[HairOfTheDog]

And on the other hand... if you have a horse that doesn't like mud, like our Cyn, you want to be careful that when you ~do~ force it, it's safe... It'd be worse to validate her fear by going someplace she gets really mired down in.

[PayNoAttentionManBehindCurtain]

Exactly. That's what I meant when I said you need to know the lay of the land. Having a horse sink to far, can break a leg. If I don't KNOW what's going to happen IN the mud hole, I don't go in.

The rider needs to be smart.

Becky

[AnAmericanMother]

There's a spot on a trail we ride pretty regularly -- there's a bridge for the humans but it's not safe for the horses, so we have to ford. There's a small tributary creek that runs parallel to the trail, then a larger creek about 2' deep and 10' wide.

The whole area between the trail and the main creek has been churned up into the Mother of All Mudholes. It is deep and sucky, but so far we haven't lost anybody (not even one of the little ponies). So long as I keep my mare collected and her weight on her haunches, she's o.k. And once she gets IN the mud, she's all right . . . I guess she figures (1) her feet are already dirty now (2) once she gets to the creek she can rinse them off.