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And for the rider: Look UP! Look across to a point well beyond the water crossing. Looking down at the water throws your balance forward and your horse on the forehand and essentially tells him to stop. Firm up all your abdominal muscles, sit tall and put your leg on.
Alison Farrin
-----Original Message-----
From: Linda B. Merims [mailto:lbm@naisp.net]
Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2001 10:03 AM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: Water Crossing
What worked best is:
1. Follow the other horse. ("Slipstreaming" I call it.)
It really helps if there are multiple water obstacles
in quick series--you get panics at the first crossing, but
by the third or fourth he's just tramping through it.
2. If you're alone, the "bore him to death" technique that
somebody described here three or so years ago works best.
You avoid the ingrained, reflex fight where all the horse
is doing is concentrating on the fight.
3. All the things about pointing him toward home or toward
food are true.
4. Don't be too proud to hold on to the mane while you
plunge forward. It beats falling off. It may also prevent
you from jabbing him in the mouth and thus giving him
something else bad to associate with crossing water.
5. Oddly, the hackamore has helped. The horse is now beginning
to look *down* at trail obstacles and study them. He never
did that before.
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