AboutLynne Curtis Expertise I do not participate in shows any more so some of my show specific knowledge could be out of date.
Experience I have been involved in horses for approximately 45 years. I showed hunters, jumpers and stock horses. In the 80's I was licensed as a trainer on the race track. I have run broodmare operations, delivered foals and taught everything from what to feed and which end the shoes go on to advanced jumping. I tend to be impatient with owners who think their horses prefer to be locked up in confined spaces. Even my show and race horses rarely spent more than only the night before an event in a stall...the rest of the time they had room to run. In 1975 I rode a Quarter Horse Stallion and a Thoroughbred Mare solo from Minneapolis to San Francisco.
Organizations The Long Riders Guild (an international organization of equestrian explorers who have ridden over 1,000 miles for non-commercial purposes)
Publications "The Long Ride" Published in Women Sports Magazine March of 1975 an article regarding the author's cross country horseback ride from Minnesota to California.
"A Horse is a Horse,of Course" An article regarding investigating horse incidents and the Equine Liability Act for investigators and attorneys. published in The Legal Investigator, February 2004
"Investigating Animal Cases:" A chapter written at the request of the editors for a professional textbook entitled Advanced Forensic Civil Investigations published by Lawyers and Judges Publishing June, 1997
"Murder by Another Name:" An article published in The John Cook Fraud Report, December 1994 regarding the intentional killing of horses for greed and insurance fraud.
"The Responsibilities of Horse Owners in Rural Communities:" A paper presented before the Regional Seminar of the National Association of Legal Investigators in November 1987 at Phoenix, Arizona.
"The Old Gray Mare is Worth $10,000,000 Now." A professional paper on the investigation of cases involving bloodstock and racetracks presented before the National Conference of the National Association of Legal Investigators in Washington, D.C., June 1986.
Education/Credentials 3 years of confined college....no degree. Advanced degree from the university of experience :>)
Awards and Honors Receipient of the 1st place Anthony M. Golec Editor-Publisher Award 2004
Question One of my horses has developed founder, and I was wondering if the grass is sweeter in the morning, afternoon or evening. I understand to control the amount of time she is turned out, however I do not know if the grass is sweeter at any particular time of day.
Answer Dear Sheila
Grass is sweeter when it has been frosted. I see you are in Canada. Those early morning frosts on the grass can up the sugar content. Educate yourself on various grass types etc by taking a gander at http://www.safergrass.org
I use grazing muzzles on my horses that insist on porking out in the pasture. MOST of them tolerate the muzzle well and spend hour after hour eating one blade of grass at a time. The kind I use is http://www.bestfriendequine.com/deluxe-grazing-muzzle.html One caveat, turning horses out in pasture with a nylon halter has its dangers. The problem with nylon is it doesn't break and a horse can catch it on something and die in the attempt to get free. This muzzle has a weak plastic clip that acts as a fuse and will break if the horse gets snagged. For my clever horses, that plastic clip is a bit too easy to break. I replaced it with a very thin leather western stirrup keeper. It is a short, thin leather strap with a small buckle. The leather will break if the horse gets caught, but it is a little stronger than the plastic piece.
A really important key is to take some of the excess weight off your horse. You didn't say, but horses prone to insulin resistance tend to be on the fat side. Good luck. Hopefully this will be the only time she founders, since once founder becomes a chronic problem it is a much bigger problem.
