Riding Downhill (Long)

["Ray & Barb Elliston" <raymondj@travel-net.com>]

	Before this thread runs its course I would appreciate some thoughts on the
technique of riding downhill.  The common wisdom on the matter seems to be
that one leans back when descending.  However, in his very good book, Manual
of Horsemanship, Harold Black, in discussing the rider's weight
displacement, states, "In going down, rider is still flexed forward but all
weight is in the heels.  Now there must be firm contact with the mouth of
the horse to give him support as he descends and to regulate his speed.  It
is quite all right for him to ascend at his speed but he must descend at
yours (italics his).  At any point of his descent you should be able to halt
him if necessary.  Obviously the descent should be made as straight as
possible.  Coming down a steep slide with the horse at an angle is
dangerous.  I find that green riders readily accept the need of going
forward in the ascent but are invariably amazed to be told to do the same in
the steep descent.  They assume that one should lean far back going down,
which is, as a matter of fact, the worst thing one can do.  A brief analysis
will show that the forward-inclined rider at the descent has his centre of
gravity over the horse's mass, which is a base of support.  Functionally,
the horse's forelegs act as a brake for his descent and have no need to move
from side to side.  The haunch, on the contrary, must be free to move
laterally when the hocks are folded under it, in order to preserve
equilibrium.  Taking predominant weight off the haunch allows the horse the
necessary lateral freedom of the quarters.  The centre of gravity or
predominant weight of the rider is closer to the forehand, which is braking
and supporting the mass in its descent".  In a later chapter he states, "It
was my privilege in Madrid to be invited by the Spanish army to the annual
ceremony of the descent of the cortaduras.  This is a field graduating
exercise for military students of horsemanship.  There are five descents,
which increase in height and steepness.  The last is a drop of about fifty
feet, only a few degrees off the vertical, followed by a rolling hill down
into a river.  Approach to the edge is at the trot.  Descent of the drop is
at the walk.  The gallop into the river is taken at the end of the drop.  In
spite of the fact that the last drop was only a few degrees off the
vertical, every rider was forward.  Putting the weight over the compressed
haunch by leaning backward would inhibit the freedom of the haunch to
maintain balance by manoeuvring laterally".
	I have also seen a photo of a US Army cavalryman on exercise in the 1930s
descending a steep slope and the rider is forward, as described by Black.  I
have tried both methods and do believe the horse is more comfortable in the
descent when I adopt a forward position, however I would be most interested
in other opinions and experiences, as no other rider in this area, that I
have spoken to about it, seems to have heard of using a forward position
when descending.

Ray
RR3 Ashton ON Canada

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