Re: watch your step! - Trotting downhill

[Tivers <Tivers@aol.com>]

In a message dated 98-05-19 03:02:01 EDT, TrotALongK@aol.com writes:

<< However, I've heard people say that "horses only have so many down hill
 miles".
 Is there any truth in this or is it more a matter of how carefully you choose
 where and when to trot? 
 I can imagine that this kind of exercise might cause a lot of stress on
 tendons and joints. When do you know that you're over-doing it?  
 On a typical conditioning ride (anywhere between 6 and 12 miles) I have about
 1/3 to 1/4 of downhill trotting, some at an extended trot and some at just a
 jog (depending on the terrain and the degree). I usually let the horse pick
 what he's comfortable with. Should I be more conservative?   
 How much down hill trotting do you do? And how fast? 
 
 Kirsten  >>

The saying is just garbage, but there are some difficulties with downhill
trot. Basically the horse is moving forward briskly with the brakes on--in
humans they call this eccentric exercise and it tends to make the stretching
muscles sore. 

There is also the possibility of interference, with the front legs braking and
the hinds coming up on them--I learned this lesson with a nice trotter that
broke a P2 stepping on it in a downhill turn. 

Even if you condition a horse well for downhill work, you'll probably get some
muscle soreness anyway--that's the nature of eccentric exercise. Just don't go
fast. 

ti