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Re: [RC] Drinking Water - Dabney FinchHave you ever had a horse that did NOT learn to drink/eat from doing multiday(s)? (after VC/treatment for ulcers; dentistry; worming.) --Dabney (still trying to find out whether to give up on her skinny project horse!) ----- Original Message ----- From: "DreamWeaver" <nvrider@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Tuesday, May 25, 2004 8:53 PM Subject: [RC] Re; Drinking Water At 07:11 PM 5/25/2004, you wrote:First I normally ride alone and when weWhy won't anyone ride with you Truman? (just teasing) I think everybody just has to figure out what works for their individual horse in each situation. All of my horses drink differently. I have got one that will go up to a trough and hesitate, as if he's collecting his thoughts, before sticking his face in and drinking like a giant vacuum. I know that if I try to get him to continue on before he gets a drink, he won't budge. We drink on his schedule. Another one, won't drink until he's peed once or twice, and usually pees an average of 7 times on 50. I think he just has to make room. (his mom was a sponge, I always tell people) :+P We all just need to learn the routine that works best for each horse. Sometimes roaming a few feet away and letting them graze or hand feeding them snacks first does the trick. I remember often having discussions with my juniors over getting their horses out of the way of the troughs when their horses were done drinking. I would hear "but he isn't done drinking yet". Well then, I'd say -- he needs to put his face in the water....otherwise get out of the way! You can come back, but stop blocking it for other people. If you've got a horse that you've been doing a lot of multidays on and they are used to having say for example 1 or 2 waters before lunch, 1 at lunch, and 1or 2 after lunch....then when I go to a ride that happens to have about 8 or 10 water stops I am not going to get too freaked out if he drinks really well at 5 or 6 of those stops but isn't interested in sipping out of every single one. Tho, Chief does seem to be pretty adamant about drinking from every single water stop. I think that is what got thru his head by taking him to a multiday that had the first vet check (and only 2nd water that day since one of the troughs had been emptied by cattle) more than 30 miles into it for his first ride. A lesson he's never forgotten. It is sort of funny, I honestly can't think of a single water stop on any ride that Chief has ever done, that he did not drink. Now that is one heck of a benefit received for not taking him on any shorter distance rides! Karen in NV ============================================================ Common sense should also be a part of the decision making process. If you see someone who doesn't have any, hand them your tool box. ~ Lisa Salas - The Odd Farm ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ============================================================ Personally, I shouldn't give a s--- where the other people on the course are, and if I find myself starting to concern myself over this, I remind myself that this is the first step on the road to overriding my horse and tell myself to "knock it off!" :) ~ Kat Swigart ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================
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