Re: straight downhill?

["S. Brown" <sbrown@wamedes.com>]

>Look at deer, cow trails on hillsides, they angle, not straight up or down.
>Why would taking a horse down at an angle be the sign of a green rider? 
>My horse prefers to go at an angle, it slows the momentum, too.  Not that
>we can't go straight down when necessary, but why MUST we?  
>I will try the forward seat, though.
>
>janetb
>
I think a lot of this depends on the terrain and the angle of the descent.
While a straight descent might be possible in a very steep (mountainside)
type of decline, slight traversing may be your better option, especially
for speed control in a tired or green horse.  It's important not to hang on
the horse's mouth and to give them as much free rein as possible -- an
occasional check on the reins may be necessary in an inexperienced or tired
horse as a reminder to keep their speed under control or when you see
something ahead that may cause a problem if you started going faster.  

One of the aspects of riding that I emphasize a lot during lessons is
staying balanced over your horse.  That means...if the horse were to
suddenly disappear out from under you, where would you land...on your feet
or on your seat??  The horse has a big job of keeping himself balanced AND
keeping you (his resident "Tommy Tippee") balanced underneath him.  This is
why shifting your weight into one stirrup more than the other will move the
horse laterally as he attempts to balance your weight.  The *best* thing
you can do for him is to stay balanced yourself...eg...be able to land on
your feet would he magically vanish.

When teaching elementary jumping (which is a sudden uphill ascent and then
a sudden downhill descent) the rider assumes a comfortable, balanced
two-point position with *the weight in their heels* and then they DO
NOTHING!!  They remain in the balanced position (feet landing in
disappearing horse <g>) and let the horse come up in the front on the
ascent and then down in the front on the descent.  The rider stays in the
balanced position relative to the center of the earth.  Think of it this
way -- if there is any position that you assume when you are on the horse
that you COULD NOT assume when standing on the ground, you are *not*
balanced on that horse.  When that happens, the horse ends up balancing you
which makes their job a whole lot harder and puts quite a bit more stress
on their body.

Sue

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.