Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

> Some people say that "running" up a hill puts 
> tremendous strain on the suspensory ligaments and that it is better to 
> trot/gait up and canter/run down.
Bill Bentham, an endurance vet and rider, used to say that a horse has only so many 
downhill miles in him so don't waste them on conditioning rides.  He meant that going 
downhill at speed was extremely stressful to the front legs.  So while it may be 
easier to run downhill than up from a cardiovascular or muscle point of view, it is 
definitely more stressful on the tendons, ligaments and joints.  Think of a horse 
going over a jump.  Some of the momentum going UP comes from the front end of the 
horse but ALL of the horse's weight and momentum land on the two front legs coming 
DOWN.  If you plan to trot or canter down hills on an endurance ride then you need to 
TRAIN your horse to move downhill at the trot or canter in a balanced fashion, using 
his rear instead of just leaning on his forehand.  Once he has learned how to trot 
downhill balanced, then there is no need to practice that anymore.  You'd just be 
wasting those downhill miles.

One reason horses will try to canter up a hill instead of trot or walk is that 
cantering is easier on the hocks.  For a horse that is well legged up and fit, 
trotting (vs cantering) uphill is not a problem but for an older horse with perhaps 
some beginning arthritis in his hocks, cantering is more comfortable.

Pace as well as gait is important to consider, as well as the steepness of the slope. 
 Obviously a lunging gallop up a steep hill is more stressful to all systems than 
taking such a hill at the walk.  For more moderate slopes, since trotting takes more 
energy and lung power than walking and since you compress all your exertions into a 
shorter time frame, your horse will certainly feel more winded and "bushed" if you 
trot or canter up than if you walk, but if you've been conditioning on hills, it will 
not be a significantly greater stress on the tendons/joints.

For other points of view, this thread came up on Ridecamp back in October, 1996, but 
with more emphasis on the downhill part.


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