Washoe's always had a bit of trouble with water, too. Again, not his fault. Mom had asked the barn boss (a total asshole who we ran off after he threatened to hit one of the wranglers) to help work Washoe. When Washoe balked at the water, he wrapped his lead rope around a tree and started whipping and winching him across the small stream. Mom just about killed the barn boss for that little stunt. I'm surprised she didn't take the whip to the ass.
Since that time, Washoe the Wonder Idiot has had issues with water. We've worked him through most of them with a lot of patience and firm guidance, but never whipping or winching. Because of his little problem with water, it's always a joy when we get to do things like this water obstacle.
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| Lining up... |
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| ...between the rock and over the log... |
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| ...front is clear... |
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| ...and now the back is clear. |
I called it a water obstacle of moderate difficulty. Mom disagrees, as I didn't have to duck under overhanging branches. That, she says, would have increased the difficulty to moderate. This, that I did, was merely average difficulty.
That woman is so picky some times.
4 comments:
He (you) made it look easy!
He went over very nice...A+! Some horses may have wanted to jump that log. It is a great practice area for water crossing--open--firmer (rocky) footing--shallow. I have a horse with a water crossing issue, too, so I've been there--easy, moderate and difficult become relative terms.
He's actually so much better with water that it's easy to forget that he ever had a problem with it. However, we've had some novice riders on him for the past couple of years who have let him get away with a multitude of "things", balking at water or rushing through it is just of the "things" he's been allowed to get away with.
I'm not sure how to fix it - he never gives us a problem because he knows he won't get away with it. I mean, really, we were riding in halters and lead ropes; if he'd wanted to give me a hard time about crossing, he would have won. Well, maybe not, but it would have been easier for him to get the upper hand. Riders who don't know him, however...
Trainers must feel sort of the same way. Owners send their horses off to be trained, the trainer gets them all tuned up, but when they go back to the owners the bad habits start up again. It's a vicious cycle.
Degree of difficulty goes up when you ride bareback with just a halter ;0)
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