Weekend relaxation part 1

What can I say?

Saturday was just beautiful!!! Blue, sunny skies and warm spring like weather all day! I groomed Laz and busted out the beloved showsheen and got that boy shining! Well, when I say shining, I really mean, I got the dirt off. lol!

I took crazy Mason into the arena for some 'schooling'

After playing with Mason, I grabbed some of the snow and created a snow ball for Laz to nibble on. It was WARM on Saturday, with no wind and tons of sun!

Laz loved it

Old man Mason, who turns 7 in May, gets instantly sleepy in the car and takes the full hour it takes to get home for nap time. He is one special dog... to us, the greatest Lab ever. I'm sure many of you have one of those too. :)

Then, later that day, I took my Husband to see "The Horse Boy" which was showing one day only at the Detroit Institute of Arts. I know some of you have seen this touching movie about a dedicated father and mother, trying to find help for their young autistic son. It was a beautiful, heartfelt documentary. Rent it, see it, it's beautiful.

The beautiful DIA

Inside the theatre, it was our first time there and WOW is it gorgeous!

This was the ceiling and framing around the screen

Very cool and equine filled day! I am hoping the sun is reaching all of you and your horse's muzzles!

Yes, this horse has someone who loves him...I swear!

No, this isn't an image from Animal Cops of a mistreated animal. This is my horse!!!

Lucky for Laz:

A. I have time to groom him every other day when I come see him

B. That I enjoy grooming

C. That all my time goes to grooming and kissing up on him

D. If we were able to ride, I would have NO time to with all this grooming!

We have been getting LOTS of sunshine and nicer spring-like weather here in Michigan so Laz has been rolling in his wet sand I think to cool off. Nice. Don't you want to just lay your cheek on this mess?

No.

Thank god he is not a Gray!!!

So after I got him clean, he went in his stall where it was cooler to sneak in a snooze.

Love the sun hitting his foot and muzzle

Is that sweet horse's breath I see? mmmmm ;)

So, aw, isn't he sweet. Yes, he was. But as I said, Spring was in the air and all the horses went crazy running from their paddock to pasture and back and forth. Laz in turn, RAN, reared, bucked from his 16 x 16 paddock to stall and back and forth and "oh sorry Mom but YOU ARE IN MY WAY-MOOOOOOOOOOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" as I stumbled to avoid getting killed by my teenage minded OTTB and almost fell into his feed tub of hay. He did that psycho dance for about 15 minutes and worked himself up in a trembling sweat. Las finally settled down but the whole time I was a bit worried he was really going to hurt himself. He was running so fast that he actually spun inside his stall and fell on his good leg. Great! Perfect. He was OK.

We are backing him off his meds- he is now on a 1/4 tube of Equioxx so he can start feeling more and perhaps not testing his pain as much. I'm monitoring how he'll do on that. I can't wait for his paddock area to be opened up a bit and maybe we are going to move Stormy (his little Bay Arab friend) up next to him, separated still, but so he can have a companion close by.

Lots of good changes happening for Laz man soon!

Sun siesta

Have you ever noticed how your horse keeps a schedule? One positive side to this whole laminitis nightmare is that I've been spending much more time with Laz. Quality time, bonding time and horse poop shoveling time too. ;) At any rate, I've noticed that I come right around the time he likes to nap. Today was that day, I was literally keeping him up by my chattering and busying around him. It was so beautiful out today here in Michigan. Totally warm sunny day and birds chirping, and I even heard a nearby hawk squealing.

This yawn was my polite boy saying "um....I need a nap, Mom."

Even Jessie (the pretty blondie pictured) was resting peacefully. That poor Mare doesn't lay down. Ever. Ever! She literally falls asleep and sometimes falls down forward. It's awful to see and the other day I threw a soft snowball to wake her up because I worry for her. She is sweet and I wish she could sleep. The BO has done everything for her to provide a safe home, supplements etc, and nothing seems to work for her. She was attacked at a young age while sleeping so the BO thinks it's why she doesn't lay down.

Any advice from anyone who has seen this?

It's almost like narcolepsy but not that bad.

Blue skies and soft eyes

Laz sometimes reminds me of a dinosaur

So, while I was grooming him, he just sighed and seem to say "well, if you aren't leaving, excuse me but I'm resting-you can brush me down here."

Poor Laz has two rub off spots from laying down more than the average horse...they haven't turned to sores quite yet but I'm keeping an eye out

His copper tones come out with the Sun shining down

You can see on his left front foot, an old racing injury on his heel bulb.

This is my kind of "resting in peace" but with a heartbeat thank you!!!!!

Mason was in awe of his big brother laying down and this is as close as he gets to him, lol

Cleaned horse, brushed mane and tail+Sunny afternoon=laying down in wet sand

I can't wait until he feels better and the weather is warm to give him a proper bath- it's been MONTHS!!!!

Happy boy

Aw, shucks

Blushing cheeks, this award is as good as a Blue ribbon, to me!

Thank you to Juliette, OntheBit, Frizzle, Breathe (sorry if I missed someone) for the honor of tagging me as 1 of their 15 blogs

So the rules are: Tell 7 things about yourself and to give this award to 15 other blogs/bloggers.

So, here we go:

1. I I am Greek, 100%, my Mom was born in Athens, Greece and my Dad was born in Detroit, Michigan to his Greek parents straight off the boat. My friends tell me my Mom has an accent, but I don’t hear it. Both my Parents are daily inspiration to me as to what kind of people I aspire to be in life, work and play. I am lucky.

2. My husband and I were set up an a blind date by two different people that didn’t know each other. Fate, yes. I fought it for a long time but when I finally met him, he made me exhale all the nervous demons out. He makes me crack up daily and offers tremendous support in all I do and I try to do the same as well. He is tall and handsome and has the kindest eyes and the best zinger one liners.

3. I I am my own version of a Vegan. I don’t eat meat, dairy or eggs, but I die over seafood and eat that enough that it could be a problem for the ocean’s eco system. I do occasionally cheat if I have an odd craving for meat but it tastes like death usually and I stop after one bite. I’m lactose intolerant, so there you go. I’ve been a Kristen Vegan for almost a year and love it. It opens the door to so many different forms of cuisine and I’ve notice most of the world eats similar to this. And, I love salt and French fries and olives and eggplant sandwiches and Greek style Okra. Yum.

4. When I’m nervous, I literally shake. My legs, my back and my teeth chatter. It’s not cute especially when in the past trying to do horse shows. I shake on plane rides but it doesn’t stop me from flying. I shake when I get bad news. It’s anxiety but I have learned to deal with it and can usually stop it within a few minutes. Sometimes I struggle with it in the saddle which is the worst because if my horse couldn’t tell from my elevated heart rate, he certainly can tell from the shaking stirrups. Lol!

5. I I am a klutz. I danced for years and still fall, trip, walk into walls, bump my head on my car door getting out, stumble up stairs, fall in my high heels and bite my cheeks all the time.

6. I I got accepted into the Art Institute of Chicago. I didn’t attend college there ( I went to Central Michigan U) but I wanted to see IF I could get accepted for vanity’s sake. It was the scariest and happiest day of my life. You arrive with your art portfolio in the am, drop it off with the judges, tour the facility, fall in love with the school and come back to hear the panel’s thoughts on your artwork. There were many crying teens and I felt guilty that I got accepted knowing that I wasn’t going to go. Oops.

7. I I am dying to compete in the Amazing Race. I will eat anything, do anything minus the height/flying/bungee jumping crazy stuff, or drive over a bridge, I don’t like tall bridges when I’m driving. That is where my sweet Husband would have to take over. I think we could win and it looks like a total blast to be able to travel on someone else’s dime and immerse yourself in that culture for 24 hrs.

15 great blogs to pass this award onto:

So, I guess, I can't pass it along to Juliette, OntheBit , Frizzle or Breathe (BUT I SO WOULD FYI) but I just want to say you three are amazing ladies and I not only enjoy reading your blogs, but feel a horsefriendship through it as well. I feel that Laz and I have a huge support and range of knowledge out there. Mwa!!!! I'll also try to pick people that haven't been chosen yet, as well.

1. http://wildponybeast.blogspot.com/ If you don't already read this (she has a million followers) get over there asap. This girl owns a beaut of an OTTB mare with attitude and flair. Not to mention, Denali's owner is as funny as they come! She personally helped to connect me with a barefoot specialist as well. We owe her tons! xo

2. http://bitlesshorse.blogspot.com/ this girl is tiny but BIG on ideas and love of horses...SO cool! I'm new following her but, wow.

3. http://solitairemare.blogspot.com/ -this blogs latest entry of riding brideless is A-mazing. Literally something out of a dream, like when you were a child wishing for your 1st pony and how you just envisioned riding it bareback and without a bridle (come on, I was a child during The Black Stallion era). So cool.

4. http://horseshoes-n-handgrenades.blogspot.com/ - this blog's owner has three of the most beautiful horses, I totally have horse envy! :)

5. http://ohhorsefeathers.blogspot.com/ this chick rocks! I love how she personally reached out to me for more info regarding this new barefoot method we are trying. Thx! Lots of fun photos on her blog!

6. http://ponygirlridesagain.blogspot.com/ Wow, this girl has a talent for photography. It doesn't hurt that her "My Boy" is totally gorgeous!!

7. http://thewindofheaven.blogspot.com/ this blog is a soft breath of air, and she writes beautifully. She seems so kind so I hope this award will pass along a little smile to her.

8. http://msfoxypants.blogspot.com/ This blogger is rehabbing a beauty of a Mare with navicular and anyone who calls their horse a 'money eating wonder horse' gets my vote, lol!

9. http://bigredhorse.blogspot.com/ This girl's Giant Red TB is gorg and so athletically talented! Not to mention his Mom on his back! Boy they could ride circles around me.

10. http://afatgirlafathorse.blogspot.com/ I love this girls honesty and love for riding no matter what!

11. http://baystatebrumby.blogspot.com/ Love this blogger's photos of her trail rides, makes me feel like I've been riding all winter long on her fuzzy paint, Lilly.

12. http://special.equisearch.com/blog/equitrekking/ Have you seen this show on PBS, it's called "Equitrekking' and I love it. Traveling, HBriding, eating, etc...what's not to be jealous about, she has the best job! PBS, if you need someone for "Equitrekking with a foul mouth" let me know! ;)

13. http://www.houseofturquoise.com/ Non horse related but a beautiful design blog about everything Turquoise in design..slurp!

14. http://decordeprovence.blogspot.com/ Again, design related. This girls design sense is so similar to my own...love it! :) Photos are dreamy.

15. http://www.canterusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=35&Itemid=55 CANTER Michigan, last but certainly not least. They were on board with helping me get my sweet Lazarus before he even entered their hands and educated me a lot. xo

A Hugging barefoot man

So today I had my 10 o'clock appointment with barefoot specialist, Cliff, who was as kind in person as he was on the phone. We met at my Vet's along with my uber supportive BO's to all hear methods, thoughts, etc.

Cliff has the sweetest personality and calmness to him. That being said, I'm always on defense when it comes to my brown baby, so it's sometimes difficult totally embracing a stranger that is coming to work on my horse. BUT...Cliff quickly won me over. After our meeting at the vet, we went over to have him see Lazarus in person (in horse?). Cliff talks to the horse, introducing him by touch and smell which was sweet. He was unconventional and crawled around on the ground along Laz's legs and hooves. Yikes, I thought, but Laz was fine. Cliff hugged Laz. Ask Laz to lift his feet, didn't tell. Cliff even hugged all of us when he was finished looking and talking and making me feel comfortable. AND..he didn't charge a thing to come today. Totally cool in my book. Cliff really seems to love what he does, as he informed us he is battling his own health problems but still somehow finds the strength to want to help hurting horses.

Crazy...this whole thing is crazy and I hope it's crazy enough to work. Or is it crazy? Maybe my old methods were crazy? My farrier was amazing though, I do want to say, he never yelled or mistreated the horses ever...and I'm hoping he wants to learn from Cliff for the future possibly.

As of now, with Laz's Megashoes still on, we are going with barefoot Cliff (he wears shoes, his horses don't, lol) and have our appointment set for March 19th in the late afternoon.

He felt Laz will be fine until then and being he has heartbar shoes on, for just a little over a week, I'm assuming, he may want to wait for a bit more hoof growth.

Cliff's intentions are to keep Laz on a bland diet; 1st and 2nd cutting grass hay switch his senior feed to Triple Crown L/S (low starch), no supplements until he is stable. We are aiding Laz with a 1/3 of tube of Equioxx (anti-inflammatory) but the goal is to wean him off of that, if Laz can' tolerate. Also, Cliff wants to open his 16' x 16' walkout and create a larger paddock to encourage movement to help with blood flow, etc for hoof as I'm sure it's only helpful for the horse's delicate GI system.

Cliff will fit Laz to the Easy Boots as well, on March 19th and wants me to continue with wrapping his legs for support but may look into using Pegasus leg boots during day/turnout and then removing them at night to allow to breathe.

Lazarus's mental attitude remains to be of a Champion (puppy) and I hope it remains.

I have to say, this is difficult and I'm SO NOT used to this method of thinking, but am really VERY excited.

Lot's of learning to come.

I hope, hope, hope this works....and have to say, I'm nervous Laz won't be OK to wait until March 19th but Cliff assured me, he will. We are putting our trust into Cliff's experienced hands for now.

Sorry for the sideways video, it's from my crackberry and I don't know how to flip it. My purpose was so you could see how well Laz is still moving.

So, off to do more homework given by Barefoot Cliff

http://safergrass.org/

and

a book called "Founder" that he mentioned was a bit outdated but still had good info on understanding methods, etc

Leap of Faith

So, here is where I've been for the last week.

Accepting the news that Lazarus's life was going to be cut shorter....accepting? No...I was angry, hurt, cheated and defeated. My family, husband and friends here helped me steady myself.

But...then an email came through from a blogging friend of support, (two actually in particular that kept gently nudging and urging me- Denali and Frizzle- thank you) and a tiny flicker of "maybe" hope? An idea. A thought. A method.

Barefoot, natural hoof care.

At first, I didn't know much (or anything) about it. That evening after exchanging emails back and forth with my fellow OTTB owner friend, emailing her connections/contacts, emailing and researching local specialists in my area..I began to read, and read, and read and learn and got very, very, very awake. I felt a tiny lift from the dark cloud, of "what if?" My family and I were all in the living room together, watching the Olympics and I spun my laptop around for my Mom to read what I was finding. Her eyes lit up and she whispered, "why not?"

So, I happened to contact a well respected barefoot specialist by the name of Cliff, who happens to be the past president of the American Hoof Association (what those credentials mean to me?..not sure yet) BUT also happens to live 30 minutes from where I keep Lazarus AND is willing and happy to help us out. Oh, and did I mention, the cost is way more affordable than what I've been doing?! As I'm a newbie in this avenue, click here for more information of a guy who he's trained alongside with. What I can tell you is, that this gentleman Cliff seems kind, hopeful and has saved many horses with similar laminitis as my boy. He is meeting me tomorrow, along with my vet, to view xrays and see what we can do.

I know this is a gamble...but literally, what do I have to lose? Lazarus had a scheduled euthanizing date...it's now postponed!!! I hope to cancel it all together. If we think we can move forward to start this barefoot rehabbing, we start by removing his heart bar shoes (actually all four shoes off) along with the use of Easy Boots to transition Laz into comfort until he can go totally barefoot. We could see results soon, or in months but Cliff's goal is always to get the horse healthy, comfortable and ride-able.

The ride-able part would be a huge win.

To save my boy, is the priority right now.

I want to share with you some of the testimonials that came from Cliff's past clients:

Hi Kristen,

I have included a little video of my mare that Cliff brought back from the dark side of founder. I was grasping for straws when he showed up. She was down, and the vet was waiting with the fatal needle. Along with the homeopathic Vet Sue Thompson. They both worked hard to get her back to frolicking and we are riding her again so yes I suggest you give him a try.

*****

Hello, Prior to reading your blog, I can without hesitation say the Cliff is your answer. I struggled with our Arabian who my teenage daughter showed and loved with all her life. Suddenly, he foundered. For over a year, we worked with vets, Styrofoam and duct tape hooves, sedatives as he was on complete stall rest. He was taken off grass completely. Still, he would get a little better and she would start riding and boom...back again. It was the most stressful thing in the world to see him suffer and not know what was causing it and how to get him over it.

Cliff came into the picture as I worked in a middle school and was talking to another mom about her horses. She told me about Cliff. I called him and he offered his help. I was meet with so much negativity at the barn I was boarding at. They were 100% convinced this horse was done. I basically felt like what Cliff said made sense and that all the medical things we had tried was possible aggravating the problem. To let my horse go without shoes was scary as I had been convinced taking off his shoes would ruin his feet. So, I trusted Cliff. He is so informed on this issue and has a passion for helping horses.

He saved our horse...period. My daughter was able to take her horse back into the show ring several months later and the horse performed the best he has ever...barefoot. Western Pleasure Champion, Class A Arab Circuit.

There were times when I would be worried about any little thing and Cliff would come right out. You have to know that once we started working with Cliff, my former boarding caretakers were watching for this to fail. Many times Cliff showed up along with the vet (I had called) and eventually, the vet became his fan.

So, I can say with a resounding yes... give him a try. For the sake of your horse. Cliff understand horses and he attempts to give them back their life as it was meant to be. He is honest, reliable and genuine.

*****

Dear Kristen: I cannot say enough good things about this man. He has saved my horses life more than once or twice, he is very knowledgeable in going barefoot, founder, and the horses diet for founder. My horse has foundered 4x now all due to what I would call barn errors at boarding facilities. Luckily I met Cliff after the 2nd one he has been detrimental in the care of my horse since. It does take some getting used to, seeing your horse without shoes. I do ride with Easy Boots when I am on the road or rough trail. Good luck to you I hope this helps, feel free to contact me if you have more concerns.

*****

I know how you feel, and believe me it was difficult for me to make the plunge to barefoot, natural hoof care, however I truly feel that this procedure has saved my horse. Cammie has actually been trotting around and kicking up her heels in the snow this winter. I saw improvement immediately and Cammie is just getting better and better. I can't say enough good things about Cliff. He is professional, prompt, knowledgeable, and kind. He will inform you every step of the way. Good Luck and let me know how it goes. I am sorry I waited as long as I did to go this route.

I know this barefoot method could not work, but at least I'll know I've done all I could for Lazarus.

I am going by the brightness of his eye and his mental encouragement. I know many of you may not agree with this, but for us, if it can happen, it feels like the right choice.

Finding normalcy

It's been a few days since Hell.

It is not easy, but I feel I have found some footing.

It's a pain in my heart, that I feel in my throat, in my stomach, my mind. I try to leave it in my car when I pull up to the barn. Sometimes, I'm able to....mostly, I am not. I don't want to cry or feel sad but how can I not? I'm losing my beloved first horse. I am trying to be thankful that I have a couple of weeks with him, that in the face of this most unfair choice by nature, that at least I have him to say goodbye for a little while. I have time. That is something so many of other great horse owners, have not had.

I'm taking that opportunity with both hands and gripping it.

Right now, I am able to still smell, touch, feel, see Lazarus.

I have my good friend, an insanely talented photographer coming out this Saturday for a photo shoot. I can not wait to see those images, to have those images forever. To show my future (hopefully) horse loving children the photos of Lazarus.

I have been with Lazarus everyday since Thursday except for today. It's a freaking snow blizzard, I have to work and as life happens, we lost my Husband's Stepfather over the weekend, in his long battle against lung cancer. I will be gone Wed-Friday to be with our family for that loss. I am finding that the numbness helps and I think I am stronger than I originally thought. I am surrounded by an amazing group; family, friends, blogger friends who lend support in forms of understanding, compassion and even humor. We must laugh in the darkest hours to prevent totally loosing it. I am thankful to be married to a sweet, funny and unbelievably supportive husband who holds me and makes me laugh when I need it most.

So, in finding some normalcy, my Mom and I have spent the last four days with Lazarus. Lazarus is doing quite well (aside from his nerve damage and dying hoof and dying coffin bone-that is there and not changing) but he is eating/drinking, rubbing his giant, beautiful head all over us, enjoying his grooming, laying down, rolling, moving and in fact, in talking to the BO, enjoying this snow storm. He has the choice to be out in his personal paddock or inside in well bedded stall, and the 3" snow layer on his coat proves he has had enough of the stall life from his past, and prefers to be an outdoor gentleman. Whatever he wants. That is my 'm.o' for Laz now.

Whatever he wants, he will get. I will make damn sure of that.

Starting with treats...

Standing brave and tall getting his last shoes.

I don't know if it's that I'm seeing things differently, or just more clearly now but I swear...I'm seeing the signs. His eyes are a bit different and his body seems a bit different.

Weaker. Tired.

His Spirit is still strong, but now I know, it just won't be for long.

Just enjoying the lovely details of Lazarus

The back of his hind leg above his knee

His closed eye, soft and calm

Life.

My boy loves to eat, and I find his wet mouth so calming and kissable

Diving in for the soft bottom goodies

Touch

Ellie, who will be two this spring, watches over Laz often

Part of our everyday 4 month routine

Mason and the BO's two dogs, help keep things light and fun during harder moments

Today, Mason at home with me, patiently waiting for tomorrow to play