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RE: [RC] Question re Running up hills-easiest way? - heidi

Heidi,
I'd be willing to bet that the reason your horses do so well going downhill,
and aren't injured, is due to the fact that you are riding them correctly.
I think it is difficult to ride a downhill (a steep one, especially)
correctly.  A lot of people just sit down in the saddle and lean back, and
that's not the way to do it.  That's the way I used to ride a downhill... I
know now better and I try my best but still don't think I'm 100% correct.

Is there any way you could explain the correct rider position, to help the
horse get and keep his hindquarters under him?


I think it was Matthew McKay-Smith who once said that if the rider is in
a correct position, if the horse were to suddenly just disappear, the
rider would end up standing on his feet.  The rider should be
perpendicular to level, no matter what the terrain.

But it is nigh-on impossible for the rider to be in this position if the
horse is out of balance.  It is a two-way street.  Going downhill, the
horse should have his rear end underneath him to the point that his
back is as near level as physically possible.  Obviously, if the hill
is REALLY steep, levelness isn't achievable, but he can still be far
less steep than the terrain.  By remaining perpendicular in the saddle
and asking the horse to utilize his hindquarters with your legs, you
can achieve this balance.  If you lean forward, you do weight his front
end.  If you lean back, you put more stress on the hind legs that are
working so hard to act as the spring point for the entire back and
body.  By staying in balance, you help the horse to achieve balance as
well.

I credit a horse with teaching me this--it is not something that I
learned first and then taught the horse.  As I said in my previous
post, I was blessed in the beginning with an exceptional downhill
horse--and what he taught me has enabled me to teach others less
naturally endowed.  But I do think that riders CAN learn it from other
riders and then teach their horses--it is just such a wonderful
experience to be able to learn it first from a really talented and
athletic horse.

Heidi


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