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Re: [RC] Gaited horses-downhll - Joe LongOn Wed, 24 Nov 2004 18:10:30 EST, RBluebirdpr@xxxxxxx wrote: 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. One area of training and conditioning some people neglect is downhill training. Of course it helps to start with a horse with good natural downhill ability, but training downhill is still important ... and then conditioning downhill. The principle is that you don't ask a horse to do on a ride, anything that you haven't conditioned him to do at home. I always make it a point to condition my horses downhill, at a reasonable speed. That doesn't mean galloping madly down "Man from Snowy River" style (the only time I went down a steep hill at a full gallop was when I had a runaway ... at 99 miles!). But moderate downhills are GREAT places to make good time with minimum energy expenditure. I condition (and compete) at a trot on moderate pitch downhills, and at a canter on mild downslopes. On steep or rough downhills where we must walk, I prefer (in competition) to be off walking in front of my horse. This regimen has proven advantageous with multiple horses. I've never had an endurance horse go unsound and have to be retired. Of course my main "success story" completed 11,525 miles and is still sound today at 31 years old. -- Joe Long jlong@xxxxxxxx http://www.rnbw.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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