Re: Riding Downhill

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

>A horse is terribly unbalanced or unstable moving sideways on a steep
>hill, just as it is dangerous to turn a car sideways on a steep hill:
>risk roll over.  A balanced horse going down a steep hill if is under
>itself  is more apt to sit on its haunches if it slips.  Linda

This is true.  Think of the horse having to coordinate his descent by
lowering one whole side of his body (with you on top) -- in a real sideways
descent similar to "side slipping" in skiing -- but there's no comparison
here in the sense of the best way to handle as steep slope on a horse.
Consider the body mechanics involved with that maneuver as opposed to those
of a forward descent where the body can be positioned to handle the
gravity.  (Unless you're on a "goat trail" and doing switchbacks...there
the horse is on semi-level ground and still *going forward and down*...I
sorta mentioned this in another post but didn't explain what I meant.) 

And if it's REALLY muddy, you can receive comments on your horses SKIING
abilities <g>...similar to the one I heard from my friend, Suzanne (riding
behind me last spring) when Blaze encountered his first steep *muddy*
descent!! ;-)) 

Sue   

sbrown@wamedes.com
Tyee Farm
Marysville, Wa.