Fear of Puddles

[Kevin Cunningham]

My little guys are progressing great in their training and I am loving having some more time to work with them. They yoke great, stand, even while I go away to the barn (not far and not for long but still good), and I have them pulling a light sled made of Redwood, light and plentiful in these parts. I walk them all over the farm on the driveway, along the fence line, down to the river across the gravel, and they do great. The only problem I am having is getting them to walk through puddles in the driveway. I can easily get them walk through shallow water at the river, but they shy away from every puddle in the road. I live in a rainforest so I need them to be okay with puddles. Any suggestions? I don’t want to push them though the puddles and have them get a complex but I also need them to stay on track on the road regardless of puddles. They can skirt around the edge now because they’re small but soon they won’t be.

[Tim Harrigan]

They probably think the puddles are holes so they are just being safe. They have pretty good memory regarding where things are so if you follow the same route frequently they should learn to ignore the puddles as they come and go, but you might find that they are always wary of puddles in new locations. Best to be patient with them.

[fabian]

Did you try what happens when YOU step through the puddles ? Will they follow you then ?

[Rod]

What about setting some panels to make an alley at the puddles so they have to walk through them as you go?

[CharlyBonifaz]

Did you try what happens when YOU step through the puddles ? Will they follow you then ?

😎 mine are smarter than that, they will follow me only, if it is a big puddle… a small one they will evade

[Baystatetom]

Mine go around them too. That is the mud pits where I got my tractor halfway stuck. They go left I go right. As long as you stay in control and meet up again on the other side whats the big deal? If the puddle stretches across your road fence to fence I bet they will see there is no other option and walk right through like its a everyday thing.
~Tom

[dominiquer60]

Tom, I find your theory true. My off steer avoids puddle big time, but when I took them to the flood waters after the hurricanes, they gave a slight hesitation and dove in like it was no big deal. We wandered around a bit and pulled some branches out of some dammed up debris, no troubles at all when dry land is not an option.

[mitchmaine]

hey gang, i never had one horse balk for a puddle, so i have zero experience in this thread. but i’ve been listening to all and wonder, puddles are shallow and pretty still. could it be their reflection in the water that startles them? puddles around here are a foot deep, and pretty murky and muddy, and they just blast through them. only thing i could come up with.
still, the problem isn’t always why they do it so much as what you do to get them through. good luck, mitch

[Kevin Cunningham]

I am glad to know that other oxen do this. They only step around the small puddles but I can walk them in ankle deep water no problem. I just wasn’t sure if I needed to make them get over this because it was going to be a problem in the future. I’m hop that when the creek floods and covers the road they will walk through it just like when they are down at the river. My main concern is being able to walk them out if I need to. Our farm is caught right between a river and creek with a tiny little bridge over the creek and every year the creek floods at some point. Some day the 100 year flood is going to catch up with us.

[Baystatetom]

Guess I don’t know my left from right. They go gee and I go haw. I walked mine right into a brook and then up the brook for about 100′ in knee deep water one time just to see if they would do it. No problem just like they did it everyday. I go around puddles too. Who wants to get wet if they don’t have to.
~Tom

[jen judkins]

@Baystatetom 30933 wrote:

I go around puddles too. Who wants to get wet if they don’t have to.

I like your approach, Tom. I don’t have cattle, but it drives me crazy when my team tries to avoid a puddle, but will walk through a river without hesitation. I know it looks like a hole and they are just looking out for their best interests, but it always annoys me. The way you put it makes me feel less annoyed and I always look for opportunities to do that…

[Tim Harrigan]

The only time I am fussy about them walking a straight line is when they have to for cultivating, plowing, etc. In the woods, if I want a straight line I think it is my responsibility to swamp out a clear path with good footing. I also do not want them drifting into me or away from me. Other than that, I trust in their ability to walk a comfortable line. They will shift a little to avoid holes or puddles, or multi-flora rose, so do I. I do not want them stepping in holes, and if they have some awareness about specific locations that I might not be aware of, I respect their attempt to communicate that. There is such a thing as driving too much.

[Tim Harrigan]

I have been laying low on this thread because did not want it to be another case where I jumped on the soap box but I guess I will anyway. Recently, in another thread, I pointed out that our animals have limited ways of communicating with us. So we sort of walk the line between providing firm but gentle leadership and being open to the possibility that the animals might have greater awareness of their environment than we do. And they have a somewhat different set of concerns than we might. Where to put down a foot is important for them. So while some of these things may annoy you a little you might want to see it as contributing to the safety and well being of the team. You know it is a puddle and it is only 3 inches deep. They don’t know that for sure so they rely on their instincts. You do not want to suppress their instincts and natural behavior. You are all better off if you learn to read it, and don’t sweat the small stuff. When you get off the driveway and start doing real work there will be many times when they have better information and a clearer understanding of potential hazards than you do. If you develop the attitude that they should go where you say without hesitation you are not using all your senses. If you have that attitude, why should they trust you? And, sometimes, you will be wrong. In you continue to insist, you will regret it. You can bring a sense of humility to the team, or they can introduce you to it. Your choice.

[Carl Russell]

I personally am not interested in independent initiative from my draft animals. If I want/need them to step on/in something, then I work on the leadership to get them to follow my lead.

In the case of an animal that refuses to do that, I may be inclined to go back to halter training.

However, I am less likely to focus on the object, in this case the puddle, then I am to focus on the fact that the animal believes that it can assert its desire to shy.

Horses or steers, there are puddles in the woods, and they will be going through them….. without hesitation….. I do (rubber boots help;))

That being said, I don’t mind a moment to appraise the object, tilting of the head, slowing in gate, etc., but with my encouragement they should be trusting me enough to move forward…… if not, I believe I am missing something, and need to go back to basics.

Carl

[Carl Russell]

@Tim Harrigan 30947 wrote:

…. So while some of these things may annoy you a little you might want to see it as contributing to the safety and well being of the team. You know it is a puddle and it is only 3 inches deep. They don’t know that for sure so they rely on their instincts. You do not want to suppress their instincts and natural behavior. You are all better off if you learn to read it, and don’t sweat the small stuff. …..

My last post does not mean that I disagree with this sentiment (We were posting at the same time, and I didn’t read Tim’s post until after I had posted).

If my steady, forward, confident team shies, or shows serious concern in response to my direction, then I know I have misread the situation, and will not force them. However, if once I have reappraised things, and know that there are no risks, they will be expected to follow my lead without hesitation.

Carl

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