Q: My mare is great to hack out, but we’ve yet to have a successful water crossing (she’d rather jump over than step in). She doesn’t mind walking through puddles, but she won’t cross a creek or a stream. I have some big rides planned later in the year that will require river crossings that are too wide for her to jump.
I do have an irrigation canal near my house where I can train her to cross, using treats. Do you think this is a good approach, and should I teach her to walk across it empty first, before it’s filled with water?
What other recommendations do you have for training a horse to confidently cross water?
Brenda Bellamy, Canterbury
Trainer Cheski Brown replies:
Hi Brenda. I love your idea of breaking the river crossing challenge down into individual steps. I use a breakdown approach to help solve all the problems we encounter.
In a situation like yours, it is tempting to assume that it’s ONLY your mare that’s worried about stepping into running water when actually you’re probably a bit worried too.
Are you both confident of keeping independently balanced as you step down a drop, or is it crossing your mind that she’s going to suddenly leap into the void? How are you both going to feel about stepping down into water when you’re both not quite sure if the river footing is firm? Are you going to be relaxed enough to allow her to brace herself against the river flow, or are you going to tighten on the reins and accidentally interfere with the way she moves?
Let the training begin using a step at a time. Use the bank of your dry irrigation canal to train stepping down and then of course back up again. By all means start with her on a lead and offer her a food reward. I personally don’t like using treat, if this means carrots etc, because I find my supply of treats is never quite big enough, and then both horse and I get frustrated. I like to use real tasty food, with a tantalising aroma, in a real feed bin that can be easily replenished, as necessary.
Once you’ve trained her to happily and casually drop down banks on a lead, then sit up on her and allow the pair of you to train what it feels like be balanced in the way you drop down and the step up the canal banks and any other banks or steps you might be able to use.
Don’t always use the same place in your canal, but always use the same technique.The technique I recommend is to keep your feet parallel to the level of the ground at the bottom of the bank, and to be ready to make your body perpendicular to your feet. In other words, be ready to stand on your feet like a human.
When you can put a bold tick beside the question “Is stepping down a bank or drop okay?” then it will be time for you to introduce water. Use your irrigation canal, any cross-country water jumps you might be able to access, and a beach if you can get to one to train the pair of you to confidently step into a mass of water.
Once again, break the process down if necessary. Using food to go into water could be a bit difficult, but going into water behind or beside an equine friend should be fun for all concerned!
When you can step down into water, then it will be time to introduce the movement of running water in your canal or gentle waves on the beach.
Brenda, I reckon that if you break the training programme down like this, you’ll find yourself looking forward to the river crossings with happy anticipation rather than a looming dread. Have fun teaching each other and get ready to enjoy the upcoming rides.
Trainer Neil Davies replies:
Hi Brenda. Instead of saying that your mare “won’t cross a creek,” you must say, “I can’t make my mare cross a creek.”
Whenever you ride your mare, you must teach her that it’s more important to do what you want than whatever she wants. It’s not unreasonable to ask her to walk across a creek or stream. If she “doesn’t mind walking through puddles”, there’s absolutely no reason why she can’t walk through a creek.
It’s up to you to make your mare walk through a creek, a stream and anywhere else you ask her. Every step that your mare takes must be a step that you ask for. You must be positive and consistent every time you ride her.
The problem isn’t crossing water, the problem is that your mare has learned to resist when she doesn’t want to do something. She knows you’ll allow her to jump across the water or refuse all together.
You must go back to basics when you ride your mare. Stay away from water at first. Teach her to move exactly where you ask, at the exact speed you ask. Practise walking and trotting exact circles and concentrate on your mare at all times.
Next, find some easy obstacles and teach her to step over them, one step at a time. Build up to more difficult tasks and always keep control so she doesn’t rush over the obstacle.
Make sure you build up in small steps and don’t ask your mare to do anything too difficult. If she resists, you need to be more determined than she is.
Practise this for a week or so, then find some larger puddles and make your mare walk through them one step at a time, at your speed. Don’t allow her to rush through or take even one step you haven’t asked for.
Always have a plan of exactly where you want your mare to walk. Practise stopping halfway through the puddle and practise changing direction.
Doing these simple exercises will build up your skills and you’ll have more control. You can then find a larger body of water and practise the same one-step-at-a-time approach.
By being positive and consistent every time you ride, you’ll soon be able to cross creeks and streams with confidence.
