I've only had several horses that shied away from getting in a creek, but almost all of them will avoid a puddle if possible.
Becky
I wish we had water as deep as yours to try... I don't know of any river crossings that deep, most are just small creeks like this one. We have lakes, but none on or near horse trails that I'm aware of.
What's the bottom like on your creek? Is it soft or rocky? The thing I don't like about this crossing is the big round rocks, it's terribly uncomfortable footing, and they are usually reluctant to stop and stand anywhere in it, always hoping the next step is not another rock.