# Problem with hills



## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

If the trail allows it, ride down them in a zig-zag pattern which is much easier on the horse. Hubby's horse may feel more balanced with his head up. Your horse, with a low head is loading the front end and if she should stumble ..... I'd rather be on hubby's horse.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

We do ride in a zig zag when the hill has any bad footing. Also, I guess I didn't explain well enough. Nibbles' head is only low enough to help her watch her footing. Chief, my husband's horse, has his head up looking at the bushes on either side NOT where he should be putting his feet.


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

Is he rushing the hill, or just stumbling? If he is rushing the hill, I would work him up and down it, until he walks down at a slow pace. You can also stop him randomly, and/or back him up on safer hills, until gets out of the mindset that he has to rush forward over everything. You can do that with the obstacles too.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

No, he's not rushing. If anything, he goes very slowly. He acts like he's just not sure HOW to do it. But instead of being careful, he looks all over and even tries to grab leaves off of the bushes (Which we do not allow, and he doesn't do it at other times, just going down hills.)


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## PeppersMama (Feb 1, 2014)

Have you told your vet and farrier about the issue? My horse was similarly stumble - prone and I was worried it was a trim/balance issue or even EPM (I'm a horse hypochondriac.)

Frequent walking and trotting over ground poles helped a lot. Both lunging and while under saddle.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

The vet and the farrier have both said his feet are fine. It is just sooo frustrating. On flat ground, or up hills he is fine. It is just going down hills. It's like he just can't get his balance, and his not paying attention doesn't help.


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## whisperbaby22 (Jan 25, 2013)

I wonder if this horse was raised in a corral and just never was out in a pasture. Do you know anything about how he was raised?


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## Chevaux (Jun 27, 2012)

Does he pony well? I wonder how he'd handle matters without tack and rider.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

We really know nothing about his early training. We do know he was badly abused in his last home. The pasture he is in now has lots of hills, so he SHOULD be used to them. I thought of ponying him, but he hates my mare. I might try it anyway as she's pretty good at ignoring him and she doesn't need me to pay much attention to her when I ride her. Thanks for aal of the suggestions.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

I second the ponying suggestion. See if he does the same thing on his own or if perhaps he is struggling with balancing himself and a rider.

If he ponies ok, then I would suggest finding less challenging downhills for under saddle work until he gains confidence/ability. Some horses need to learn how to travel downhill while carrying a rider (even if the rider is doing everything to help).


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## flytobecat (Mar 28, 2010)

If he is out of shape that could also be a factor. Strengthening his back end will make things easier for him.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks for the suggestions. My feeling is to work him more on hills,both to give him more experience and to get him in shape. I had to do that with Nibbles when I first started riding bev. I was just concerned because he doesn't seem to be getting better, even though we've been taking him out frequently. We'll keeping working on it and I'll keep my fingers crossed!


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Please give serious thought to a pain issue. He could be maintaining the high headed position because it is more comfortable.

If a chiro hasn't looked at him. That would be my next step.

There's a reason why he does what he does, you are stuck with finding it and re-teaching him to negotiate hills, since this way of traveling is becoming a learned habit:-(

One of my horses never could push himself uphill, if the hill was steep. I attribute it to him being sickle hocked. Then he fractured his sacrum in a freak accident, at home, and never could negotiate steep hills after that.

I also rescued an Arab, years ago, with an injured vertebra that kept him from forever getting his hind legs correctly under him going downhill and the inability to push himself going uphill.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I also found ex-racehorses (OTTB / OTSB) often don't mind their feet because they've never had to (unless they were trailed as part of their fitness training). A lot of racers never see anything except raked sand and clay composite and tidy turf for a work footing, and what's a hill please? Or a rock, or a ravine?


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## carshon (Apr 7, 2015)

I would really suggest looking at saddle fit. You may think the saddle fits but he is feeling something and is acting accordingly. My gelding was a monster on hills. Our issue was rushing down them - but the same stumbling and I always thought we were goners. He was young when we first started having problems - it was poor saddle fit. Putting pressure on his shoulders - so he had to rush down the hill in order to feel ok but could never lift his feet up or out in front of him.

Your horse may be more tolerant of a poor fitting saddle but struggle with the downhill. The eating leaves etc could be a way to release endorphines due to the pain or stress from the pain.


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks for the siggestions, my vet checked him out and said she didn't think it was pain ( she also is a chiro). The saddle fit was checked thoroughly also. I think it is what Sue and some othets said - I don't think he knows how to go down hills.


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## SueC (Feb 22, 2014)

I will underline what carshon said anyway, CC, because I know a story of a horse with riding issues who was repeatedly checked by a veterinarian and whose saddle was repeatedly checked for fit and everything passed, but eventually they found that a small pin had gotten into the saddle stuffing and was working its way out under pressure (and could not initially be seen as it would retract back under the leather when the rider was off). I'm not saying that particular scenario is likely in your situation, but there are always tiny details like that which even seasoned humans will commonly miss.

Also my late mare's saddle fit was checked and passed a number of times in her riding life, but I know now that it wasn't ideal, because of what a really excellent saddle fitter showed me (as opposed to previous advisers), and I can clearly see in retrospect that some of her tension issues were about discomfort with her back.

Riding bareback as a trial is a good way to check out if there is a problem with the saddle.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

I second riding bareback and see what he does, and checking the saddle for loose tacks.

Soon as I read that, I remembered that I once had that happen with a saddle:shock:


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## Customcanines (Jun 17, 2012)

Thanks Sue and walkinthe walk. He has been ridden in several different saddles and also bareback and does the same thing. Not saying it isn't pain, but it's more like he refuses to take his time and pay attention going down the hill. He never grabs bites elsewhere, but when going down, he tries continually to grab at the bushes.


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