Champion, Lazarus!

It was a tough day for him but he truly handled it the best he could.

Question for all of you; if you have a horse like Lazarus, that chews, head bobs, and weaves when nervous/anxious...how have you broke that habit? I've tried to talk soothingly, distract with carrots (that works for as long as he's eating a carrot), rub him and shout "Quit!" (which I hate because if I were nervous, someone shouting at me wouldn't help!)

Any suggestions?! I'm assuming it's time and that some habits may never stop.

Above is a picture taken from Oct 2008, the day I decided...'yup, I'm buying a horse. My first horse, this sweet little everyday looking Bay."

I've enjoyed so many moments with him and have learned a lot about this long battle with laminitis. So, from here, the vet still can't assure me that I can ride him 100% BUT we are moving in the right direction. Laz will have 3-4 more shoeings done (6 week spread in between) and with each shoeing/xrays, will tell us more.

However, I am SO thankful (inspired by this blog 'From the Horse's Back') to mention this. Ringing in the New Year, still having Lazarus living and wanting to fight makes me incredibly thankful!

Thank you Lazarus! I love you my sweet brown boy!

"Holding his own"

Literally the words from the vet!!

"Holding his own!"

That is great news to hear and I'll know more details as I finish up my work day later and then head out to the vet to review xrays tonight and discuss his options with the farrier there as well.

So far, I'm very hopeful!

I'll post more details as I get them, as I wasn't there this morning due to work but will be tonight to review everything and see my boy!

Thanks for all your good wishes and prayers, seems they are working!

Good thoughts!

Tomorrow is a big day for us.

The vet and farrier come out in the morning to take xrays (before shoe removal and after). I head out there to meet with the vet at 5 pm (and C & J the barn owners) to review what the xrays tell us, and then back to the barn for the farrier to put on another round of his special 'couture' shoes.

I (we) are hoping for stabilization or improvement....and for no signs of new or further rotation. Lazarus just deserves to get better and live a life pain free. It would also be a HUGE bonus if I could ride him again in the future! One year is just not enough, I felt we were just making huge strides in our partnership of riding.

So, that being said...this is for our good luck tomorrow-it's Lazarus's shoe in fact that I keep in my office for high hopes! I'll post soon after we get him comfortable again! It's so hard to focus on work during days like this, but in order to keep him (aka pay the vet bills) I need to!

Sweet Laz keeps fighting and seems to be emotionally fine!

Here is my beautiful boy, this past spring feeling good and looking spirited!

This is our goal.

If only they had thumbs...

I find myself saying this all the time, "If Lazarus (or Mason) had thumbs they could help out so much!" I feel they want to help; they use their mouths, they use their hooves/paws, etc trying to help. It's not their fault they don't have thumbs! :)

Laz here was nibbling on the wood (he is a wood chewer!) handle of my pitch fork. Maybe he wants to help clean up his paddock?

Peaceful Holidays

Happy Holidays everyone!

Lazarus and I are still doing well. Meaning, he is still fighting like the Champ he is with his laminitis and his new bout of welts. I am doing well, being I still have my brown boy alive and happy. Simple pleasures and very thankful for over this Holiday season!!

Here are his welts, going down actually, since last week. We are still trying to figure why he got these itchy welts.

Look at that hay belly..so much better than his ribby look he had for a bit!

How cute is this, the barn owner decorated for the Holidays! I found it funny that Laz's was a rocking horse, like old man in a rocking chair healing! LOL!

Look at those ears, love them! "Hi Mom!"

He is a pigpen, he loves to roll, lay down and really laaaay down and place his head on the ground stretched out. He did that before the laminitis too.

After grooming him lightly (I don't want to cause the welts to itch more) I swapped out his rain sheet and put him back into his winter blanket. I'll see if this was the culprit of the welts, although I don't think it is...

Look at that calm sleepy eye and he is totally smiling!

After spending a few hours (brrrr) outside with him, Mason and I left. Look how happy and peaceful the horses are here. We are so lucky to board here.

Mason loves coming here too! He is a city living dog, but loves the country life!

I hope everyone has an amazing New Year and wishing for a GREAT 2010!!!!!

Holy Hives!

My poor Laz!! He seems to be unable to catch a break! Well, I guess that is not entirely true being he is beating the odds so far with his laminitis.

Yesterday, I went out to see my sweet brown boy. It was warmer than usual, the sun was out, the wind was down and it was a balmy 32 degrees. So, being a 'good' horse owner, I thought, I need to yank off his blanket and really groom him (since I hadn't seen him in 24 hrs) and check him over. As much as I love putting on a warm blanket on his thinner body, I do feel it masks him and I can't fully see him. Laz was a bit off too, yesterday. Quite spooky, spinning and flinchy. Almost like a horse that was smacked around would act. I gently pulled off his blanket and literally gasped!

All over his body were hundreds of HIVES!!!!!!!!! It looked like mosquito bites but obviously not the season. I called the barn owner over and we put our heads together.

-He has had his winter blanket on for about a week, and no hives on Friday.

-He did start a new supplement G.U.T. for his ulcer prevention

-Maybe he's allergic to the scotch guard we sprayed on his winter coat about a month ago but I used the same brand as last year and he had no issue with it. Same winter coat too.

So, we decided not to give him his supplements and to switch him back to his rain sheet until we talked to the Vet this morning. Vet informed us that usually they administer a steroid that will take care of the issue. However, being Lazarus is healing from laminitis, he doesn't want to give him that being he thinks his laminitis may have been caused by what he calls a chemical founder. Too many medicines in his body during his colic, or some combination his body couldn't handle.

So, we have to wait a few days to hope they go away. Poor little man is so uncomfortable and itchy. I didn't want to scratch the hives because I know it'll make it worse for him. I did groom him lightly and if it wasn't cold out, I would hose him down for relief. But in the winter? I just hope he rolls in his cold sand for some relief.

Have any of you experienced hives? Allergic reactions to blankets? Supplements? Those are the only two new variables that I can think of!

Toothbrush?

Just another calm, peaceful day spent with my boy.

Our routine has been as follows: I get there all ridiculously bundled up to stay somewhat warm in 20 weather. I first walk over to him before going in to shout my "Hello!" I head into barn, grab my grooming brushes from my locker, head to his paddock/stall. I walk up to him and love on him and we chat for a bit. Usually, I then throw his a few flakes of hay. I unwrap his legs to allow them to breathe. Then I spend about an hour cleaning his area, picking up poops, loose wet hay and attempt to chip the ice out of the freezing sand to soften it a bit more. Then, I groom him. Then, I re-wrap his legs, top off his water, throw more hay and I head back to work.

The best part of it is I get to see him, breathe him and love on him.

Below was a funny quick video I took of him trying to 'groom' his brush and play with it. He was especially into 'grooming' me with his camel lip and grabbing my coat with his lip. Amazing how strong that lip can be. Nothing makes me laugh more. I think being he's been separated from the other herds, I've become his grooming buddy.

Easing into winter

Brrrrr! Depending on where you are, this weekend was C.O.L.D.! Like fingernails wanting to pop off your fingertips cold. Friday evening I went out to the barn, which now, I'm trying to do every other day to save a little on gas (drive is an hour each way) and catch up around the house, etc. Friday was frigid. Re-wrapping Laz's wraps in the WIIIINDY artic cold was hell. He was spooky and kept spinning while I was trying to wrap him! Finally, I had to pull him inside his stall, throw him some hay to persuade him to be quiet. I could stand the cold for about one wrap, then I would run back in the heated club/tack/grain room to warm up and did that for each leg! LOL! He was toasty warm with just his lightweight rain sheet on and did I mention the best news...Friday, when the vet came out, he thought Laz looked quite good!! We will cut his Equioxx dose in half starting tomorrow and Laz seems to be moving better and better each day!

Sweet Laz standing against the wind, he soon figured out that he could stand in his stall and reach his neck around to eat his hay and watch the other horses. Our next round of xrays/shoes is for Jan 6th! I'm so happy to see his improvement happen and am hoping for solid results via xrays!!

Friday, on my way home, I stopped at the North American Horse Expo to check out the goodies, horses and any sales. It was a cool show, lot's of different disciplines showing, unique horse breeds,;mares and stallions, and tack stores offering great deals. A little bittersweet for things that I can't use for a while, nor can really afford right now. I was able to save about 15% on Uckele products, such as E + Se, G.U.T. and Cocosoya which was great! Do any of you use G.U.T. for ulcer control? My vet thought it would help control Laz's ulcers for the future, so I went ahead and bought the BIG tub (for good luck).

Love draft horses, they are just so prehistoric looking and majestic. It was funny to see them just cruising around the Expo. Speaking of majestic, holy Fresian stallion that stole my heart. This is my husband's favorite breed.

Sorry for the fuzzy photos, but I tried to quickly snap these fast moving horses and well, they just didn't turn out that well. Below is a Spanish Barb Mare pregnant, rocking a Bob Marley hairstyle. Sweet girl.

There were three small arenas set up for demonstration, and this was a lovely dressage demo. I have never done any formal dressage training, although the woman I board at, knows a bit and has done a little with us. It would be something I would love to get into, I find it so fascinating and beautiful.

Below was a snoozing stallion that I thought was just lovely. I do love a paint horse! They are just walking pieces of contemporary art! It was a fun Expo and worth the savings on my supplements. A great way to spend a frigid day, still amongst horses.

Building Trust

Lazarus, on alert.

Something had his attention a few days ago and he has such a strong presence when he wants to. Even though he has the Mati beads braided in his mane and tail, he doesn't let the 'jewelry' take away his masculinity, lol!

Now that the weather is much cooler, I opted to put his rain sheet back on him. The little bit of extra warmth does his comprimised body some good, and keeps him from getting wet when laying in the wet sand.

Here is his looking into his stall, hesistating to come in for his water. We had to move his water inside to keep from freezing.

He comes in OK, but comes in slowly and carefully.

On most days, when I pull up to the barn, this is the image I see. My sweet boy standing in his sand paddock, ears perked facing me. Lately, favoring his right rear leg but moving from outside paddock to inside his stall and shifting weight. He seems to be easing into healing (????)...time will tell. But the perked eyes, the bright eyes, the healthy appetite all helps.

Yesterday, when I pulled up, I saw this and I have to say in the past it was an image of "awww look at how content he is." Now, it sometimes causes flashes of worry. I think; oh god, is he hurting more? Can he get up? Is his stomach upset? etc etc.

So I wheeled inside the barn, so I could go out to him and see what was up.

It was good news; meaning, he was just fine.

Laz was just totally relaxing, and chilling. In fact, I feel he would have lightly wagged his tail while laying down, like my dog would when approaching him snoozing. Laz stayed down for about 15 minutes. I snapped this quick shot, but then put my camera away and just rubbed his head, his neck, his ears. He strongly rubbed his head into my hands, blew out a content snort/sigh, and stretched his neck out like a giraffe for more grooming coverage. It was a total tender moment. I felt he allowed me to come near him when laying down, because he trusts/trusting me more. After he felt he had enough, he (quickly) stood up, pee'd (lol!) and then went back to munching his hay.

Made me smile ear to ear!

Swimming pool for Laz?

No, I have not gone crazy and bought a pool for sweet sweet Laz, but sort of wish I could!

I saw this company, The Sanctuary advertise on TheHorse.com and thought how lucky for some rich horse owners to have this for ailing babies. By 'babies' I mean of the Equine sort of course!

I know Lazarus would enjoy this pool therapy for his laminitis healing, as he loooooves to paw quite aggressively at water. Well, our one and only trail ride before he got sick, he did anyway!

I hope in about 8-12 mths, when...not if!..he heals, I can take him back on a trail ride and maybe allow him to swim a bit!? Granted it's a shallow river, certainly not a salt water pool like above!

For now, instead of purchasing a pool for him (yeah like it was a reality) he has a new left shoe, so both of his back feet are suited up with her power shoes and he has given us all (vet and farrier included) new hope for a recovery! We still have quite a battle and another round of xrays to hopefully prove we are right. His blood work is back to normal, ulcers seem to have settled so he is now off Gastrogard.

For now, I'm quite happy that Lazarus seems to be accepting the shoes with a gregarious appetite and fighting to stay alive!

Mt. Lazarus

Living in S.E. Michigan, it's pretty darn flat. There are some hills, but nothing grand and beautiful. The other day, while I was out grooming Laz and hugging him, I was noticing the fine detailing of the curves of his body. His sloping withers, his long back, his hips, his barrel, etc and thought they reminded me of beautiful rolling hills covered in streams of black icicles.

I love how his coloring even matches that of earth brown

Something very plush looking about a winter fur coat coming in

And like always, a little luck never hurt anyone! So Laz (per Vet's suggestion even) is sporting a new Greek Mati tied in his tail to work wonders specifically on his back hooves.