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She said, "Oh, we cantered all the way here, so it's
been a while."

I have found (and maybe someone has already said this)
that when I slow down before I get to the water stop,
that my horse will drink (better, more, etc.).  If I
have been cantering her for a while, she won't drink,
and I have to stand there a while before she does.  I
know you don't always know when the water stops are
coming up, but if I see one ahead I go ahead and slow
down.  Works for my horse, may not for all.

I haven't gotten off to adjust the girth, etc., but I
certainly will try it at the next ride.  It makes a
lot of sense.  She might even think we are stopping
for a long while:)

--- DVeritas@xxxxxxx wrote:
> In a message dated 3/3/2003 9:00:29 AM Mountain
> Standard Time, 
> heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> > I agree with the original poster that if she has a
> picky drinker, she should 
> > make some effort to teach the horse to drink
> before getting him into a 
> > situation where the dehydration could cause him
> problems.
>
>     The last hundred we did, I remember riding up to
> the first water tank on 
> the trail, about fifteen miles into the ride.
>     At the water tank were two horses, with two
> riders sitting atop their 
> horses telling them to "drink, dammit"...
>     We eased up to the tank and my horse lowered his
> head to drink, I jumped 
> off of him, loosened his cinch and did a tack
> adjustment.
>     One rider remarked, "Does he always drink like
> that?"
>     "Usually does...yup," I replied while checking
> my tack.
>     "Well, I bought this horses because my last
> horse wouldn't drink, hardly 
> ever, so, I tried this horse out a few times and he
> drank everytime we went 
> out.  So, I bought him and this is his first ride
> with me and wouldn't you 
> know it, he won't drink, now, just like my last
> horse...looks like I'll have 
> to sell him and buy another horse."
>     I asked how long they'd been at the water tank.
>     She said, "Oh, we cantered all the way here, so
> it's been a while."
>     "Oh," I said, "maybe if you really want him to
> drink, you could get off 
> of him, loosen his cinch and when he's breathing
> evens out, he might drink."
>     "Oh no, we can't wait any longer, we're doing
> the fifty and I don't want 
> to get any further behind," she replied, and turned
> the horse up the trail, 
> loping down through the hills.
>     Sometimes, horses who would otherwise "take care
> of themselves" don't get 
> the chance due to "operator error."
>     They pulled at twenty-five miles.
>     He was a beautiful horse....I know 'cause I
> watched him at the vet check 
> while his owner was stomping around saying, "How
> long do we have to wait for 
> a trailer ride back to basecamp?"
>     Still in a hurry to be done I guess.
>     ----Frank

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