Re: watch your step! - Trotting downhill

["Joe Long" <jlong@mti.net>]

On Tue, 19 May 1998 03:00:36 EDT, TrotALongK <TrotALongK@aol.com>
wrote:

>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? 

There is no truth in it at all -- it is totally false.  In fact, this
saying was most prevelant at the same time many people were saying
that by 1,000 miles an endurance horse was washed up!

A horse that is trotted downhill only on rides, and not in training,
may indeed develop leg or joint problems from it.  He's being asked to
do something in competition that he has not been conditioned to do.

Joints, tendons, and such respond to proper conditioning by getting
stronger.  Trotting downhill in training thereby conditions the horse
to be better able to handle trotting downhill!  In fact, you could say
that the more miles you spend trotting downhill in training, the more
"downhill miles" you will have available for competition.

The key, as in all training, is to start slowly and build up
gradually, allowing enough recovery time after each stress session for
the tissues to both recover from the stress, and get stronger.  Too
much downhill trotting too soon or too often can be seriously
damaging.

How much is enough, or too much, will vary with each horse (and his
level of fitness).  You have to pay attention to your horse, and if in
doubt, back off for a while.  It is better to undertrain than to
overtrain.

In a similar vein -- that is, for similar reasons -- I like to do part
of some conditioning rides trotting on a very hard surface (pavement
if available).  Concussion tolerance can benefit from training too.  A
horse that is always walked on the hardpack in training, and then
trots down a hard trail in a ride, hasn't been properly prepared.

But once again -- easy does it!  A little goes a long way, especially
at first.  A hundred yards at a time is enough for early conditioning,
later that can increase to a quarter mile and more at a time.

BTW, I don't willingly canter on pavement either in training or at a
ride -- too much danger of a fall.

-- 

Joe Long
jlong@mti.net
Business Page  http://www.mti.net
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