Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> I don't want my horse to get into the mode - ho hum more water, there
> will be plenty more so I don't need to worry, because when I go out west
>  there will not always be frequent water available.
Truman, I think that is the very point that Drin is trying to make.  And
by only giving the horse a limited opportunity to drink instead of
"nicey-nicey"-ing him every time she hits water, she is letting him know
that if he doesn't drink NOW he is apt to get good and thirsty.

I agree with her--when I hit water, I want my horse to drink NOW and drink
A LOT.  And if he has been taught that the repercussion for not doing so
when the opportunity presents itself is a long, dry march, the end result
is that next time he WILL drink NOW, and A LOT, because he doesn't want to
get himself back into that predicament.

Maybe it's because I select smart horses to start with ;-) but I've never
had this method fail.  After a dry march or two following a refusal to
drink, they SURE as heck don't want Mom to pull their head up and go
on--they bury their noses in it and get right down to business.  I used to
try the method where you dink around at the water trying to coax them--and
what mine learn from that is a power trip that as long as they dink around
by water, that's perfectly fine with Mom.  And that is not the message I'm
trying to send.  :-)  Once they learn that when their nose comes out and
they quit drinking that they have to go on, they get REALLY good at
drinking.  The guy I'm riding now is still very early in his learning
curve, but having used this method on him, at the last ride there were
several times that he went right back to MAJOR drinking 2 and 3 times
after I'd gently suggest that we move on after his nose came up out of the
water.  The scenario becomes "Water!! <eerrrrrch!> drink, drink, drink,
drink, drink, nose up." "Ok, let's go." "Nope, drink, drink, drink, drink,
drink, nose up."  "Ok, let's go."  "Nope, drink, drink, drink, drink,
drink, nose up."  "Ok, let's go."  "<sigh> can't stuff in another swallow,
so I guess we have to go.  Ok."  And THAT is what I'm after.  (And I
suspect that is what Drin is trying to say, too.)

Heidi


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