? Horse Training Problems – Water Crossing August 22nd, 2011 Water Crossing:Dealing With The Water Monster -a Horse Training article by Cynthia McFarland and Parelli Natural Horsemanship Horse and rider amble through the creek on a warm afternoon, sun glittering on the water splashing around the horse’s hooves. It’s an irresistible image, but not a likely scenario if you don’t have a solid foundation in place. “Water crossing can be one of the most frustrating and dangerous things in your horse experience,” says Pat Parelli. The fact is that many horses are skeptical about crossing water if it’s not something they regularly encounter in their environment. Experts at survival, horses are extremely perceptive to changes in people, places and things. Water can present a challenge, even to otherwise laid-back horses, because it’s hard for them to gauge depth; because of this, they may feel they are stepping into an endless dark hole. Pat believes that horses and humans each have specific responsibilities if they’re going to have a harmonious partnership. If both partners fulfill their responsibilities, water crossing and all other challenges become much easier, not to mention safer. These responsibilities are simple and clear. The horse’s responsibilities are: to act like a partner instead of a prey animal to maintain gait to maintain direction to look where he’s going The human’s responsibilities are: to always act like a partner, not a predator to have an independent seat & stay out of the horse’s way to think like a horse before thinking like a human to learn the natural power of focus Start Your Horse Training at Home It goes without saying that your horse’s first introduction to water should take place in the safe and reassuring environment of home. Before you ever attempt to cross a creek or standing water on the trail, your horse should be quiet and calm when you bathe him and use a water hose around him. If he hates getting his feet wet and won’t stand in a puddle when you give him a bath, you can hardly expect him to forge on through when you encounter water on the trail. Spend time working with him so that he is completely comfortable with water at home. Let him sniff and drink from the hose if he shows an inclination. Even the horse that plays in water at home can have second (and third!) thoughts when you first ask him to wade through a stream out in the woods. This is where your job as leader becomes so important. It’s up to you to build your horse’s confidence. If you do this the right way, it becomes less about the water itself, and more about the horse’s trust in you and his self-confidence. It’s much the same as trailer loading not being about the trailer, but about the horse trusting you not to do anything that will put him in danger. Once trust, confidence and leadership are firmly established, your horse will willingly load into a trailer, cross water and do virtually anything you ask of him. “It’s a big thing for a horse to give up their decision-making to you,” observes Pat. “The horse has a mental, emotional and physical state and their sense of self-preservation comes up.” To be the leader your horse needs when it comes to something challenging, such as crossing water, you need to have a foundation in place first. “Most people don’t have a good ‘go button’ on their horse,” explains Pat. “You need to work on improving the ‘go button’ first and practice having a good response from the horse when you ask him to move forward. He should respect the pressure of your legs and promptly move off when you squeeze once. If he doesn’t, use the end of your reins or a lead rope to ‘spank’ his hindquarters and encourage him to move out when you squeeze with your legs.” Work on improving the “go button” before you ever approach the water. Your horse needs to be responsive to your legs before you confront any type of obstacle. Watch your Focus First, a word about safety: If there is any question about the depth of water, always remove any type of martingale or tie-down before crossing. If your horse hits a deep spot, he can drown in a hurry if he can’t get his head up. “When crossing water, you might think that should be your focus, but this is where a lot of people make mistakes,” Pat notes. “Yes, you should look at the water before you approach to determine the best place to cross, but don’t do this when you’re standing at the edge or crossing it.” “A typical mistake people make is looking at the water, but they’re focusing on the wrong thing,” Pat explains. “Instead of looking at the water, the rider needs to be looking across to where they’re going. Focus across the water, not on the water. The rider needs to look ahead to where he wants to go while the horse looks where he’s going.” “Focus is important because it affects your feel, timing and balance. When you drive a car, you don’t look at the instrument panel or the hood of the car; you look ahead to where you’re going. The more focused you are, the better you can use your seat, legs and hands. If you focus on the wrong thing, you usually do the wrong thing.” Be aware of your horse’s emotions. You want him to be “emotionally collected” so he trusts and respects you. Ideally, your horse should be thinking, not reacting. If your horse shows a lack of confidence, you should use the “approach and retreat” method. “When a horse is startled or chased by anything, he will run a short distance, then turn and face and reassess the situation,” Pat explains. “When you get them to turn 180 degrees and face where they came from, it gets them thinking. This is what you do when dealing with a water crossing. Approach the water and then retreat.” This horse training method takes the pressure off the horse and encourages him to start thinking. After you have approached and retreated several times, go ahead and approach all the way to the water and ask the horse to continue forward by squeezing with your legs. Squeeze once and if the horse won’t go forward, enforce his “go button” by using the end of your reins or lead rope to “spank” his hindquarters. “Give this a 10-second try and if horse still won’t cross the water, then get off and go to the ground,” says Pat. “Persist until the horse tries and then let up immediately as soon as he makes an effort. Once your horse’s fear is gone, he feels safe to be curious about the water. Use the ground skills you’ve learned to direct the horse to cross on the ground on a long line. Once he’ll do that, then go back to the saddle again.” If you as a rider aren’t comfortable crossing water on the horse first, you can work with your horse on a long line first before asking him to cross while you are in the saddle. Remember, if you are nervous, this will translate directly to your horse, so you need to be confident about your own ability and what you’re asking the horse to do. Horses will often try to jump the water at first instead of walking through it. If this is your horse’s tactic, you’ll definitely want to dismount and work on directing him across the water on a long line. As his confidence builds, he will be willing to walk through the water. Do this numerous times before you remount and ride through the water. “People often get in their horse’s way and don’t even know it,” say Pat. “Don’t attempt water crossing unless you have an independent seat and are a good enough rider that you aren’t confusing your horse by sending him mixed signals with your seat, legs and hands.” First and foremost, make it a point not to get frustrated with your horse. This will add nothing positive to your water crossing session. Instead, read your horse’s emotions to find where he needs help from you to become more confident. Stay focused so you can become the leader he needs. “When people get frustrated, they tend to act like a predator,” notes Pat. “Don’t get frustrated; make a commitment to build his confidence and progress through the horse problem.”
Posted on: Fri, 28 Jun 2013 22:33:12 +0000
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