Water jump aversion - in competition

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OliveOyl

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what's the best way to tackle a horse who isn't really that keen on water jumps on the cross country?

Fence in question was a simple walk down a gentle slope in to water, horse stood at the top of the slope and said "No thanks" took itself out of gear and wouldn't make any forward progress whatsoever.
How would you have tackled it?
 
Not a lot you can do on the day if you were at a competition, but would then take it XC schooling with another horse and hope it would follow into the water.
 
Before commpeting make sure horse is 100% happy walking/ jumping in and out of water whilst schooling, starting with a lead if neccesary. If I knew the horse was not scared just taking the mick I would have used my whip.
 
So by keep doing that and taking it out XC schooling you'd expect it to gain enough confidence to then do the same in a competition environment?
Only he's done a fair bit of water schooling, admittedly not at the course we were at the weekend, but he can't do a pre-competition visit to every water! Well i suppose he could, but I'd rather not!!
 
I had that problem with my SJ'er last year. He was happy to go backwards though....so I reined him back through the stream
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Subsequently I have taken to paddling through every bit of water we can find.
 
Ah I see so she has been in water before?

I'm out of suggestins if she has, 'normally' once they've been in and realised it's not scary they'll go in most waters but obviously different courses look different and this isn't always the case.

Wouldn't try any more competitions until you can take her schooling at somewhere new and she'll go in first time without a lead maybe?
 
Could be a bit of both, I know my mare is quite horrified at the thought of getting wet. But once she is in water she splashed around and allsorts. You have to make it a positive experience for them every time.

Its hard but encourage them to walk through puddles and if you have rivers nearby walk them through it at least once a week, the more experience they get the better, and at least you will know that your horse isn't frightened of the water, so if it does stop - a growl and perhaps a smack on the shoulder will motivate them enough to realise that its not that scary!!

I just let mine do a bit of water schooling the week before an event and normally they don't think too much about it.
 
Yes he's seen water before. Although we didn't do a cross country school session particularly close to this event, so maybe his memory failed him a bit!?!

I think it's a confidence issue with him really? He does have something of a shut down button, thankfully it doesn't come in to play very often at all, but if his brain reaches meltdown point, like it did once before at a gap he needed to walk through in a hedge to get out on to the lane (sigh) then the forward gears just don't work at all and it roots to the spot. Leads from other horses don't work once he's rooted (although it will usually follow something else in to water if need be. Then again sometimes he'll just go through on his own), the only release button I've found to date is to get off and lead him.
 
Practice, practice and more practice. I have travelled to nearly every water jump in the area. I have been to the beach, through streams on hills and I ride through every puddle!

Its all about confidence.
One of the very best tips I was given was on a fearless horse clinic. They said to work your horse really really hard around or near the water jump (with my horse 10m canter circles normally do the trick) then after they are blowing, sweating a bit take them into the water and just stand there let them get their breath back and just chill on a loose rain. It works well as they learn to relax in water rather than let it be a battle between you and the horse.
 
My horse does exactly the same or he did hence you have to keep him moving. He is nearly there but still slows right down for it and has not yet plucked up the courage to canter through!
 
I'll be really interested to read everyone's replies to this. My horse really doesn't like water and I'm hoping to event him later this season so any tips much appreciated.

We have got a number of rivers locally that we hack through regularly and although he will happily follow another horse through, he won't go on his own without a big fight. I have never let him get away without not going but it has taken nearly 20 min on one occasion and he really does get himself in a state, rearing up, spinning round and plunging about.

When going out in company I do get him to go first but it still involves a fight first. I do think he is genuinely worried by it, and I know that he should get better the more he does on his own, but to be totally honest I can't face having a fight every single time we go out, especially as he gets tense and backward as soon as we turn down the lane towards the river.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi lec

I'm really interested to hear more about the fearless horse clinic you went on. Where was it and who was it with? What type of things did you work on? My boy really is quite a wuss and anything I can do to help him be more confident about life in general would be great.

A x
 
That sounds great advice, thank you! I'll try the work hard on a circle technique and see how we get on with that. Sounds like we could be visiting lots of water in our area too
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Roger and Joanna Day organise them (they bred Primmores Pride) but they have gone down the route of reading body language, I am not a natural horsemanship fan at all but this is all about reading the signs and working things out through pressure and release. If you want more help Cheekygirl on here is much more of an expert than me as they have really helped her mare. I went to a demonstration and asked my question there but they have not worked directly with my horse and I.

http://www.joannaday.co.uk/home.html

My horse was a nightmare last year his big issue is steps into water. I would be eliminated anytime there were steps in. Walk through he could cope with and for some reason a log in was fine. I still have rows with him he was being a giant poof about puddles yesterday but I just make him do it regularly and I now do not get the napping. I think he will always be wary about water but as long as I do not scare him he will be ok.
 
My horse 2 years ago wouldn't go within 20 strides of a water jump, he would rear and refuse to do anything. Then last year I decided I would actually take him XC schooling for the first time. He first off all refused to go near it and I just persisted and eventually he followed my sisters horse in. It took a while but he did do it, and would then go in by himself. The next time I took him schooling (by himself) we got to about a stride away and after 5 mins of standing on the edge and wriggling he went in, and the third time he went schooling he hesitated a bit and then walked in. I didn't have to have a big beat him up fight, just stood there kicking and not letting him turn away.

At a competion he would go into any water but could only do it at walk, he'd walk straight in and could only walk through and if there was a step out had to climb very slowly one foot at a time out. I think if I had asked him to go faster he might have stopped. I didn't think he would ever actually work out that you could go faster than a walk through water but he fell in love with Siennamum's chestnut mare and he would follow her anywhere very fast, including off quite big steps into water
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So like everyone else has said loads of practice.
 
I never had any intention of going XC with my mare but took her throough all puddles we could find and she ended up loving that. Then went XC schooling and she went in 1st time without a lead. The downside being that now I struggle to get her out of the water
 
My boy refused point blank to go through water the first time he came across it, and any amount of kicking, and sending him forwards sent him even more backward to the stage he reared me off. After that, took him again and he went straight through, but trotted up to it without making a big deal of it, just asked him to carry on trotting how he had been on the grass, no probs. As soon as I make a big deal, he switches off. I have since taken him to as many different waters as possible and he is great, still a bit hesitant, but aslong as I let him look then he will go in, if I pile the pressure on, he says no. So as much practice as possible, but dont make a big deal of it. If he says no with schooling, reinforce the fact you want him to go forward, then go and get him thinking forwar over fences, and just present him at the water like you did every other obstacle, generally then they will just go in.

Sorry for long one, hope makes sense!
 
My show jumper that im trying to turn into an eventer is exactly the same ! When i first got him he wouldnt even go near a puddle ! But he is now getting alot better and the only way that I found that works is lots of praise ! - make them feel like they have decided to go in the water!
You will hear me approaching the water at xc - going "good boy, brave boy, oh look at you doing mummy proud" - probably sound like a nutter! i give him the reins and just keep my leg gently on. if i get angry or force him he just rears so i keep calm and its seems to work - well we'll see - i have mattingley this weekend - but hopefully going schooling on Fri to take him to a strange water.
On sunday the school had massive puddles in from all the rain - I was the only person to think "Brilliant - Water schooling ! "
 
Practice is the only way. Go to as many different "waters" at training courses as you can. Out on hacks, make sure you go through every single puddle etc.! If you have any hunter paces or "pairs" XC near you then if you could do that and follow your friend in, and its also set out like a proper XC rather than just another practice.

My 6yo wouldn't go near water to begin with - last year it took us an hour and a half to eventually get him in but once out he wouldn't go back in again! I've done as many XC training things as possible and hunter paces. This year he seems to have got much much better. In his second ODE the other week, he stopped at the water and began his nappy "Im going to reverse and you cant stop me!" thing. But I simply didn't get wound up or panicky about it - I tapped him on the bum so he launched forward and just kept tapping, and he went in fine.

It's difficult to know if the horse is being genuinelly scared/worried or actually just being a bugger! In my boys case he was originally scared, however nowadays you can see it in his face, he just switches off and doesn't even look at it when in nappy mode. I think the key is not to panic about it, have a sense of humour and laugh about how silly the horse is being because then he'll realise there's no reason to get upset about it when you're clearly not! Like DiesalDog says - just keep him straight, dont let him turn away from it and simply keep your leg on but release it as soon as he walks forward as a reward. Also useful to carry mints in your pocket so when he goes in, give him some!
 
I'd just like to add to the excellent 'go through lots of puddles' advice - just make sure that you don't ask the question unless you know you can see it through. For example, there is no point making an issue of a puddle in the middle of a road if you are going to have to move on past it as soon as a car turns up, or a teeny puddle that the horse is going to find it easy to just dodge around
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variety, definitely variety. Your horse might be confident going into the water at your local XC schooling course but he needs to be confident when he is somewhere he doesnt know. Like everyone else has said, go to as many different places as possible.
 
When I first got my horse Owen he was a right little sod. He would refuse to go through any water. This was very infuriating as one off the pictures te previous owner sent me was of Owen standing in the middle off a water complex somewhere round Nottingham.

I realised he was just taking the mickey and we eventually got through. Now when ever we hack out I make a point off walking through any rivers / streams i may encounter. Owen dosent stop any more and on XC hes great in the water. True, to this point i have only trotted him through it but my aim is to canter through the water complex in my hunter trial comp on Sunday. Well thats if there is a water feature, wond find out till i walk the course sat.

As everyone else on the thread has said, like most problems "repitition is a great teacher" The more you do it the better our nags get.
 
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