Years ago I rode a horse that hated water. If he could have escaped from his water bucket that would’ve made him happy.
Of course, I wanted to event. So I started trying to get him to walk through puddles. I had to get off and walk through in front of him! Although I finally did get him through the puddles on property, I was never able to get him through a water crossing or a water obstacle at an event. Just wasn’t going to happen.
When I took Zelda on her first hunter pace, I thought I might have a problem with her. She jumped the first water crossing like it was Beecher’s Brook. However, twelve miles later, she was happy to walk through the water. It was never a problem again. Even her first jump into the water went fine, although I swear she turned around and asked me why I wanted to do that!
Freedom’s pretty good about water. For him, the most terrifying thing in the world is a flock of wild turkeys. That sends him running. I suspect that he thinks they are one big animal with lots of heads. Cows are pretty terrifying, too.
What scares your horse?
Passing an open Barndoor, because monsters live in the darkness
Well that makes sense!
Frannie finds water and mud puddle more disgusting than fearful. We don’t dare get filth on our hooves. Her biggest fear is other horses. She has goosey meltdowns when horses from other farms are “lurking” in the hedgerows looking at her. There are a lotof horse farms bordering the trails leading into the state park where I ride. Lots of lurking. Lots of spooking.