# Head up or down when riding downhill?



## charlene1985 (Aug 4, 2009)

when i go downhill i let my horses put their head down, not sure if thats correct or not but IMO if your horse asks to put his head down to go downhill and you arent rushing him down it you should be ok, i mean most horses will do what they feel is safest, they dont want to hurt themselves or you, how they hold their head is pretty much instinct i think


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

I want them to see where they are going, so I give them their head. I keep my eyes trained forward, not down. And of course keep your body centered, not forward. I'm sure you know that tho.


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## sparksgirl (Sep 13, 2009)

Hello all, 
I am new to this forum(just found it) but, I have been riding horses 35 years. If you watch a horse climbing a hill or comming down a hill, where does he keep his head? I do not pull up on his reins to encourage his head to come up, I want his head down, but not on the ground-- The horse will put his head in a natural position so that he can see the ground- the only thing I controll when going down the hill is the speed in which we will descend safely.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I want my horse collected and in control. If I have that he's not going to flip over. That's a little silly in my opinion.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

I have to agree with #2. I give my horses their head so that they can balance themselves and pick the best way down for them. The only time I pick up the reins is if they start to go faster than I like. IMHO, if you keep their head pulled up, it is more likely that they will flip over backward on a muddy slope; I don't know how, but that is just what I would be afraid of. My horses are funny and it may not be the best way to do it but if we are going down a VERY steep slope where their butts are dragging the ground, most of mine will turn sideways and sidepass down the hill. It feels much more in control and balanced to me and I have yet to have one fall doing it.


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## MIEventer (Feb 15, 2009)

I have picked up this habit of holding my horses head up - this is something I've learnt from Eventing.

I remember back in my pony club days, we were working on drops, off of this sorta slant thing made out of the ground, and rail road ties. So that people could back it up to load up stock into their trailers.

Anyways, my friend and her horse Dot *funny how I remember the horses name and not my friends* were cantering to the drop. They were on the top and coming down of course - and when they landed, her horse almost went over in a bad fall, but she picked up her reins and pulled her horses head up and that prevented the tragity that was about to occur.

The 1 star eventer who was there coaching us, shouted out "bravo, you just picked your horse up and did exactly what you were supposed to do"

I know, drops are not compareable to climbing down a hill. And I know that when you go off a drop, you're supposed to allow the reins to completely slack through your hands so your horse can have their head - it's a retarded issue that I need to correct.


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## PaintHorseMares (Apr 19, 2008)

Enough folks have already said it...we let them have their head to let them see and balance the way they feel safe.


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## kevinshorses (Aug 15, 2009)

I don't always just let my horse have it's head. I keep them collected so that thier hindquarters stay under them. Horses don't instictivly know how to travel with a rider so it is our responsibility to help them travel safely by keeping them collected.


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## sparksgirl (Sep 13, 2009)

That is what I should have said== collecton is always a good thing-- sometimes I miss saying the right thing- but collection is what I was talking about.


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## luvs2ride1979 (Nov 9, 2007)

I let them do whatever they want. The horse knows best how to handle iffy footing. How we want them to go in the arena, or ideally, is NOT always what's best or safest in non-ideal conditions.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

I only check them if they get chargy to try to rush.

Up or down a hill is certainly not a time to expect a collected frame.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

If I'm riding an intelligent, competent trail horse, I'd let them have their head. If I don't trust the horse's balance or intelligence, I'd keep their head at a medium height... not too high, not too low.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Horses have been walking down hills, for hundreds, if not thousands, of years. 

I really don't think we should be telling them how to do it. 

I believe you should let the horse have its head at all times unless you are doing something that requires contact (such as dressage/jumping etc). Otherwise there is no reason to.


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## RubaiyateBandit (Jan 25, 2009)

I pretty much figure, the horse knows what the heck it's doing -- When going through some tricky terrain, I always let the horse have it's head to navigate, and all I control is speed and direction.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Saskia said:


> Horses have been walking down hills, for hundreds, if not thousands, of years.
> 
> I really don't think we should be telling them how to do it.


True, but they weren't really meant to do it with us on their backs! ;-) 

My horse is still pretty green, especially to hills on trail...and she wants to see what the mud is so if I let her, she'd go down the hill with her nose IN the mud! I'm just concerned that if I let her do it, and she loses her footing or trips, that her head dragging the ground + me on her back going downhill would make her lose her balance and possibly end up with her flipping over. 

Has anyone had any experiences like that?


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

The only thing I do is to control speed and direction. I've not had a horse that didn't know how to keep balanced with a rider while going down hill - why would I want to interfere with that?


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## Vidaloco (Sep 14, 2007)

Hoofprints in the Sand said:


> True, but they weren't really meant to do it with us on their backs! ;-)
> 
> My horse is still pretty green, especially to hills on trail...and she wants to see what the mud is so if I let her, she'd go down the hill with her nose IN the mud! I'm just concerned that if I let her do it, and she loses her footing or trips, that her head dragging the ground + me on her back going downhill would make her lose her balance and possibly end up with her flipping over.
> 
> Has anyone had any experiences like that?


I know what you mean. I will sort of help her up if she trips or starts to fall when going down hill. Vida doesn't watch the mud but she will try to grab a bite to eat on an uphill or downhill grass covered grade. Guess she figures her mouth is close to the ground, why not :lol: I'll check her up if she does that too. Otherwise she is on a loose rein.
Before Saro's lameness issue, I kept her on a short rein. She wasn't sure how to handle grades since she had never been on one before. Since she was just learning how to carry a rider and the balance needed I wanted to keep her and myself safe. Its more of a sometimes tight sometimes loose rein thing though, dependent on how she feels under you and how she is handling the grade. That said, I think the answer is more in the gray area instead of the black and white.


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

My mare's an experienced trail horse... I let her do what she wants most of the time... but if it's a really, really steep hill, I'll keep her head at a medium.

My gelding isn't as esperienced, and he keeps his head at a medium naturally.


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## nirvana (Sep 14, 2009)

sparksgirl said:


> Hello all,
> I am new to this forum(just found it) but, I have been riding horses 35 years. If you watch a horse climbing a hill or comming down a hill, where does he keep his head? I do not pull up on his reins to encourage his head to come up, I want his head down, but not on the ground-- The horse will put his head in a natural position so that he can see the ground- the only thing I controll when going down the hill is the speed in which we will descend safely.


I agree, where I live it is very steep with rocks, stumps, etc. I doubt your horse would flip over, when i take my horse down a hill I look straight forward, and lean back, and let him choose the correct place to step.


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## Lonestar22 (May 22, 2009)

well i was riding downhill today and I let him have his head. I feel i shouldnt try to be in his mouth or disturbing his natural headset when he needs his balance to help him be safe. I find that most horses go downhill at a slow speed and lower their head to a bit lower than shoulder level.


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## Hoofprints in the Sand (Nov 23, 2008)

Thanks for all the advice everyone!!

I did a hunter pace this afternoon and when we went downhill I kind of took a "middle ground" on the advice, I let her have her head but didn't let her lower it to the ground, and we went downhill nicely 

She did tend to get quick but I just sat back and made sure I didn't let her go TOO fast! She did a couple sideways steps and I just let her -- figured she knew where her feet were better than I...and it worked nicely for us!


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## Appyt (Oct 14, 2007)

Awesome!


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## RoadRider / Rios Dad (Jul 2, 2009)

smrobs said:


> . My horses are funny and it may not be the best way to do it but if we are going down a VERY steep slope where their butts are dragging the ground, most of mine will turn sideways and sidepass down the hill.


No way I would want my horse sideways on a very steep slope. You are asking for the horse to slip sideways and land on your leg.
Keep the horse striaght, leave the head alone so he can balance himself and I sit forward, putting my weight on his front end.
Horses are not great on going downhill since the steep slope puts their hind legs almost parallel to the hill and they have no traction behind.
I sit forward so my weight is on his braced front legs, the legs with the most traction and leave his hindend to sort of ski down the hill.
If you sit back he might just have his hind end skate out from under him and he sits down.
I negotiate very steep muddy slopes down into a swamp alot and sometimes they look unpassable but by sitting forward, keeping my weight forward, leaving his head alone and keeping him pointed straight down we traverse the hills without incident.
My down hills are steep washouts , steep sided and I keep him in the Vee. I do encounter small 3 foot waterfalls sometimes cut into the washout by a recent rain and then he has to negotiate this drop at the same time as he is going down. Like a big cat he drops his hindend until it is sitting on the bank and his front legs drop over the waterfall. Really neat to be watching.


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## Lily of the Valley (Sep 27, 2009)

My OTTB has high head carriage unless forced down, so when we're going downhill, I just make sure it's down slightly. But my main focus is keeping him balanced and collected. Whether his head is up or down is mostly his choice.


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