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when people say theres nothing that can be done ,

that is not true.

it depends on the horse.



when i first starting breaking my horse water was LIKE HELL for her ,

she stood up on her front feet on my dad cause she didn't want to go in

we soon realised that the problem was not that she was scared of it but to the fact that too much pressure is being put on the horse.



simply ,

the horse doesn't know what it is and needs to learn that its okayy and it wont kill her .



so first start off by taking a hose and spraying a little bit at a time on your horse.

let her smell it .

get her used to being wet.



then you can start with puddles (take her into the littler ones)

the first thing she'll do is jump away , over , around , or she just will refuse to go in them .

this is when you get off your horse and lead her into the puddle.

Go into it to show her its okay .

but make sure not to make ALOT of splash's when your going in because it could spoke her.

if that doesn't work and she still wont want to go in then try bending down ( but WATCH her feet cause she could always get spooked) and take the water in your hands and let her smell it . then try and put it on her face, she might refuse and not like it ...but its a start .

then try and lead her into it again little by little .

if she still doesn't want to go ...take more water in your hands and start by putting it all over her ... (but slowly ) and make sure she gets used to the feeling and the smell .

you can even get her to drink it .



then if she goes in a puddle with you leading her ...

do it again and again

untill she goes in without hesiatation then get on her and lead her through the puddle. The horse might be hesitatant and jump away for the first few times but you have to tell your horse its okay and to move forward .

let her know its going to be alright .



then to get her in deeper water.

this is harder and needs a lot of patience.

before you put her into the water MAKE SURE shes okay with puddles because she'll be overwhelmed if not .

then let your horse smell the water and start like you did with the puddle by getting off her and rubbing the water on her face and done her body ...

if she tries to drink it .

let her .

then try leading her.



it might not work

but get her used to it .

everyday if you do this

and get her used to touching water

she wont be scared .



the only reason they dont want to go is because they dont know what its going to do to them



kinda like a child .

if they've never been in water before.

they're going to be scared



its an automatic reaction

and you cant blame the horse for it.



whatever you do .

don't get agressive with the horse if it doesn't want to go in.

give it some time .

let it realise whats going on .



hopefully it'll work



and good luck

I had a horse like that...well, actually, I've trained a few like that.



Here's what I did with the first horse I trained by myself. I got off and led him through this creek he didn't want to cross. Never had any trouble with him going through water after that.



It isn't always that simple. Here are some other things you could try:

1. Get your horse used to water by spraying his legs and such with a garden hose. Then, walk him through any puddles left on the ground or in the wash area.



2. Use a pair of spurs (and they don't have to be severe spurs...humane spurs will work) to prod your horse through a puddle or creek. It's best if you have an open trail where, if the horse sidesteps the puddle, you don't get caught up in a bunch of trees. Take a treat along to reward him after he goes through the puddle or creek.



3. Get someone to ride with you whose horse goes through puddles and water easily. Your horse may just follow along with little thought.



4. Make sure you have complete control with your bit and curb chain so you can ease your horse forward a little at a time to pass through a puddle.



I have had to use all of these techniques from time to time. Hope they work for you!

haha Mr O nice answer,



Well my horses havent been a problem really but they wee trouble makers crossing the creek, i believe it is more trust than anything. Would you trust your horse right at this moment to cross a river? Im sure you would be a bit intimedated by it so what i did was i walked across the creek then walked back then led my horse through the creek. It worked enough to make him cross happily whenever i asked him. Horses are cautious animals and like everything to be done before them meaning they like something to show them how.



Goodluck

Somebody asked this question yesturday so here is my answer again.



What I would do is ride/walk the horse up to water. when the horse stops ask him to go forward. IF he doesnt then keep asking. You don't have be mean about it, but make it, so he doesn't want to stay right where he's at. Then when he takes a step forward, release all pressure and pet him and tell him he is a good boy, then try again. Continue doing this until you get the results you want, even if the horse puts one foot in it thats good. What you are trying to do is make it the horses idea to go forward.



If you are trying to do it on foot then teach your horse to walk ahead of you like you would load him in a trailer without walking in with him. Stand at the horses left side and put your left hand out to your side to give the horse direction. You can apply a little face pressure to help then click if he doesn't move then maybe tap him with the end of your rope. If the horse backs up don't stop giving him pressure. You need to continue holding pressure on his face and clicking or tapping(you can decided on how hard you want to tap, but always start out soft and then get tougher. give your horse a chance) him on the rear until he takes a step forward. Even if he took ten steps back get him to take at least one step forward. Once your takes a step forward then reward him, this will show the horse he did the right thing and start to learn when he goes forward he gets praise. then start over. Once your horse is really good and you can send him forward then take your horse to the water and try it. When you are at the water and your horse acts interested in the water just leave him alone. If he is smelling it etc. then just let it be. He might decide to go in on his own. To many times a horse is acting curios and people get excited and want to rush it in and then the horse will back pedal out of there. This exercise helps so that you don't have to get in the water and/or your horse can do something independently(with support) and will hopefully transfer when you ride him. If you have any questions just ask

she might be afraid of it because of numerous things: reflection, not knowing whats underneath, the feel, or as others said; she might have hurt herself in water once.



if your horse is older and she has never liked water before its probably not going to change but if shes younger it might just be a thing she will have to get over. all the ideas so far are really good, you should just do little things to desensitise her.

Try putting a feed bucket in a puddle big enough for her to need to get into.



Hunger or greed may drive her to it.



The water needs to be still. If you have ever walked into the sea or a river or stream remember how disorrientating it can be to walk in moving water.



Also, take her best friend in who is not unhappy in water and she might follow. Allow them to play, but not to roll.



I sometimes wonder if they do not like water because of the different light reflecting off the surface. They can be made to go in. I had one who used to hate water, but patience was all that was needed. then he loved it.

Some horses are scared of water and your horse is one of those horses. Your horse might have a hurt its leg and the water is making it worse. Or it could be he does not want to go through the water. There are tons of training methods you could use. Try to Google this problem and see if any training methods come up that might help you.

Dont worry about it, my horse is terrified of water to its just something you've gotta live with im afraid. Its like when people have arachnophobia or something you can try an cure it but it will be very hard without an expert. Dont push you re horse to hard because you may just end up winding him up an making him even more scared. It may not even be a fear some horses just dont like getting their toes wet, there is this pig that doesnt like mud (!) the owners mad it welly boots instead of making it into sausages, so basically wat im trying to say is your just gunna have to adapt. If your really confident on your horse maybe try taking him out in the rain.

XXX

I rode a horse like that before. She wouldn't go through water for anything....hate the rain. I just made puddles in front of her food bucket then put sweetfeed in there as a treat. She didn't normally get grain so she just couldn't resist and stepped in the puddle. I did this for a couple weeks and she was fine after that. Might not work on all horses but it did for me.

Make puddles in her corral. Then make more puddles & have her walk in them & stand in them. You will have to do this over & over for a good few weeks, everyday. She will learn that she is not going to get hurt. Take it slow.

She was probablly wounded, hurt or just doesen't like water. My answer is prolly go around the water, or take a ship, or take her to a doctor to see whats wrong, or give her lessons, or hit her on the back to make her go.

She probably doesnt like water, or there might be a wound on her legs/hoofs. The water could have something in it too.

Get her swimming lessons