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Re: [RC] Downhill Trot - Flora Hillman

The 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! :-)