Alright, COTH eventers. I’ve discovered that creeping just a tiny bit higher up the rungs of lower level eventing means that I am suddenly encountering down banks on course. I am nervous about them, which means that suddenly my lease horse is nervous about them (it’s almost like my feelings influence his!).
Any tricks/mantras, etc. that you tell yourself regarding down banks? I used to be nervous about up-banks but have apparently conquered that fear, so I’m hopeful I can do the same with down!
As kids we trained where the cavalry trained and we learned to go down anything.
Maybe try to find some slopes you could train so the relatively small banks in eventing are no big deal any more?
Here is an internet picture with one of those training slopes:
Huge lesson to learn when out trail riding the real thing, ravines. Your job is to sit in the middle and let the horse navigate. Don’t tense up and have loose hips.
Down banks a bit similar but it’s sit back no wgt forward so your horse doesn’t pitch forward on landing. Remember when the horse lands they are still moving their hind end to land that also. So relax and stay out of their way and slip the reins a bit to allow the freedom for their whole body action.
Find a hill do practice walking down to learn trust.
Slip the reins and keep a finger in your neck strap. Lean away and heels down, eyes up. You’ll be fine!
You can (and should to start) walk down banks.
Keep your eyes up, don’t look down. Slip your reins and lean back but don’t exaggerate because a down slope in eventing is generally short and the horse will be expected to move onwards once on the flat again. A good way to start to get the feel is to find a small area of rough, undulating ground and just walk your horse around in it for a bit. If suitable, try a trot or two. Starting small reduces the fear factor. Once you understand the balance and how the horse feels underneath you, move onto some larger slopes and play around some more. This all helps your horse develop his fifth leg, too.
Lunge the horse on the small drop a time or two and it may calm any nerves seeing the horse knows what it is.
And sing. My trainer taught me to sing when I get nervous, so that I keep breathing and don’t transfer my fear to my ultra sensitive horse
It looks like the horse at the bottom has lost its rider who appears to be lying on the ground next to it
I had a very big fear of downbanks that stemmed from my old horse leaping up and out like a dolphin and then my current horse being green about them and stopping and scrambling back a few times. What helped me was a few things. First, I lunged and lead my horse down small down banks until he understood the question. Then, I started tiny and just walked off of them until he did it without hesitation and without leaping off (what scares me). At the same time, I worked on me-slipping my reins and pushing my legs forward so I was in balance when he landed (your leg naturally will come back under you as you land). We walked, then we trotted and made it no big deal for either of us. My expectation was he was to pop off without making it a big deal and I would stay out of his way. We walk off down banks any time I have a chance to and we make it no big deal.
I also figured out in competition that he was far less likely to hesitate if I cantered off them-I just would keep my eye up, give a little tap on the shoulder a few strides out and then lots of good boys after. Don’t get me wrong- I 100% would still rather jump an entire course of ditches/up banks/corners/you name it than a single down bank-but I’m far less panicked about them now.
If you have access to any trails with hilly terrain, it might be beneficial to try and get acclimated to changing your position that way without the stress of it being A Jump.
I say this because I spent the first half of my life following my folks on trail rides in the Shawnee. When I decided to start eventing, banks were one of the few things that didn’t scare me because they felt just like dropping down into a creekbed, etc.
Many of the soldiers that trained when we did were fresh recruits maybe a month in the saddle and some of them had problems staying on.
In many years, I only knew one soldier getting hurt. He went down fine and once on the flat below he just fell of his horse and broke his arm. We think he was so scared/worried that he fainted?
That we kids were bombing down so easily gave the soldiers the idea maybe it was ok.
Our instructor was a retired cavalry officer, now in his early 70’s and would not have let us go there if he thought it was not something we could do.
Anyway, we started in a place above, where it was merely a 2’ drop and then moved further down the draw to other longer drops until the real long ones later.
I think something like that would be easy for an eventer that is tentative on drops to do, maybe try on ditches first, then in a bit longer drops, etc.
If it helps, think of it as the physics of a jump. Thre are three phases in a jump: rising up before, the top of the arc and the landing portion. The first part is the up bank. The last is the down bank. If you think of the down bank as landing off a jump, it may be less intimidating.
At the lower levels, always approach a drop on a loose rein. Do not hold onto the horse’s face; restricting the neck is what causes horses to leap out and “swan dive.” I teach my baby horses to pop down small banks on the longest, loosest rein possible. Let them put their heads down and SEE the edge of the drop. A horse with its head down will rarely launch off the edge, but instead fold their hocks and step down gently. Of course green horses will make mistakes, hesitate, dance, and still may leap off anyway; but the more times you approach with a soft loose rein, they will learn to relax and drop down with confidence.
On a greenie, I approach a drop at a walk or slow sitting trot; my feet forward, hands low and wide with long reins, eyes up, soft lower back in a “C” position to absorb an awkward landing. Let the horse jump down away from you, don’t try to keep up with the motion or you’ll inevitably end up ahead of them (causing imbalance, rough landing, popping up the neck, or a stop). Open your fingers and let the reins slip so the horse feels no restriction on his face (and so he doesn’t pull you over his head…BTDT!).
Schooling first drop on a 3yo.
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I audited a David O’Connor clinic a couple years ago and a few people were having problems with small (<2’7) banks. He actually recommended leaning a touch forward or staying straight in the saddle. He really said “do what you’re comfortable with” but mentioned that Lauren Kieffer will often lean forward. After that I only leaned forward or stayed straight and have never had an issue. I find it keeps me more with the movement instead of feeling left behind. If you have a tiny bank to school, maybe try that and see how you feel?
First ever down bank with my mare:
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@Demerara_Stables thank you! This is helpful. Our/my issue does not seem to be tiny banks, but rather slightly larger banks (think novice/training size) and having them appear on new/strange courses rather than being the same ones we traditionally school. I think I’m struggling a bit with the “giving him time to see it” versus “him knowing that I really want to go.” But yours and @EventerAJ’s responses were super helpful, so thank you!
Fair enough! I’d echo what other people have said then and try approaching at the trot, and let him look down. However, just like all jumping, don’t you look down! Look out, where you’re going. I still think you can think about not leaning back too much at that height. IIRC, one of David’s reasons to lean forward is that it also helps the horse to jump out instead of just go straight down. If you’re leaning forward and they’re jumping out (not a lot!), it feels more like a regular jump. Something to practice on smaller banks. Good luck!!
Slightly larger banks are ridden the same way-- soft rein, leg on, eyes up. At higher levels when there is a “B” element on landing, you may need to gather your reins more quickly to steer and aim for a skinny. But you can’t restrict the down motion even in your attempt to get to the next fence.
Approaching a drop at a canter, rebalance several strides early and develop a quiet working canter. About two strides out I start to slip my reins and keep eyes up, shoulders up, leg forward and on. Keep a supportive feel-- push them forward with your hips and leg if you feel the horse hesitate, but resist the urge to reel in the reins. Don’t just chase them off the edge from 5 strides away because you “think” they might stop-- that will just perpetuate their lack of confidence. School bigger drops so that you develop trust; trust from you that the horse will go, and trust from your horse that he can put his head down to read the question and see his landing. If you watch big upper level drops-- like the 5* at Burghley or Fair Hill-- you’ll notice many riders slow to a trot or very gentle canter and let the horses just barely pause at the edge to drop down that 6’ bank. Launching off the platform with boldness/carelessness is really undesirable, as there’s no chance you’ll make the combination at the bottom!
Thank you! I do feel like the larger down banks have undercovered a hole in my riding that I can practice on smaller banks. Thanks again!
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