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.
The bottom of our creeks are always rocky. Where we cross at the deep crossing, the bottom is just one big flat rock, very easy. At the other crossings where the creek isn't deep it's like yours, very rocky, only they are not round rocks, but irregular shaped sandstone. That is tricky to get across for them. The rocks tend to move, rock back and forth, as they step.
No, we never know what kind of obstacles we are going to have to do. You're suppose to have a horse that will do anything, because you never know what you will encounter out on a trail, is the thinking.
Becky