Curing fear of water

metalmare

metalmare

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My yearling refuses to go through water to the extent that yesterday I was unable to remove him from the field because there was an icy puddle in the gateway.

We tried various ways of encouraging him through, all calmly and quietly so as not to worsen things, but he wasn't having it.

I know the ideal is to get a lead from another pony, but until then, any ideas?
 
Was the puddle still frozen? Perhaps thats what spoked him. If ice is the issue could you break it or clear the ice & just leave a watery puddle, it may be that he fears slipping. Will he feed from a bucket? Try putting the bucket down at the edge of the puddle & slowly move it away from him into the water. Make sure you don't stand in front of him because he may leap or rush through once he gets the courage to go. Good luck!
 
It's all water, with and without ice (had similar problems in the summer while walking out).

We'll try food :) can see our trimmer having to do him in the field tomorrow!
 
Work him in hand for about 5 minutes changing his direction making him walk round you in circles, make him back up, make him trot with you and stop, change direction and generally get him listening and responsive to you. Then ask him to go forwards and through the puddle, if he ignores you work him in hand again as he has to learn to trust you and be responsive to following you. Another thing that can work is backing them up into it. You really need to start doing this all now as he has to learn that he needs to go forwards. There are going to be plenty coming up in his life like going into a trailer etc that he needs to learn to trust you over.
 
Make sure you have plenty of time,(could be hours!) make sure he has a strong headcollar on whether that be leather or nylon, Be Nice, Dually or a rope halter, whatever it is; bung a hat and gloves on, get a long lunge rein to clip onto headcollar, put yourself on the side of the water you want him to come to and wait him out by keeping pressure on the rope and not allowing him a step backwards. If he moves forward, slacken off and praise him by voice but still, if he stops again, keep up the pressure. In time, he'll get bored - and hungry so be prepared for a huge leap forward to try to get through the puddle quickly. If he does come through, stop him, praise him and turn him straight around and lead him through it back to the field, talking to him the whole time but acting as if it's natural to walk through water. Then turn him back again and this time, put him away as normal.
If you don't break this now, he'll be a total brat dictating what he does, in his own time and that's not on. If you lead/ride him, he should trust you to go anywhere but if you let him get away with this, he'll take that into further life.

That's the nice way, the tough way is to have someone else behind him pushing him on and making it uncomfortable to be there so he wants to be with you which means coming through the water. You mustn't give up on the pressure and the friend behind him mustn't stop worrying him whether that be by broom or lungewhip, but they mustn't stop; he has to go forward, he has to learn it's uncomfortable to prat about and it's safe with you. Again, get him through, make a lot of him (no titbits!) take him back and so on as before but hopefully the 'worrier' can stay out of it by now as he's at last got his feet wet anyway.

Now both methods are on the understanding that you and your helper are old enough and experienced enough to know when to give and when to take; if you don't know how to do that I would recommend you get others that do know what they're doing but for goodness sake, don't let this become a habit with him, sort it now.

ETA: LEC reminded me of backing into it too, that often works as nothing seems so bad as soon as they have their feet wet.
 
Thanks for the ideas.

The first method is what I was doing yesterday, keeping pressure on and releasing as soon as he shifted his weight forward or went to move forward. He did take a couple of steps forward.

I think I just didn't hold out long enough.

He has been good in other situations - I've led him over tarpaulins, train crossings, past traffic, etc. I'll try that method again for starters and think about the other ideas, too.

Thank you!
 
I got him out - thanks all.

It took around half an hour I think, in which time he was the perfect case study of an anxious horse, tail swishing, licking lips, pawing the ground and a few vertical rears for starters. In the end though he got bored before me.

The puddle has shrunk so to some extent he was able to go round, but still he was made to cross an area he didn't want to so I think it serves the same purpose.

He then did a demented passage around the whole village until he wore his batteries down and walked like a 20 year old.
 
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