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Re: [RC] training to cross water - Sisu West Ranch"...For everyone and anyone who has had to train their green (only 1/2 dozen trail rides by himself), young (4) arab to cross water by themselves ..." 1. Don't make it a fight. 2. Don't attempt a crossing when you can't spend a bunch of time. 3. Review the resistance free training trainer recommendations. That over, here is what I have done with good results. If you pony young horses to acustom them to trail obsticles, stream crossing is a good exercise. Sometimes a second horse and rider urging them forward with the "go forward cue" can help. Note that both the training horses have to be unflapable. The leading horse may get jumped on. If that would cause him/her to panic, don't do this. Find a nice shallow safe relatively easy crossing. Get the horse going at a good walk, right behind a buddy of his who will just walk into the water. Many times he will be across before he can get scared. The next step is to urge forward towards his buddy, rewarding any movement in the right direction. I think it helps if the other horse is standing in the stream calmly. If everyone is calm, many horses will cross after a few minutes. Be careful not to make it into a fight. My next step, perhaps on another day, is to lead the horse into and across the river or bridge (around here pack bridges are as much a problem as rivers). You must be very careful not to get jumped on. A second person to supply the go forward cue can also help alot. You will get wet, but if successful after 4 or 5 crossings you can ride across. All of the horsemanship books and videos have a chapter on trailer loading. Stream crossing is really the same thing but in a different context. The horse is afraid of water instead of trailer. He/she needs to find that crossing/getting into the trailer is easier than not all without starting a fight or anyone getting hurt. One of my best afternoons of entertainment happened about 30 years ago. One of my saddle club members had traded a mare she raised for "an unmanagable" horse. After a couple of months of retraining, her 18 year old son (a good horseman and of course immortal) decided that today was the day the gelding should learn to cross streams. While 20 or so chearing spectators sat on the banks, he had a 2 hour rodeo in and around the river. He was reared or bucked off onto the bank or into the river 6 or 7 times. When the horse finally got into the river it bucked and spun around for at least 10 minutes. To the boy's credit the horse did learn to cross streams, and neither he or the horse was killed or seriously injured. I do not recommend this method, though it might make a good rodeo event. Ed Ed & Wendy Hauser 2994 Mittower Road Victor, MT 59875 (406) 642-9640 ranch@xxxxxxxxxxx =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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