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Re: [RC] Downhill Trot - Flora HillmanThe feeling
is more like "skiing" or "skating" downhill, and only a very athletic,
balanced horse can accomplish this with ease. And the speeds can
become pretty awesome. The rider has to be fearless enough to sit quietly back
(burdening the hindquarters), not panic, and just let the horse go. (Said
relatively speaking considering that the *intelligent* equestrian is one who
always take in whatever dangers of the terrain are presented in order to
determine course and speed)
In all my
decades of riding the fast cross-country sports (eventing, foxhunting, etc) I've
found -- like every other equine talent -- some horses have the ability to
rocket downhill like Olympic athletes, and others don't. You can only
"teach" ("condition into" is more correct) a percentage of ability to a
horse who doesn't have it naturally -- like the horse I currently foxhunt-- but
you won't ever have that horse achieve the heights of being able to fly down a
hill like that of a horse blessed by Mother Nature to do so naturally -- like my
endurance pony who is downright jaw-dropping in the speed he can obtain
going downhill as witnessed by many of my endurance friends who have watched him
rocket by as if they themselves were going backwards!
What a
rush! :-)
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