Cheeky cob's puddle aversion! WWYD?

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MiniScam

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My rising 6yo coblet is a very brave, intelligent boy with a good sense of humour...! We have just moved to a new yard, and our hacking has lots of puddles - some of which cover the path.
If left to his own devices (i.e. I hold the buckle, ignore him and have a chat) he will play in the water, blowing bubbles and pawing with his hooves, and he'll walk through - and probably lie down if he could... This is both for small and big puddles alike. However, if I ask him to walk through the puddle (pick up reins, and god forbid use my legs), he will flat out refuse to walk on. All of our other horses are fine with water, but he won't take a lead from them.

So WWYD? I don't want to make him dead to the leg (a previous sharer has managed to reduce his sensitivity in that department already) or to create an issue by making a big deal of it. Recently, I've been getting off and leading him through puddles - which he will do reluctantly. However this isn't ideal for maintaining the temperature of my feet! Any ideas?
 
MiniScam said:
My rising 6yo coblet is a very brave, intelligent boy with a good sense of humour...! We have just moved to a new yard, and our hacking has lots of puddles - some of which cover the path.
If left to his own devices (i.e. I hold the buckle, ignore him and have a chat) he will play in the water, blowing bubbles and pawing with his hooves, and he'll walk through - and probably lie down if he could... This is both for small and big puddles alike. However, if I ask him to walk through the puddle (pick up reins, and god forbid use my legs), he will flat out refuse to walk on. All of our other horses are fine with water, but he won't take a lead from them.

So WWYD? I don't want to make him dead to the leg (a previous sharer has managed to reduce his sensitivity in that department already) or to create an issue by making a big deal of it. Recently, I've been getting off and leading him through puddles - which he will do reluctantly. However this isn't ideal for maintaining the temperature of my feet! Any ideas?
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Go in a day when you have all day. Make him go through the puddle with you on board - if you can take someone who can lead you from ground if necessary. Treat it like trailer loading - pressure and release for as long as needed. If you aren't experienced enough for this get someone who is to go with you - they do it then you do it.
 
My cob inadvertently learnt it was ok to stop and sniff dung (because I let him when walking on a loose rein so my fault
entirely!) and ended up point blank refusing to walk past it until he’d had a sniff. I had to use plenty of leg and really get him going forward long before we got to it which helped and he stopped doing it after a while.
 
My highland will only walk through a puddle if he is allowed to sniff it and explore it with his whiskers, if I try and "ride" him through he neatly sidesteps it. I suspect it is because unless he is absolutely certain its not a deep puddle (think Vicar of Dibley) he wont set hoof in it in case he drowns. Given that his survival in the wild would depend on his senses and surefootedness, although I do get a bit irritated about it, at the end of the day, actually I dont know for sure how deep the puddle is so I let him have his way. Could it simply be his survival instinct?
 
MyBoyChe said:
My highland will only walk through a puddle if he is allowed to sniff it and explore it with his whiskers, if I try and "ride" him through he neatly sidesteps it. I suspect it is because unless he is absolutely certain its not a deep puddle (think Vicar of Dibley) he wont set hoof in it in case he drowns. Given that his survival in the wild would depend on his senses and surefootedness, although I do get a bit irritated about it, at the end of the day, actually I dont know for sure how deep the puddle is so I let him have his way. Could it simply be his survival instinct?
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This is a good point. I’ve just got back from South Africa where I was riding out in the bush. My guides horse would occasionally stop and refuse to go places, often it would turn out that the ground had been underrun by warthog or aardvark burrows and wasn’t safe. On one occasion the guide thought he knew best and insisted on navigating a route between the burrow entrances. The rest of us followed on naively. Next thing we knew, the vibrations from the horses hooves disturbed a swarm of wasps who were underground in one of the burrows. We ended up setting off at speed with wasps in hot pursuit! No help to the OP but an interesting example of the horses instincts being better than ours!
 
I would ride at the puddle. If he refused I would keep on at him until he does it. Even if it takes all day. If it takes two hours on day one then it will likely only take five minutes on day two so long as you do not give in!
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone, I wish it were as easy as giving him a slap or few, he doesn't respond. Flat out refuses, it just makes him more determined.
Does anyone have any thoughts on me getting off and leading through? Does that give in to him do you think? My reasoning is that he is having to do it but it doesn't involve a battle. So eventually he'll learn to just go through without the games! I am conscious of not making it an issue - I think it's partly learnt behaviour but driven by fear initially and I don't want him associating puddles with a negative experience - it's a balance as he's young. I'd rather get him in gently and him get bored of fighting! Stupid idea?!
 
If a crack won't work - sit it out. Ask him twice and he refuses just sit there. Make sure you have all day.

Alternatively go out with another horse and just follow it back and fourth several times.
 
A couple of years ago, out riding in Dordogne, the guide's horse was really averse to water on the road or trail surface...

According to the guide, this is a horse that is left in livery and the owner rides in dressage competitions, and it is really well behaved in the arena but out in the wild it was really skittish, as I saw riding down lanes alongside sheep enclosures.

So, riding on tarmacked road down a steep slope after hours of rain, things got tricky... With a grass bank to the left, water streaming across our road, the horse refused to go on and started to walk crab-fashion up the slope to try to avoid the water... the guide got it back down onto the road, still... so I put my horse on the left and ahead, with the idea that if the guide's horse saw another horse go into the water, the guide's horse might understand that there was no danger. And my horse's body would be a barrier to stop the other from crabbing up the bank...

It sort of worked. Until we got to the river, and wanted to wade...
 
MiniScam said:
If left to his own devices (i.e. I hold the buckle, ignore him and have a chat) he will play in the water, blowing bubbles and pawing with his hooves, and he'll walk through - and probably lie down if he could...

So WWYD?
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At this stage I would use the relaxed fashion that you know works with him going through the puddles, albeit in his own time. I would have relaxed reins either slightly longer than usual but not on the buckle or reins the usual length but with my hands forward, I would let him test the water but limit the amount of playing and sit quietly while he got on with the walking through.
 
I never did get my first horse to willingly go through puddles, she happily went through rivers or in the sea but puddles were to be gone round or over!
However, how about wearing rubber riding boots then as you approach get off to lead but instead of remounting once you are through the puddle, get on again whilst still in the puddle? That way you ride out of it and hopefully horse gradually learns confidence.
 
Thanks everyone, I think it'll be a waiting game and battle of patience! Took him out yesterday and he sniffed and played in the first horse-eating puddle, then took himself through (why do they do that as soon as you ask for help?!). The second puddle I asked him to go around and the third puddle he tried to walk in - after getting halfway past. I swear it's a mind game - he wants to do whatever I don't want him to do! (I love him! Haha)
After that he was a bit hesitant but not too bad and we had no major standoffs and he went into a couple more! So I'm not sure we've exactly cracked it but it's progress. I will continue to follow your advice of patience, following lead horses and calm confidence. And I'll try to mix it up a bit so he doesn't know if I want him in or out of the puddle, that seemed to work too.
Thanks everyone! Xx
 
My old boy, TB/highland would titter round puddles, really dangerous water dragons lived there. Confronted with water jumps, fords etc , no hesitation of pace, would show horses on pleasure rides the way to go. Would jump in and out of water with no hesitation.

Horses are so odd!
 
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