Problems with water

[TwixMum]

Any suggestions for horse having problems with going into water? Twix jumps everything else confidently but will not go through water. We eventually get through but it's disheartening. We've just done some local ode but hope to do a be80 soon, we are going to hire some place a to practice.

Is it better to walk through trot through, give him plenty of space/long run up etc

 

[be positive]

There is no definitive answer, they are all different some like to go in carefully taking steady steps so they can see where they are going and feel safe, others are best running into it at speed so they don't have too much thinking time and everything in between.
The main thing is to work out why he is reluctant and spend time building his confidence until he is happy to go in and starts to realise it is safe, often following another horse or even a person will help but really it comes down to practice and going into water regularly not just once in a while so it remains a big deal.

 

[Vodkagirly]

Can you get to a beach? If you can go somewhere calm with lots of big puddles when the tide has gone out its great practice. Make sure you have plenty of time.

 

[Tiarella]

My horse last year would point blank refuse to go in - would rear, spin etc. Been swimming him now for about 6 weeks and in that time been xc schooling twice and can't get him out the water! Even doing steps/jumps down in to water.

 

[FfionWinnie]

My horse is an 11 yr old ex show jumper and had not tackled water at all (or indeed anything other than flat smooth grass or arenas!) until this year. Now it's his strongest element. I walked him into water anywhere I could. Every puddle, stream, mushy bit of ground and into a couple of lochs out hacking. After a few weeks of daily exposure I could trot him into it. Then went xc schooling and spent plenty of time getting him cantering through. At this point with new water he likes to trot in (but will happily drop off a step) then picks up canter immediately.

Incidentally I took him to the beach and he nearly died of fright. He's a real wimp (and so am I!) but this repetitive regime worked a treat.

 

[Jane_Lou]

Do you have a horse confident with water you can school with? We went yesterday with a horse who had fallen in water and wouldn't go near since. It took a while and lots of patience but after eventually following our mare in he ended up walking through on his own without hesitation

 

[Fragglerock]

Mine never went into water properly in all the years I had him. Even water he had done many times before. He would walk cautiously into it, when he had done it once then he was fine. However apparently a different day was a different dragon in there and he had to check it out first.

 

[D66]

Do you have lessons at all? I would ask my regular instructor for a session with her mounted on a horse that's happy to give a lead.

 

[AFB]

Can you get to a beach? If you can go somewhere calm with lots of big puddles when the tide has gone out its great practice. Make sure you have plenty of time.

This - my horse was much braver after a trip to the beach

 

[VRIN]

When it rains make sure you go through all the puddles you can find ..

 

[Orangehorse]

If you can, go along with another horse that is happpy to give a lead, and keep practicing. If there is a lingering doubt then he will want to stop in a competition.

 

[Mike007]

When it rains make sure you go through all the puddles you can find ..

Absolutely. When bobthe notacob first arrived he has hesitant about water on a bridlepath but by half way around his first hack he had to wade through a flooded underpass under the A3 . Now he just gets angry with other horses that baulk at water, He barges them in if they stop in front of him.

 

[TwixMum]

I think he's unsure when he can't figure out where his feet is. Once we are in it's not a problem. We can drop into the water jump jumps in the water etc

We've been to the beach etc goes through puddles no problem. Just trying to work out what's best to do. We had one stop at the last event we went to which is progress as we have been eliminated previously

 

[mudmonkey17]

Following with interest as same problem. Done one day event today and he flatly refused to go into the water. He will go in water anywhere hacking no problem and we had some pretty impressive floods that he went through confidently. So frustrating.
Good luck i hope you crack it x

 

[MagicMelon]

Other than practice, I dont think there are any magic tips. Just going in water absolutely anywhere you can find it (puddles etc.) and going to lots of XC places even if its JUST to stay at the water for 2 hours. Keep doing it until its boring, lots of treats once he's in (Id always keep a pocketful of polo's and literally stop in the middle of the water to give him one). The one thing I would not do is any other XC events until he is going through it happily. At an event, once you're eliminated then thats it he's won by not going through it, makes it so much harder to fix IMO.