Horses wanting
to lope or canter up short steep hills is very common.
It's not only
short steep hills, but once they are in condition to do so and have been allowed
to, some want to canter up looong, very steep hills......it is really
scarry watching horses lounge up the beginning of Wendel Robie's Training Hill
(just off the Tevis Trail for those not familiar with the area). The trail is so
steep, the horses look like they're on the verge of going over backwards. As
steep as it is, all my horses will walk up. I don't know what the grade is
there, but the entire hill is almost a mile long and incredibly
steep, with a few sections of a lesser grade for the horses to catch their
breath. Even after riding there for over two years, I'm still inclined to make
my horse walk all the steep areas, and if she wants to trot beiefly when it's
not so steep then I let her.
