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RE: [RC] Man vs. Horse speeds & Shermans Gap at the OD - Mcgann, BarbaraSome ten years ago, I was at a ride put on in Sun Valley, Idaho (very steep terrain, skiers heaven). The ride manager told us that when we got to the very top of the mountain that we would ride by an old cabin and then plunge off the backside of the mountain. She warned us that we absolutely should dismount and walk and lead our horses down the mountain. Now I very seldom walk (or run) on rides (that why we call them "rides"), but when I got to the top, the RM warning was ringing in my ears, so I got off and started down. Before I got 100 yards, I had fallen hard twice. My horse was very patient and would just stop, looking down at me like what in the world do you think you're doing? At that point, I gave up and mounted him on the off-side (uphill side) and proceeded to ride to the bottom, just like I should have done in the first place. It WAS steep, and rocky and slippery, but thats exactly why you needed to stay ON the horse!! Barb McGann -----Original Message----- From: ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:ridecamp-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 3:53 PM To: mkornwolf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Cc: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: Re: [RC] Man vs. Horse speeds & Shermans Gap at the OD Please Reply to: mkornwolf mkornwolf@xxxxxxxxxxxxx or ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx ========================================== For those of you who haven't done a ride involving steep ascents and descents, like the infamous Sherman's Gap at the Old Dominion, take my word that you go down steep hills much faster if you dismount and lead your horse. 2 legs are nimbler than 4, I guess. I get off anyway because it makes me feel sick to ride a horse downhill. And I usually get off on long steep uphills because "if your horse can only manage a walk, so should you" (time to feed carrots!) Having grown up in this sort of terrain, one of the first things I like to teach horses (once they have trail basics down) is how to round and go downhill gracefully. If it makes you sick to ride your horse downhill, I would submit that perhaps he isn't doing it correctly. But if he is, and you still feel queasy about it, then by all means it pays to get off! But I've found over the years that unless it is durn near vertical, 4-leg drive beats heck out of 2-leg drive any day! I was fortunate to start out with a whole family of horses that went downhill like greased eels--they taught ME what it felt like when it was done right, and in turn helped me to teach other horses less gifted. I personally hate to "waste" a downhill--that's one place where the horse doesn't have to waste energy to carry my weight (since gravity is working in his favor), and I've found that I can make time on a lot of timid riders going downhill without any extra strain on my horse. Years ago, Cliff Lewis wrote an article called "The Fat Man's Secret Weapons"--they were rocks, downhill, and darkness. It takes a pretty tough horse to make time through the rocks, but most horses with decent balance and athleticism can become downright good at downhill, and darkness is mostly a rider hangup anyway... :-) Just my nickel's worth... Heidi PS: Gene Nance used to put on a ride in central Oregon years ago called "The Dam Ride." It had a steep sandy downhill on it, and he used to brag that no rider would go down it mounted. I told him I'd be happy to take the bet, but it was about three years before I was able to actually attend the ride. When I got there and asked him if the bet was still on, he said, "Nope! I've SEEN your horse go downhill!" Sure enough, we jogged down it easily and passed a dozen or more riders off leading their horses, struggling... ============================================================ And remember, an arab's fourth gait is the spook! ~ Jeanie Miller ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ============================================================ ===========================================================There is something so magical about being out at night after being on the trail all day on a long 100 with miles left to go. ~ Tom Noll ridecamp.net information: http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/ ===========================================================
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