pulling up hills

["Olivia Greene" <greene_olivia@hotmail.com>]

  Here's my 2 cents.
  First, I like to teach a horse how to travel long and low on the flat, 
emphasizing keeping enough energy coming from behind to prevent getting 
heavy on the forehand, then once that becomes easy for him (allowing days to 
weeks for this, depending how it goes) I'll ask him to practice long and low 
on easy to moderate inclines, at a pace he can easily maintain.
  Eventually most horses will come to realize that in the long run it's 
easier to push uphill than pull uphill.  I suggest you: 1) teach him how to 
position his body long and low - not all the time, but as an exercise, 
though if you let him get above the bit that of course is counterproductive 
to your training of his musculature as well as his mind  2) Condition him 
appropriately to make it easier for him to accomplish pushing himself uphill 
- that is, be consistent with long and low work, which encourages the horse 
to utilize his abdominal and hindquarter muscles and to round his back, 
stretching the topline  3) Make your increased increments of demand small 
enough to be within his capability, but of a magnitude that asks him to 
think about what he's doing.
   I hope this helps.

- Olivia
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