RE: Crossing water question

["C Eyler" <eyler@mindspring.com>]

> << Why does he perceive a long, narrow (6"-10" wide) stream of water
>  differently than either a creek or a puddle?
>
>  Cindy >>
>
>     I think, or should I say feel, that most horses react this way.  My
> question is why do most riders insist that their horse steps in
> these small
> streams?

Not asking him to step in it.  But I'd prefer that he step over it rather
than jump it.

>If the footing is questionable then I usually ask the
> horse to calm
> down (even if this takes a long time).   Then I see if the horse
> would like a
> drink out of this stream.  Sometimes I don't ask the horse to cross the
> stream but to go either up or down the steam in the bottom area.
> Even though
> the horse will not touch the water as least we are close to it.  I then
> either turn the horse around and continue to the other side of the stream.

Other than the tiny run-off streams (that appear after a rain), we only have
a problem with one particular creek.  Other creeks we cross easily.  But the
one he hates is because of the footing.  Can't go up or down stream
alongside the creek because it's totally overgrown/woods.  The way he wants
to go is across the broken concrete slabs that reservoir maintenance people
have laid down so that they can drive across as they check the fire trails.
But those slabs are too dangerous for us.  In summer, they're slippery with
moss, and, in any case, there's just enough space between them to catch and
hold a hoof.  So we take a side entry to the creek that's boggy and that
they've tried to firm up with large stones.  Not nice.

>     I also feel that sometimes (but not always) the horse sees
> these streams
> and starts to anticipate a conflict between rider and these
> crossings.  If
> every time you come to these crossings and make a "no big deal"
> out of it,
> then you should have nothing but progress in the attitude of your horse
> crossing them.

Now that we're taking this route regularly again (it's the way to good
conditioning hills), he's getting better about this crossing, though he
still doesn't like it.  And I don't blame him.  Again, he'll walk right into
other bodies of water -- creeks, the reservoir, etc.

>     I'm not sure why horses react to small water crossing, but my
> feeling is
> they are not sure how deep the water part is ... just a thought.

Could it be because these run-off streams are only there after a rain, and
thus not there most of the time?  Sort of like how he freaks at seeing a
maintenance crew pick-up truck on one of the fire trails because he just
KNOWS that a truck does not belong there, e.g. is not normally there?  Of
course, that does not explain why puddles after a rain are okay <g>!!

Cindy