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Q. My friend and I cross the same irrigation canal at the same place each time we go out for a ride. While our horses will eventually cross, both act really silly when faced with water, and neither is brave about taking the lead. Each time the horses finally do wade in (after much encouragement), my 10-year-old gelding violently paws and splashes in the water and my friend’s mare sniffs and blows at it. Why do they continue to act so suspicious of water, and what can we do to build their confidence?

Nicole, Bend, Ore.

A. I am not certain that anyone knows why horses behave as they do when entering water, but it definitely seems to be a natural and typical response to investigate the water, paw at the substrate when entering, and splash and sometimes roll at the water’s edge. The topic of why they do this comes up among our behavior lab group when people observe our semi-feral ponies splashing, rolling, and sometimes acting suspicious when entering water