AboutLynne Curtis Expertise I do not participate in shows any more so some of my show specific knowledge could be out of date.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 Dear Lynne,
My husband and I are very new to the horse world. My husband horse is pregnant and is expecting any day now so he can not ride her. My horse is not and I love to ride, but when I get on her we can not get very far because she is attached to my husbands horse. I need advice on how to handle this. I do not want to be mean but I believe that it would not hurt her to go for a ride without my husbands horse.
Thank you
Sonya
Answer Dear Sonya
You are describing a herd bound horse. This can take a little time, but if you are patient, it works.
First, you need to figure out how far away from her stable mate your horse is comfortable being.
Ride her away to that place for a moment and then return. Ride away again, just a tiny bit further, stay a moment longer, then ride back. Keep doing this over and over and over each time riding a bit farther away and staying a little longer. While you are doing this, take advantage of the time to work on enforcing leg cues. When you ask your horse to move forward, she should do so. This requires plenty of time and patience. You will not get the result you are looking for immediately. Take lots and lots of time and calmly keep doing it each time further and longer. No anger, no whipping, just calm repetition. Do make certain each time you turn her around to go back that it is NOT at the same place nor will you make your turns in the same direction.
Eventually, moving away from the other horse will become more comfortable. Sometimes after you pass stage one and your horse will happily go out on the trail with you for a few hours, you may find she is in too much of a hurry to return. If she refuses to walk home there are two things that will help. One is, every time she breaks from a walk to a faster gait, turn her away from home. When she settles to a walk, turn her back towards home. Again, no temper, just calm. If she ignores the walk cue again, turn her away from home until she settles. The big trick here is, you, must have much more time that she does. You can’t train a horse in a hurry.
Two, when you get home, DON’T unsaddle her and turn her loose with her buddy or feed her immediately. Tie her somewhere and go do some chores. Leave her tacked up and ready until she stands calmly. This will often take an hour or more. The idea here is to think like the horse. If you were certain that heading towards home always meant a foot rub, a glass of champagne and a delicious meal, you’d be in a big hurry too. If going home just means you have to stand around and wait, you won’t be in such a rush
Horses are herd animals. They like to be with their buddies. However, the price they pay for all those good oats is an occasional adventure without their best horse friends. It isn’t mean to insist on equine cooperation and it certainly won't hurt her. While trying to think like a horse, you might want to speak to your horse about thinking like a person :>)Sometimes we all have to things we don't particuliarly want to. A good attitude about it makes them much less painful.
