Water! Please, Anything But Water

And if that got your attention, then your horse most probably does not like water. Big puddles small puddles water jumps, oh especially water jumps! And there is absolutely nothing you can do to convince him that there is not a crocodile in there waiting to eat him. Worst is, you’ve just upgraded and now need to do water jumps.

Lets take a look at just how you can help your horse overcome this fear.

Why water? Why not something else?

Most cases where horses are afraid of water the root of the cause is usually a human. Uh-uh don’t get ready to argue…

What’s the first thing you do when you get to a big water puddle?

Do you walk around or through it?

Forget what shoes you have on, through or around?

Right, now the chances of you going around is about 70-90% Right? (If not, you must either be a kid that likes splashing, or a grown kid that likes splashing.)

In most if not all cases, horses having been handled since birth would have noticed this, and drawn the conclusion that “you should avoid water whenever possible especially so if a human is leading you”. (Bad things hide in there you see, just look how humans avoid it, and they should know better)

Then one day, we dilly humans decide that the horse must go over or through the water, and then to top it off, we are so concerned about it and focused on it, that our poor horses have no idea why it is such a big deal. “I mean come on! It’s only water right, let’s go round it, we always have before.” 

But how do we concur it? Remains the question.

The first step to concurring your horses’ water phobia is to change your attitude towards water. Be the leader that walks through the water, don’t expect your horse to go through if you don’t. (Become the splashing sloshing kid again)

There are two approaches to be taken when approaching water and water training techniques, these being conventional schooling, and natural horsemanship.

With conventional schooling often only the problem is addressed, the horse is tacked up and ridden through the water and water jump behind another horse, over and over and over again until it is bored or finally gives up fighting. Then a once weekly water-work session will be included to ensure that the horse remembers it.

Then there is natural horsemanship, with natural horsemanship you the handler will show your horse what behaviour is needed. You will need a bit more time for this type of training but it is well worth it in the end.

So go get your wellies on and let’s go.

Okay first you need a puddle; a bigish puddle so it is best to do this training in the rain season, otherwise you’ll be making lots of water puddles. Water puddles in gateways and paddocks are best as they involve the horses’ natural environment, it is outside the schooling area so the pressure is off initially.

Remain calm and patient at all times your horse needs a supportive handler in this and his mood will be directly effected by yours.

Right you start by leading your horse through the puddle (You’ve tried, well try again) this time plan your approach. Know where the puddle is and walk towards and through it. Should your horse stop, do not look down and do not splash.  Look at your horse and then continue to walk until the end of your head rope is reached then halt and wait, let your horse decide what to do, should he walk around take him to wherever you were planning. DO NOT MAKE AN ISSUE ABOUT THE PUDDLE.

The next day do the same again, have the horse come up to the puddle once its navigated it move on, give it an obstacle let it deal with it and move on. Going on and on and on does not help. It only results in the horse and handler becoming frustrated and uncooperative.

The reason why a puddle at a gate works best is because your horse will have to navigate it at least twice a day wanting to get to the other side to either play on the get food. So you do not need to encourage it too much to cross it has its own reasons for doing so.

When your horse walks comfortably through the puddles take him to the arena on a lead and walk him up to and even through an empty water jump. Very often the horse is not scarred of the water but the rubber matting used under the water just let the horse sniff it, toss an apple or a carrot or two on it to encourage the horse to touch it with its nose, and wait. Once the horse has eaten the apples or carrots pat it and leave the arena.

Remember pressure on, pressure off. If the horse has done it move on. After a few times the horse will willingly go up to and even walk through the water jump with no fuss.

Now you start the ridden work.

At the end of your work session let your horse walk through the water jump and use this as your last exercise for the day, once done take him back to his box.

There is only one water jump in a course of jumps, so do it once and move on.

Once your horse is comfortable with the water jump add some water to the mix. Get a friend with a lead horse and play the first time, follow my leader over smallish jumps (2½ feet) at various speeds. It is a nice and interesting enough game that the horses also enjoy, when getting to the water jump slow down and walk through. Once done take your horse back to his box so he can think about it. When starting always work towards the gate, so setting up the horse to succeed. Later you can do both ways.

Do not do the water more than once! Let your horse associate it with the end of a work session, they soon catch on and do it more willingly. Incorporate this into his daily work and after about a week add a dash of speed and some more water.

At no time should you look down at the water or stiffen when approaching the water, as this will serve as a warning to your horse (big crocodile ahead), look towards the gate (even if it means doing the jump the wrong way round) let your horse know that this is the end of the session, And he’ll come round quicker than you think.

With time increase the water and speed until your horse understands when to walk through and when to hop over.

Quick Tips to succeed

• Remember take the time to do it right,
• Never rush or you will have to start all over again, and probably bore your horse.
• Your attitude will determine your horses’ level of cooperation.
• Set your horse up to win, place and plan it in such a way that it encourages the horse to do it, thus building its confidence in being capable of doing it.
• Do it once and move on, no matter how bad it was. Repeating it will lead to boredom, anxiety, and uncooperativeness. Let your horse feel a sense of achievement by having done it and being allowed to move on. Nothing is more frustrating for a horse than having to repeat something over and over and over again. Remember ONE water jump per course not ten.
• Whenever possible incorporate some puddles and water when riding and hacking out, and don’t make a big deal about it when your horse hops over it with little or no style, pat it and MOVE ON.
• Remember your horse is in training not you. He/she/it needs to feel the achievement, and achievement is not gained from being forced to do the same thing over again and again and again. That is suppression.

It is very seldom that a horse is absolutely petrified of water (if it was it wouldn’t drink it). Horses who are scarred of water either feel they cannot cope with the situation, or has had an unpleasant and often painful experience regarding water and humans. But will turn around to run and play in it (let’s not forget rolling in the mud with the other horses) when we are not present. Their fear is often only a conditioned behaviour. 

By following these guidelines, your horse will soon realize that water is just an obstacle, and like other obstacles once it is navigated it is done. And soon enough your horse will be more willing to do water, and you’ll be one of those riders who say; Water, what’s the problem with that?

Happy Schooling

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