Going Downhill
zx Nick Warhol (nwarhol@mscorp.kla.com)
Fri, 01 Nov 96 09:51:00 PST
I don't think there is one single way to ride up, down, or on flat
ground, for that matter. It really depends on the rider and horse. My
two horses are the extreme opposite of each other. My older horse was
never really comfortable going down hill at anything other than a fast
walk, yet my young guy floats downhill at a trot like he is wearing
running shoes. (he does wear Sneakers. Hmmmm) I personally like to
get off the horse and run along with him on occasion, especially on not
real steep downhill roads. There is an old endurance saying which
states "if you can make the same time off the horses back as you can on,
then get off". I love finding a nice mile-long downhill road where I
hop off and run along at a good clip beside my horse. It is as good for
me as it is for him, since it helps to rotate those leg muscles (mine).
It's fun to watch him trot along downhill beside me. The only thing I
don't like to do is to go down hills fast. No cantering, and no fast
trotting on his back. There is just to much concussion, especially on
some of the hard ground found in the west. Obviously this is not a
strategy for winning rides, but I am more interested in his well being,
especially during his conditioning and early years.
Some people argue riders should not be able to get off their horses
during rides, because some people can't or don't want to run. Have you
ever seen Chris Knock at a ride? He goes so fast running along next to
his horse he does not really need to get on. It is very impressive, and
is obviously an advantage. But so is rider weight. I am a middleweight,
and the chance of me becoming a featherweight is just about nil. Yet my
wife is a featherweight soaking wet.
The diversity of riders and horses is one of the things that makes
Endurance riding neat. My suggestion is to do whatever works best for
you and your horse. Learn from others what works for them and their
horses, and experiment. That's the beauty of this type of forum- you can
get ideas, try them out, and improve your riding.
Nick Warhol
Hayward, Ca.
Shatta (who really goes down hill nicely, and his rider really
appreciates it)
Rowan (who gets to the top of a hill, stops, turns, looks at me, and
says "get off now!" He has me trained well)