I've always been fascinated with swimming horses. My first experience with horses and water was at Pony Club camp in Oregon, where I was raised. The only thing I can remember about that particular swimming session was a lot of squealing kids and happy horses--and one of my friends sliding off the back of her horse as it climbed up the bank out of the river.

There used to be a horse trial on the Oregon coast, which gave us the opportunity to ride the horses on the beach. I had just finished my dressage test and was itching to get my horse into the ocean. We had been warned to walk the horses into the surf parallel to the waves, because if you walked them directly out to sea, the rolling waves could upset their equilibrium, and they might easily fall down or panic. Of course, I either ignored or forgot this advice in my hurry to get my horse into the water. Straight out to sea I went; the horse was confused, spun around and fell down. This was while I was dressed in my formal dressage attire, complete with stock tie and shiny boots.

There is nothing more fun than riding horses down a creek or river on a hot summer day. A few years ago, a friend of mine was riding a green horse with me on some trails by Beaver Creek in Bluemont. I had the bright idea of letting the horses wade down the creek as a special treat for all of us. I quickly was reminded that her horse was not the most naturally coordinated equine. He panicked in the water, toppled over in slow motion, and the horse and rider slowly started to float down river. They peacefully remained attached as if they were standing upright for quite a while, floated apart, gracefully stood up, and we resumed our ride. Her saddle remains stained by the wet marks her rear end left on it from that day.

Recently, I had a student riding at a horse trial in Maryland, and I proudly watched her and her horse jumping bravely and precisely around the cross-country course. Just as I was bragging about her to another coach, I saw her make the turn across a jetty between the lake and a giant pond, where you followed a roadway to the next fence. The horse assumed the pond was the water jump, grabbed the bit and made a huge six-foot leap off the pathway. All I could see was the giant splash as they hit the water at full speed. I stood frozen in astonishment, and the only words I could utter were, "Oh my God, Becky doesn't know how to swim."

The horse chugged across the pond like an old steamer, my student hanging on for dear life. They climbed out, dripping wet, and finished the course. When I ran up to her afterward, she said her main concern at the moment the horse hit the water was whether her body protector would help keep her afloat.

There is a technique to swimming with horses I haven't yet finessed. I still try to sit on their back and ride them in the water, when you actually need to hold onto mane and float above them. I guess I just need more practice. I do believe the horses enjoy playing in the water as much as the people, whether swimming or wading, once they get familiar with the whole idea and relax.

As the days get longer and the horses get hotter, I feel the water beckoning me. I keep my horses at a farm near the Shenandoah River, where there are riding trails that lead right to the shoreline. In certain places on the river, you can walk the horses all the way across, where it's not too deep and the current is slow. Before the water gets too stagnant, I think I will take a group of horses and riders out to the river and see what kind of new stories such an adventure will provide.