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Water crossing



> Lisa Lyttle (EPA) wrote:
> 
> The monsters in the puddle problem has still got me stuffed however?
> Is it just an arab thing, or is she really truely allergic to water
> and going to drown in any puddle more than an inch deep?
> 
The problem with water is that horses can't perceive how deep it is.
Because of that they do not know when they step in the water, if it is
going to swallow them up or not. The trick is to get them to trust you
and your judgment. You need to be the lead horse. 
For example. The other day I made a dike to keep the melting water from
running into my barn at the entrance that my horses always use to enter
the barn. It did not work so I ended up with a dike at the entrance and
water on both sides. When I opened the gate to let the horses back in
they had to go through one puddle, step over the dick and into another
puddle. Usually the first ones in the barn are the ones on the lower end
of the herd chain, so they can get some drinking water before they are
pushed out by the more dominant ones. So the lower ones approached the
water and dike first. They checked it out and decided they did not want
water that bad. Then they stepped back and the dominant mare approached
the obstacle. She checked it out and proceeded slowly over the dike,
through the water and up to the front of the barn, where I was pouring
drinking water. After she went through, then the rest followed. They all
trust the dominant ones and when nothing bad happened to her, then that
gave them the confidence to go through it. That is what you need to
establish with your horses. That trust. Sometimes it takes getting off
of the horse and showing them. But after time they will learn to trust
you and go through the water when you let them know that it is ok. 

Lynette


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