I'd love to find out the origin of the expression "you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink". My best guess is that alcohol was involved, the expression invented over the first third pint at the local pub, perhaps by the village stooge as he stumbled over with a fresh round of drinks, who invented the expression out of necessity to conceal the embarrassment of being told, against all odds, no.
Tie a rope to a horse or grab it by its neck - I don't know what you do with a horse - and then try to make it drink? Think about it from the horse's perspective - why have a drink of some muddy mess at the edge of a lake, pond, or puddle? We might all be better off with a new idea - if you lead a thirsty horse to water, it will probably drink.
