I'm not sure anything is taught by put a time limit on drinking -
except maybe drinking isn't important. First I normally ride alone and
when we come to water on a training ride we have all the time in the
world. If they drink they get rewarded for that. Usually once they
relax they will drink. Then next is on a ride where there is some herd
dynamics. At CTR's in FL everyone sends out a bucket to the water stop
so there is no issues about blocking a water stop. If they want to pay
more attention to other horses than me - other horses come and other
horses go but we are still there. Eventually the message will get
across.
Again if they drink they get rewarded. This type of work usually
doesn't take that long till they learn that drinking is as much a part
of the regiment as going down the trail and every time they see water -
they should at least take a few sips. Human trainers as well as sports
medicine doctors will tell you that if you (the human ) wait till you
are thirsty before you drink during prolonged exercise you are about 5%
to 6% dehydrated before the thirst response kicks in. That's why if you
are exercising you should drink early so you are not having to work
your way out of a deficit. I''ve heard the same 5 to 6 percent number
for horses and I sure don't want to teach my horse it's okay to build
up a water deficit - I don't like the risk it puts on my horse.
Truman
Jim & Drin Becker wrote:
Truman wrote
"I've spent a lot of miles on it was LD's or CTR's if
they don't drink I get off and wait around till they do. If the don't
we
wait. If I don't finish I dont' care because I'm there for training.
They usually get the hint."
That is interesting Truman as I use
the exact opposite of your training methods :-) When in training I come
to a water hole I give my horse about 1 minute to put his head down and
drink , if they do not I will go on down the trail and they have to
wait for the next water stop for another chance . For me this has
really worked well . One of my pert peeves at a ride is someone
standing their horse at a water tank begging it to drink when you have
thirsty horses waiting in line to get at the water . Think about this
guys , back up out of the way and let the horses that want to drink
tank up and then come back to it when they are finished and try again .
