# Can horses swim?



## DancingArabian

They can swim.

They can also panic in the water and knock you off and smash into you. While swimming with a horse is fun, it does have its dangers. Personally, I would not take my horse swimming in something 30 foot deep. *I* wouldn't want to go swimming in something 30 foot deep!


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## Lockwood

Most horses can swim quite well.
It is excellent therapy for horses recovering from injuries too.
However, until you know how well your horse can swim it may be best to let her play in the water on a long line and not on her back. 

Some horses need to adjust to the rider's weight while swimming and can panic. Something else to consider... if they are in deep water those legs are really working. If you are swimming along side it doesn't feel good to get wacked on your own leg by a hoof as the horse is swimming.


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## BarrelRacer3

Ok thanks for letting me know before i got hurt


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## candandy49

Agreed, horses can most definitely swim and some really enjoy getting to do it. As long as you or any rider can swim then by all means give it a try. The only precaution is to NOT ride into deep water with a tiedown as part of your tacking up. When if a horse gets water in their nostrils they will panic and as in most cases drown. It is important to note to stay on the horse's back and out of the way of it's swimming front legs.


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## BarrelRacer3

I was thinking of riding bareback,i ride her bareback all the tie doin barrels and poles and just trail riding, and + plus i don't use tie downs


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## SorrelHorse

Yeah, I probably wouldn't swim into the 35ft deep water, but around the edges in the shallower maybe. I had a mare that would swim, she liked it, but it made me nervous to go so far out and not be within striking distance of shallower water in case something did in fact go wrong.


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## smrobs

Yes, horses can swim very well, I swim with mine in the summer time. One thing you'll need to do is take your time getting her used to being out in the deep water. Some horses panic the first time their feet lose touch with the ground. I would stay square on her back for the first few times until you know she's going to be calm about the water. After you know she's okay with it, then you'll need to start sliding off her side and swimming beside her (or just hanging onto her mane and letting her pull you). While horses _can_ swim with the rider straight up on their back, it tires them out quickly. With you swimming beside, she could likely make it all the way across a decent sized pond.


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## robohog

Every summer along my train route there are these 2 horses that spend all day swimming around in their pond. No humans around, they are just swimming cause they love it!


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## Saddlebag

I used to take my mare to the river and it was maybe 5' deep. Just keep enough that she was partially suspended. She loved it. We'd climb out onto the trail, she'd hurry back to get in again. Had to watch her on the way home though as she'd squeal and enjoy a few good bucks. That's the only time she ever bucked.


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## Foxhunter

As sais, yes they can swim rather like a dog does so their back drops right down quite low, so, I always slip off their backs and hold onto their mane and float over /alongside them. 
I wouldn't intentionally take a horse swimming whilst it was wearing its tack.


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## COWCHICK77

Its fun, I love swimming with horses. Its about the only time you will catch me bareback...lol.
Like some have said before, you kind have to feel them out on how well they swim and how deep to go. I rode a horse that would bounce off the bottom instead paddling. Which was fun to ride, but he would get scared easily if he got out too far. Had to pay close attention to how deep the water was.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## uii

Horses can swim very well indeed. But if you're on her back, take her somewhere that goes up to her chest, so she's swimming, but can reach the bottom. That way, she won't tire out from swimming too hard, and won't slip from being too close to the slippery edge.


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## maura

I had a pony mare that loved to swim and after you turned her out on a warm day would swim out into the pond in her paddock and swim around for the pleasure of it. Her name was Esther Williams. It was a vile show name, and no on who hadn't seen her swim got it. 

As smrobs said above, if you're swimming a few strides across the deepest part of a creek, it's okay to stay astride. Much long the that, you're better off slipping off and holding on the mane and letting them tow you.


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## waresbear

You bet they can swim! This is me & my horse last fall.





=


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## boldstart

Most horses will swim quite well, HOWEVER some are just sinkers and thats why at racetracks you have to have a rope around the tail of the horse to encourage them to swim and keep them from dropping their backend. Not all horses need tails, but for a horse thats new or just plain lazy they do.

I would be cautious going to swim your horse for the first time, maybe just have a halter and leadrope and swim beside your horse in the shallower waters to see how your horse copes.

Just be careful and trust your gut insticts!


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## Cherie

Be careful!!

NOT ALL HORSES CAN SWIM!

The brother of a very dear friend of ours drowned with his horse is farm pond in Springer, OK about 15 years ago. He was 'cowboying' full time on the ranch and chased a coyote out into a pond where he took refuge. He did not have a gun so was going to rope the coyote like he had done before. Both went down in 12 feet of water right in front of the ranch owner who said he never felt so helpless in his life. 

When we first heard about it, we thought maybe they had a tie-down on the horse, but that was not the case. The horse just did not swim.

We swam Arabians in the Lasma Arabian Ranch pool back in the 70s when we trained Arabians. Gene LaCroix almost lost a National Champion mare, *Gdania, in their pool. She could not swim. If a dozen people had not been around to pull her up and out of the pool, she would have drowned.

Another horse and rider drowned in the Red River a few years ago. The guy was crossing the river to bring back a cow that had crossed and both he and his horse drowned. 

So, while MOST horses can swim, they all can't I swam my horses a lot as a kid, but I would not do it now. So be careful. 

Always remember that no horse can swim with any kind of a tie-down on.


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## MyBoyPuck

I personally would not chose a 30' deep lake to try it. We have a lake where it is fairly shallow for about 20' and then suddenly drops off. I know of one horse who absolutely panicked when the ground disappeared beneath his feet. Definitely expose your horse to water in a safe lake with fairly shallow water before putting him in a situation where he has to swim.


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## Northern

The Chincoteague ponies make it across Assateague Channel yearly; it's 200 yards across, & it takes the ponies about 4 minutes to navigate it. There are youngsters in the herd who make it across, also.

Thus, you'd figure that any reasonably fit horse, or even youngster, would be able to do the same.


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## RunJumpRide

My horses are awesome swimmers. 
Just gotta lay down and hold on to the saddle horn in the water (like have them pull you instead of you riding him while he's swimming) because it makes it easier for them to swim.
I would totally swim with specs all the time if he liked it! Lol but he doesn't really enjoy it


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## countercanter

Back home there is an old sand query that was converted into a park. There is a trail that got around the lake that was created when they dug all the sand out and its perfect for swimming the horses. I have spent many hot Florida summer days there with my horses. They LOVED it. My big Oldenburg gelding loved to stand about chest deep and just splash in the water and my paint gelding would stand chest deep and doze off. I should look for those pictures...


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## countercanter

Found some!

My Oldenburg gelding:



























And my Paint gelding:


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## kevinshorses

COWCHICK77 said:


> Its fun, I love swimming with horses. *Its about the only time you will catch me bareback.*..lol.
> Like some have said before, you kind have to feel them out on how well they swim and how deep to go. I rode a horse that would bounce off the bottom instead paddling. Which was fun to ride, but he would get scared easily if he got out too far. Had to pay close attention to how deep the water was.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Are you talking about you or the horse!!


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## COWCHICK77

kevinshorses said:


> Are you talking about you or the horse!!


Lol...maybe both, depending on how much hooch I've got in me!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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