RE: up and down hills

["Kathy Mayeda" <kathy_mayeda@atce.com>]

I bet it depends a lot on your horse and where you are in
conditioning.  I never, never trotted downhill until I did
my first LD at Camp Far West last year, and I found out that
it was just easier to go with the flow downhill rather than
walking it because most of it wasn't too steep. We were riding
with David Cootware who started late due to equipment issues.
David was just great in helping to pace us greenies
on our first ride so I was lucky to meet him then.

Trotting downhill was a skill that I had to learn this year, I wasn't
too good at staying balance without the practice.  However,
it is tough on the horse, so I won't trot downhill too much
on training rides.  But I have gone on training rides with
people who would trot downhills consistently which was a good
learning experience for me.

My horse is a trotting machine during competition and once
I got through my first two 50 completions this year (the
first one was trying to keep him from galloping)he has just 
settled into trotting up and downhills most of the way, so I let
him set the pace.  He slowed down himself when he got tired
and I wouldn't be able to get him to go any faster than a
balky walk.  But he knew best, and he was just saving himself
because we hand galloped to finish.  I guess I can't take any 
credit for his pacing skills!  

We did trot most of Quicksilver up and down hills at a consistent
pace, but we also "bounded" up Virl Norton trail hill twice, 
"bounded" up Cardiac once, and after lunch at Mockingbird, Beau just
looked up Cardiac for the second go round, stopped dead in
his tracks and said to me "you got to be kidding, you want
me to go up that again!!!???"   That second time was the 
longest time I've ever spent going up Cardiac 
(I have trained there regularly) and the only time I even
thought about wishing I had my riding crop with me on a
endurance ride with this horse.  But the thought went
away very shortly after as soon as he got his second wind.
I should learn to leave those thoughts at home!

He was slow again after the first vet check but we were
riding with another very tired horse.  Dom came breezing
by and whooshed us home for Beau and my first Top 10 finish.

Maybe I should've taken those tough hills a little slower,
I don't know.  I guess there are a few people who would
trot the uphills for conditioning, but in competition would
only trot the downhills.  For myself, I kinda consider the
50's as another conditioning ride to get myself ready for
100's some day, so I will still do the trotting uphill,
and Beau seems to agree.

Dede, it was good to meet you at the ride and wished we
could have visited more.  I am nearsighted and forgetful
of names and faces sometimes so don't be shy to come up
and say hi and reintroduce yourself again to me if you see
me at another ride!  

K.



-----Original Message-----
From: Scott & Dede Johnson [mailto:scottj@cyberlynk.com]
Sent: Saturday, October 21, 2000 3:21 PM
To: ridecamp@endurance.net
Subject: RC: up and down hills


A few people have mentioned walking up hills and trotting on the
downside 
and the flats, which makes sense to me.   I have wondered though how do
people finish a 50 in what I think is a fast time riding a very hilly
course, like Mariposa or Quicksilver, for those of you in the West.  I
am a
"bottom 10" finisher doing LD and often times there are 50s finishing
before
our group.  I am just curious- do you get to the point where your horse
is
in such great shape that you can literally trot the whole 50 miles?  I
am
not trying to figure out how to speed up my own times (just an LDer
here)
but am just curious at just how fast other people go?  Thanks.

Dede
Central CA


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