It depends on the horse more than where you live or your definition of
a hill. A well balanced horse that knows how to engage his/her hind end
will handle down hill just fine even at a good clip. My mare has flown
down off steep Appalachian ridge lines in North Carolina and Virginia
and down off steep passes in Colorado and Utah and did just fine. A
horse that pounds its front end on the down hills is probably pounding
its front end on the flat and up hills and you have to wonder about the
long terms prospects as an endurance horse. I sold one horse after
about a year when I couldn't get him balanced enought to take the down
hills. He's happy as a trail horse.
In a message dated 11/24/2004 11:49:32 AM
Eastern Standard Time, sunibey@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:
Arab with a walk that could
outdistance other horses that trotted and a downhill "scrabble" I
guess, that just flew down hills.
I read all this talk about flying down hill. With 65% of a horse's
weight being on the front end, along with the rest pushing him with
gravity, I have never thought that running down hill is good for the
horse and dangerous for the rider. Now I guess it depends on one's
definition of a hill but where I live a hill is a mountain. You
continue running down hills and I will eventually pass you going up the
next hill or at the vet check. And I do have a Rocky Mountain who also
is great at going down hill at my speed.
Phil
-- Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for
lunch
Democracy is two
wolves and a
lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb
contesting
the vote!
--Benjamin Franklin
