In partnership with Equisafety

From puddles in the road to crossing streams and enjoying a paddle in a river, there are plenty of times when our horses might encounter water while out hacking. It’s a lot of fun and good for their legs, but sometimes splashing through water is unavoidable. Therefore, it is key that a horse can handle water safely and with confidence, but many horses will shy or refuse.

Just because you want to go through water doesn’t mean the same for your horse, especially if there are other routes around. If your horse is refusing to go through a puddle or crossing, try putting yourself in their shoes.

“If they were in the wild, would they choose to go through it or go around? They’d pick whatever route is safest,” says accredited coach and 4* event rider Sarah Gairdner. “Water can be murky and they can find it tricky to read when there are reflections or shadows in the water. So if it’s a small puddle where there’s a clear way around, why wouldn’t they go round?”

Riding through puddles

It may seem sensible to you as a rider to introduce water with the smallest expanse, like a puddle, rather than something bigger like crossing a stream or a water complex on a cross-country course. However, most horses wouldn’t agree.

“The biggest mistake I see riders make is with a short expanse of water. Riders want a horse to walk through, but when it’s narrow a horse will naturally want to jump it to get to the other side, or go around,” says Sarah. “When there’s length, horses will go in rather than jumping it.”

There is also the question of depth. While we know that a puddle in the road is shallow, a horse will not have this reasoning. In deeper water, such as a river crossing, we can’t see the bottom so don’t know how safe it is. Your horse has no idea that the puddle is a few millimetres deep. Therefore, they believe the safest option is to step around it.

“As a kid, I was always told ‘if you can’t see the bottom, don’t go through it’,” advises Sarah.

Some horses may refuse to go into water because they are genuinely afraid; your job is to show them that it’s safe. You can do this with training.

Getting a horse used to water

Sarah advises that while it can be tempting to start tackling water out hacking when you happen upon a puddle or stream, this isn’t the best place to begin, particularly if your horse is nervous.

“I would always start somewhere where the horse can clearly see an entrance and exit, like a water complex at a cross-country course, so they understand they have to go through it,” says Sarah. “It’s all about confidence and trust. We know where we’re going, why we’re going through the water, and that it’s going to be OK, but the horse doesn’t know any of that, so they have to trust that you do.”

There’s also the safety aspect to consider. While hacking, there are often too many external factors to consider, like other road users, that you need to be aware of. This means your focus can’t solely be on providing your horse with a positive experience.

“If you’re in the middle of the road then you have everyone’s safety to consider,” confirms Sarah. “In a controlled environment, like a cross-country course, your horse can say ‘no’ safely. You don’t have to worry about it becoming a battle.”

1 Get the horse thinking forward 

You’ll struggle to get your horse striding on with confidence if they are behind the leg. “The horse needs to be forward. If they aren’t in front of the leg then they’re not thinking forward,” explains Sarah. “Reward them for moving forward. Let them stand if they want to, but not move backwards.”

2 Let them have a look 

A young or nervous horse will benefit from having the opportunity to investigate the water. Letting them approach at walk and then stopping to have a look can help. “Going slowly gives them time to see where they’re going,” says Sarah. “Allow their head so they can look and see, especially if it’s a young horse; they might want to put their nose down and look at it like that.”

3 Follow a leader 

“If they’re not sure, take a lead from another horse. If another horse makes the first step they’ll often follow,” says Sarah.

You could always ask a friend to go in on foot too. if your horse will follow a person.

“Don’t put yourself in a position of introducing water without help. There’s only so much you can do if they’re digging their heels in and you’re on your own,” adds Sarah.

4 Don’t overdo it 

“Don’t be greedy,” warns Sarah. “If the horse goes into the water, don’t keep getting in and out. If they walk in and out of the water then that’s good enough, especially if they’re nervous. Just because they’ve walked in doesn’t mean they are ready to trot and canter. Horses can scare themselves and set you back further than when you started.

“Venues are expensive to hire, so many people want to get their moneys worth, but that can mean overdoing it. You want to come away with them having enjoyed it, not being overwhelmed.”

5 Be ready for a leap 

Many horses would rather leap over a puddle than walk through it, and the idea of this can make some riders nervous. Sarah advises having a neck strap ready just in case.

“If they leap in, have your neck strap ready to hold on to so you don’t catch the horse in the mouth,” cautions Sarah. “If the rider unintentionally loses their balance they usually rely on their hand, and their hands go to the horse’s mouth. The less you react down the rein, the better experience the horse has.”

6 Build up and down 

When things are going well it’s easy to push for more, and while this helps with progress, Sarah finds that de-escalating an exercise to end on an easier note to be beneficial for her horses’ mindsets.

“I build up in difficulty and then always build back down again. So let’s say you want to canter through water. Start with walking through, then trot and then canter. But don’t end it on that note as cantering through is the hardest. Instead, come back to something simple like walking through. The horse comes away thinking that it was easy and straightforward,” she explains.

7 Practise at home 

Unless you have a water tray it can be tricky to replicate this at home, but mimicking the scenario of asking the horse to calmly walk through (or over) something unusual will help build up the trust in your relationship. Then the next time you ask your horse, they’ll remember you kept them safe before and will be more willing.

“You can teach your horse to step onto something and walk off, for example walking them over tight tarpaulin,” suggests Sarah. “Then you have already built up trust in that type of situation. It’s about making sure that your groundwork and ridden work have built confidence.”

This content is brought to you in partnership with Equisafety, high viz clothing for horses and riders.

Sarah Gairdner is an accredited coach and eventer who has competed up to 4* level. She is the youth coach for the under 18s Eastern region for British Eventing. She runs Danesmore Eventing, based on the Oxfordfordshire-Northamptonshire border. 

Further reading