# crossing creeks and rivers



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

My good trail horse love to rip up a particular trail. Whenever we got to a 2' wide creek, he'd either slam on the binders and tip toe across or take a flying leap. I never knew which so I always got a good grip on the horn. I had a mare that wouldn't go thro a puddle. OK, she couldn't see the bottom, yet she'd go in the river willingly for a swim and couldn't see the bottom.


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

LOL! Yes!

I have one that will cross a river and even swim but will jump little irrigation furrows in a meadow like they are 3 ft. Jumps....


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## Darrin (Jul 11, 2011)

I've got one that thinks a 6" rivulet is actually a 6" wide snake and as such should be cleared by as much vertical space as possible. But yeah, pretty much thinks anything under 2' should be jump! Anything over 2' can be calmly waded.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

So true!

crossing rivers, is no big deal. but mud puddles on the trail require total avoidence










This gal fell off when her horse stumbled on some boulders on the river bottom.


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## Amlalriiee (Feb 22, 2010)

Yeah...one of the horses I used to trail ride a lot would go through anything and do anything....we took her through streams, creaks, rivers, whatever. One day she almost lost me jumping a very small mud puddle like it was a 3 foot jump and then letting out a huge buck following the landing. hahaha no idea why.


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

My horse, if Im not mindful will run us BOTH into the trees to avoid stepping in mud. He will trip over himself going onto as much edge as possible, LOL! Little puddles are sometimes OMG I'LL DROWN but a creek is no big deal.

I think they jump and fuss because they can but with the larger things they know it won't matter so don't try.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Biscuit has almost rammed my knees into trees to miss walking over a puddle - a freaking PUDDLE - but will walk across creeks and into a lake with no problem. LOL horses certainly have quirks too!!


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## Jolly Badger (Oct 26, 2009)

Horses that jump or swerve to get around a little creek or a mud puddle are one of my pet peeves. Even worse, when they'll drag their rider through branches or knock their leg into a tree trunk in order to avoid a puddle.

Maybe it's because the park nearest to me is nothing BUT mud most of the time, so my horse just got used to not being able to get around it and it doesn't even bother him anymore.

Still, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get your horse to step over or just walk through a narrow bit of mud.


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## cowboy bowhunter (Mar 15, 2012)

Jolly Badger said:


> Horses that jump or swerve to get around a little creek or a mud puddle are one of my pet peeves. Even worse, when they'll drag their rider through branches or knock their leg into a tree trunk in order to avoid a puddle.
> 
> Maybe it's because the park nearest to me is nothing BUT mud most of the time, so my horse just got used to not being able to get around it and it doesn't even bother him anymore.
> 
> Still, there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to get your horse to step over or just walk through a narrow bit of mud.


I agree, If you have the places to train the horse for creeks. Some of us dont. We have lakes to swim in but no small creeks. But my pet peeves are just as bad. Horses that are scared of cows.


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## FlyGap (Sep 25, 2011)

You mean evil puddles like THESE! Rick plows through them, Cowboy tries to roll in them, and Dash sidesteps them when she can.








Now that creek down there is a whole nother story. It's a slippery shallow sheet of tabled limestone, and it's loud/fast because the waterfall is only 45 feet away from the crossing. I had to walk Rick through the first time, in January, because he wasn't quite sure of the footing. You can tell my pants are still wet two hours later. Take him across that creek a mile down the road where there's boulders and no problem!


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## COWCHICK77 (Jun 21, 2010)

cowboy bowhunter said:


> But my pet peeves are just as bad. Horses that are scared of cows.


LOL, think of it this way, they make for "expressive" cutters that wont push on your cow side leg...tee he
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## barrelbeginner (Jan 31, 2012)

yupp my horse sunny would leap and leap and trip over himself, start walking sideways to avoid puddles.. now we can go over puddles but...... mud... if he sees it it stops so quick as if its a mountain lion.. and if he doesnt notice it until he steps in it and his foot slides.. wow.. hes like ahhhhhhhhhhh! im dying and runs about a billion mph to get out.. and as soon as were out he is normal haha


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## BoldComic (Feb 26, 2012)

My horse tries to jump small creeks or if we are going down a very steep bank then heading back up the other side he'll try to jump the last little but onto the upper bank. Not my favorite. He does however, slog through mud no problem. I keep his chin tucked so he can't reach out to jump and we ease our way into whatever he wants to jump. Then I let up just a little so he doesn't jump out of it. It only takes me doing this one time per ride and he knows that I won't let him jump.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I have been working on this issue for several months now. Today was the first day that my horse politely crossed the same old creek we have been arguing about for a while. She was so terrified the first few times that we crossed it, but she can't stand still while the other horse goes on and she had to either stand there or cross it. She is getting braver and braver.


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## Painted Horse (Dec 29, 2006)

My horses actually do better with a real stream than if I ask them to cross a mud pubble.


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

This creek was all of about 3" deep... the rest crossed just fine.. mine took 45 minutes and a candy cane...


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## cebee (Apr 4, 2010)

Sorry that was so huge.. gotta figure out how to make my pics show up smaller!


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