# stop trotting down hill!



## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

So I went on an intense 4 hour trail ride today.Gidget won't stop trotting down hill. This BOTHERS me as it's bad for her joints,jars my back and my knees...she will only walk down steep hills. I need to get a bit more control.I don't mind if we trot out if it's flat or up hill..I will encourage it but I can't loose rein her when she goes down cause if I do we trot down hill so I have to tighten the reins but then she gets red marks. I would make her do circles..that kinda worked..any other ideas?


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

I think it has something to do with balance...my younger mare always wants to trot up hills, while the older one will only trot up the really, really steep ones. The younger mare just shimmies down the hill, while the older one rocks back and takes it very carefully. Maybe your horse just is unsure of how to balance on the hills?


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## TamaraB (Nov 17, 2010)

I don't know how to help this but would love to hear. It scares me when my horse does it!


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

It is easier for a horse to trot or run up a hill. It takes a lot more work on their part to walk up them. When you let them run up a hill, I think, they want to do the same going down. Until you feel you have more control, I would not let the horse run/trot up or down the hill. If the horse wants to run/trot down the hill, stop the horse and go back to the top of the hill. Have the horse take one or two steps then stop and repeat the whole way down the hill. Go back to the top and repeat doing 3 or 4 steps before stopping. If the horse starts to throw a tizzy, make them back up the hill several steps. Having to hold the horse back from running down the hill, the horse isn't listening to you and really, not respecting you, in my opinion.


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## Shenandoah (Aug 9, 2010)

My horse was either trotting or walking VERY quickly down hills, and sometimes up hills. He was out of balance, and just using momentum to keep going.
I started randomly halting him on the hill, so he was forced to find his balance. The first few times really threw him off, his head would swing almost to the ground (make sure you're firmly planted in the saddle). But it took only a few days, and now he walks up and down hills just fine, and halts smoothly if asked.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

thanks everyone. I will have to do that. If I hold her back as much as possible she has a prance to her step going down hills. I can have her walk up hills no problem,trotting no problem,cantering no problem...my issue is the down hill part. I see it as not respecting me either and I sometimes lose my stirrups O.O Disaster waiting to happen,I know....so I will try these little steps and see how it improves our ride. All the other horses walk down it and we are left behind as I try to make her walk down it...that's the sucky thing as I have to tell my friends to wait up  hahaa..thank you once again.


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## franknbeans (Jun 7, 2007)

You are very right. Your horse needs to listen, but in the meantime, it would sure help if your friends would cooperate and not let their horses get so far away while you are trying to retrain an issue. I would try explaining to them that it is quite possible that by getting ahead it makes your horse feel even more "rushed". Then-there are several options. I have one who has balance issues so he tries to ge faster and faster down the hills. I always zig zag him down. It keeps him thinking and concentrating on what he is doing, and he no longer rushes. If the trail is narrow it may be as little as a step right, then left. That should help. If your horse is "prancing", it sounds like there is some anxiety, which could relate to the balance OR being left by the other horses.....sure sounds like what I call "jigging". On the flat or a small hill I would stop and back up ever time they jigg.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

thank you...her prancing or jigging anxiety I believe and I feel bad as I have to practically rip at her mouth(i use a snaffle). When I tell my friends to wait up they do but Gidget does become a bit nervous if she doesn't see them. I love my horse but I do want her to listen and not me just going with it.


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

If there are no problems with your equitation or your horse's balance, she is probably just being lazy. It takes a lot of effort to walk down a hill. If she chooses to trot, make that harder than if she chose to walk. If you feel a step of a trot, immediately back her up several steps and proceed at a walk. Repeat when necessary. Most horses will chose to walk down a hill rather then back up one. :wink:


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

well I'm not the best rider but I don't think I'm horrid. I think I'm pretty balanced for the most part. I,however,tend to lose a stirrup once in awhile..I think I forget to actually put some weight in my stirrups while loping...i need to work on that before I end up getting hurt..maybe someone can help me out?


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## pintophile (May 18, 2011)

Are your stirrups too long? I find it's easier to keep my stirrups on the trail when they're a bit shorter, otherwise my feet just slip out of them.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

pintophile said:


> Are your stirrups too long? I find it's easier to keep my stirrups on the trail when they're a bit shorter, otherwise my feet just slip out of them.


 
I have them the shortest they can go actually.I can't do long stirrups as I'm use to english riding now. Maybe I should practice keeping weight in them...don't know if thats the problem. Gidget has a lot of power in those back legs and when I ask her to run you better hold on tight because she gets excited and sometimes I end up out of my seat because of how much power when she pushes off her back end and goes...sometimes when we run she peels out..or I call it peeling out :lol:


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

Try zig-zagging down the hills. Try this on a dirt road by riding to the far shoulder, turning her and riding to the other shoulder. You want to make little progress each time your cross the road as far as going down the hill. If she want to trot turn her and head back up the hill while still zig-zagging then start again.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Gidget said:


> I have them the shortest they can go actually.I can't do long stirrups as I'm use to english riding now. Maybe I should practice keeping weight in them...don't know if thats the problem. Gidget has a lot of power in those back legs and when I ask her to run you better hold on tight because she gets excited and sometimes I end up out of my seat because of how much power when she pushes off her back end and goes...sometimes when we run she peels out..or I call it peeling out :lol:


An exercise that might help is riding while standing up (or 2-pointing, I think it's called). That'll help you figure out your center of balance better and it'll encourage you to push those heels down and put weight on them.  I like to play a game with myself where I try to see just how long I can stand up and how much I can do without needing to grab for the horn/sit down. It's kinda silly, but I feel really great about myself when I can stay standing up for a bit. It makes me kinda feel like Wonder Woman. :lol:

Another thing that might help with Gidget "pealing out" (Lacey does it too, I've kind of cured her of it by asking her to canter for long stretches-cantering is less fun now, but she's still really really powerful going up hill and that's where I still use this) is standing up but bending your knees so your body is over the saddle but leaning forward just slightly over your feet, and your crotch area is against the saddle but you aren't fully seated. I've found, at least with Lacey, that that helps me somehow absorb, I guess, the "shock" of her sudden acceleration instead of getting whiplash/getting left behind. :lol: 

Also, I wonder if you're leaning back a little when you're going downhill? It seems counter-intuitive but to help your horse balance going downhill, you want to lean back. I think of it as helping the horse get traction with their back feet. You probably already knew that but I thought I'd mention it, just in case.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Thanks Wallaby!

I forgot about standing up in my stirrups as an exercise..I can defiently tell I've gotten lazy with my feet just dangling. I will have to try that...Gidget cut her leg yesterday and now it's swollen today so I only rode her at a walk and if she wanted to run I let her so I can see if she was off at a different gait but she seemed the same..the trot was a bit stiff though so I sprayed some stuff on it and turned her out..should be better later this week...i give it 2 days. I really need to invest in back leg boots for trails..my horse needs all the protection as I go off trail or on some tough trails with obstacles and well she seems to get banged up 

I was told not to lean back but to lean the way the trees are leaning on the trails...anyone ever heard this? However when we go up hill I get my body off of her and go as like you said...I felt like I was getting left behind yesterday when she peeled out. It's pretty exciting but not so comfortable at times 


I shall practice on friday as I work tomorrow. I apperciate the help.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

Gidget said:


> Thanks Wallaby!
> 
> 
> I was told not to lean back but to lean the way the trees are leaning on the trails...anyone ever heard this?


Anytime.  
Also, I hope Gidget feels better soon! 
That's exactly what you want to do, at least from what I've heard as well! 
I've just found that at least for me and most pf the people I ride with, when I lean back going downhill to a point that feels "right" I end up being aligned with the trees.  So I'm pretty sure it's basically two different ways of thinking about the same concept, only the tree thing might be more precise! :lol:


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

ohh okay! Thanks..lol, sometimes I check the trees to see how they are leaning  I will remember to just find our balance together and hopefully this will work as well. She's a great horse.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Yeah, do lean to about the same angle as the trees growing on the hill.


With regard to her wanting to trot down hills:

Nice to hear that you are getting out on such long trail rides.
Gidget probably trots downhill out of both laziness and lack of balance, which is due to not haveing the abdominal muscles developed that hold her back, against gravity. These are the same muscles that a horse uses in collection, so it will be a worthy goal for the two of you to work on developing these. Gidget is a bit downhill by conformation, if I remember correctly, so she has to work a little harder to get her legs under her.

Not only would I work on getting her to stop and back up on the dowhills, but I would do it on the flat too . It's important that she be respectful of the bit and not lean on it or you hands. If you have this on hte flat it will be easier to get it on the hill. I use a three count process of stopping my horse cleanly, and I mean I literally am counting, ONE, TWO, THREE, in concert with an exhalation. Like this:
YOu get ready to stop her (in YOUR mind), take a deep breath and stop YOUR body (stop moving with her), sit up really straight and imagine your feet just dragging along the ground. You get kind of heavy. This is count one and you begin exhaleing. Count two, exhale more, partially , and do it audiably, and get heavier and start shutting down your hands (stop followoing her mouth and tighten your hand on the rein), Look for your horse to show that that she is preparing to stop. Think "and THREE! meaning STOP!" and count three , exhale fully and fREEZE! YOur hands stop, your body stops and you are like concrete. Think of your elbow being linked to the spot on the ground where you said "three". If your horse keeps moving, you do NOT release them at all. YOu hold the brick wall in your hands. They should literally "bounce off" that brick wall and take a step back, til they come back to where you went "concret", 'cause that is where you laid down the stop line. Count one and two prepare, count three is stop, here, now!
If the horse stops nicely on three, give a slight release, then ask them to shift their weight backward , as if they will back up, then give a big release and ask them to go forward.

Do this on the flat. Then, as you get better at it and your horse gets the signals the prepare her for the coming stop, start doing it on a hill. in the beginning, do it not far from the top of the hill, before she has descended much and gained speed, so that you can keep her in control better. As she gets better, do it in the middle, and just at the bottom of the hill where she would like to run out the last bit. 

It is hard for a horse to back up a hill, but it builds good muscles, so do this excersize and even ask her to back up the hill a step or two.

I agree that your friends should be more "friendly" and wait at the bottom fo the hill for you when you are doing these sorts of training things. Better yet, you be in the lead and you back G up and thus make all of them back their horses up , too. It would be good for them, too.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Thank You,TL

I will do this as well. She does need to build up abdominal muscles..I'm not good at conformation but I always thought she was a bit butt high?

I will defiently do these training exercises. I will let my friends know what I am doing as well so that they can wait up for me at the bottom of the hill. They probably think I'm shortly behind them but a few times I was pretty far behind so I have to let them know to stop. Thank you  I apperciate all your guy's help!


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Gidget said:


> I was told not to lean back but to lean the way the trees are leaning on the trails...anyone ever heard this? However when we go up hill I get my body off of her and go as like you said...I felt like I was getting left behind yesterday when she peeled out. It's pretty exciting but not so comfortable at times


No leaning. Stay centered in the saddle.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

really?


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## usandpets (Jan 1, 2011)

Leaning forward going uphill and back when going down is ok, but you shouldn't lean to the side. You should sit up straight or you are interfering with the horses balance.


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## Wallaby (Jul 13, 2008)

mls said:


> No leaning. Stay centered in the saddle.


In my understanding, to stay centered in the saddle while going downhill you HAVE to "lean back". You cannot stay as upright as you would riding on the flat because if you do, you're going to end up technically leaning forward and "helping" your horse rush. 

What I'm thinking of as "leaning back" is really, technically, centering/angling yourself over your tack and your horse so that if your horse disappeared, you'd be standing upright on the hill. 

Maybe we're talking about the same concept, just you're saying it in a more advanced manner? Or are you really saying that there should be always be the same angle between horse and rider going down/up hill as there is riding in a flat area?


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Gidget said:


> I forgot about standing up in my stirrups as an exercise..I can defiently tell I've gotten lazy with my feet just dangling.


this sounds like why you are losing your stirrups/seat to me! stirrup length doesn't have much to do with it--i ride with my stirrups even with my shoe bottoms (so very very long), but rarely lose a stirrup. however, i spend a lot of time in half seat/2-point, so having my weight in my heels anchors my leg.

also notice where your toe/lower leg is.. if you are sitting in a 'chair seat' that can make it even harder to get your weight down into your heel and you'll tend to lose your stirrups, esp with sudden forward movement (you rock back on your butt and knees/legs rock up too and send the stirrups flying).

wallaby's suggestion of working on 2-point is a great one to get your weight settled downward. it sounds like you are already doing it in some cases (like going up hills), but try it on the flat too!


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

thanks  I will defiently work on this.You guys have been a great help.


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Wallaby;1047380
Maybe we're talking about the same concept said:


> Exactly. You want to stay centered to not interfere with the motion of the horse. If you relax, your body will naturally align itself with the angle of the horse.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

okay..I was honestly a bit confused. It's raining and pretty nasty out so I haven't been able to ride =/ I hope it clears up during the weekend at some point so I can practice.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Gidget said:


> okay..I was honestly a bit confused. It's raining and pretty nasty out so I haven't been able to ride =/ I hope it clears up during the weekend at some point so I can practice.


if you are stuck inside, you can do some stretching exercises on a stair or step to help you sink your heel deeper. just stand with the ball of your foot on the edge, bend your knees slightly, and let your heel sink. 

you can also play with your balance this way (close hip angle and lean forward, open hip angle, etc). just don't fall off the step when you start daydreaming about the trails you'll be covering! :lol:


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## thealabamaredhead (Aug 16, 2010)

Glad you asked this, I'm having the same issue with Rio on trails. I can't wait to try some of the suggestions people posted  Oregon weather sucks, almost summer though!


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

thealabamaredhead said:


> Glad you asked this, I'm having the same issue with Rio on trails. I can't wait to try some of the suggestions people posted  Oregon weather sucks, almost summer though!


 
It does! Thats defiently something I don't enjoy is Oregon weather. It's sooooooo very unpredictable.


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## Agate Desert Arabians (Jul 20, 2011)

I have an Arab and she is not all that muscular in the rear and besides she's a bit post legged too. I found that part of it is the physical conditioning and part of it was balance for her. She used to run up and trot down hills. I found that if I sit more forward, on her shoulders going down hill and sit back at the same time, she seems to be more inclined to walk. Not sure why and maybe that's the wrong thing to do but for her it worked. I also never let her run up hill anymore. I make her walk and now she puts her head down and pulls as well as using her rear end...builds muscle too when they walk.


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## Gidget (Jan 19, 2010)

Agate Desert Arabians said:


> I have an Arab and she is not all that muscular in the rear and besides she's a bit post legged too. I found that part of it is the physical conditioning and part of it was balance for her. She used to run up and trot down hills. I found that if I sit more forward, on her shoulders going down hill and sit back at the same time, she seems to be more inclined to walk. Not sure why and maybe that's the wrong thing to do but for her it worked. I also never let her run up hill anymore. I make her walk and now she puts her head down and pulls as well as using her rear end...builds muscle too when they walk.


 
Thanks  I do run up some hills but today I went on a small hack and we walked up a hill.It was nice and relaxed. I will see about her trotting down hill I think maybe I have also been sitting on my pelvic bones instead of my butt bones so I don't have as much of control.


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