Hill work routines and advice for going downhill?

[SomedaySoon]

I am lucky enough to have a variety of long hills in the area and would like to make better use of them. Some are long and gradual, some long and very steep (like hard not to slide off) and some are long and a little rolly/medium steep. I usually trot up/walk down once or twice on the rolly and/or long and gradual, usually choosing the gradual slope to go down. On a longer hack I may do 3-4 hills and mix in walking up and a little trotting down if not too steep. Occasionally we’ll canter/gallop up as well, especially if it is a “fun hack” and not a conditioning hack (like before/after schooling).

What is your hill work routine and why?

Also, I am quite nervous about going downhill, as, it seems, is my mare. She seems more confident when I maintain contact rather than on a loose rein. Sometimes on a loose rein she will start to speed up and then she’ll stumble and have to speed up more and then she has to go faster and faster to keep up with her feet. EEK! We’re not too bad at the walk, especially if I let her pick the path (which is usually diagonally across the slope). Since I want to event, and someday foxhunt, we need to learn to be more confident and comfortable going down hills. I think some of it may be a strength issue, as the more conditioned she gets, the less unsteady she seems. Any other suggestions?

Thanks!

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Depends on the horse, footing and hill. I walk a lot. Rarely let them gallop up unless I’m doing sprint work (which is rare). Do some trotting. I think you do have to teach them how to go down as much as up. Going up, I want them round and working over their back. Going down…I make sure that I’m not holding them together. They need to balance themselves…but I will half halt and let go. I walk mostly at first going down but do eventually work a bit at trotting and cantering down hill…but I limit that. I also do a lot of flat work out on rolling hills. There are some competitions that I go to where the warm and/or rings are NOT flat!

My current boy (an OTTB) is VERY balanced. He didn’t like to go down hills when I first got him. Some of the steep ones in competition he would walk down. At novice…I let him. Now a solid training horse getting ready to move up to Prelim…I asked him to keep cantering. We came down a pretty steep hill at his last event and he happily cantered down staying balanced. Makes them MUCH easier when they naturally hold themselves up

[PaintedHunter]

Interested in this as well- hills are our kryptonite, especially since his conformation is so front-heavy- uphill is fine, but downhill is THE WORST balance-wise.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

[QUOTE=PaintedHunter;7680213]
Interested in this as well- hills are our kryptonite, especially since his conformation is so front-heavy- uphill is fine, but downhill is THE WORST balance-wise.[/QUOTE]

LOTs of half halts…but remembering that a half halt REQUIRES a release. Otherwise you are just giving them something to lean on.

[tbchick84]

We used to only walk down and trot, canter or gallop back up, but fast forward a few years and both of us have found our balance and are able to trot or canter the lesser downhill grades without losing balance or the speeding up you describe. Yes, that is primarily a balance thing. If she’s going straight down the hills, she’s got enough strength, but is just lacking balance. If she is zig-zagging down, it’s strength thing too. You’ll know you’re ready to try a little downhill trotting or cantering when she’s coming straight down, not speeding up and you’re able to keep yourself balanced as well.

Just a caveat. I don’t know what breed your horse is, but if we are talking TB, they muscle up wicked fast on hills and you can quickly create a monster if you do too much. One or two days a week for 15 minutes is plenty on the steeper grades. You can push it a lot more on the places that are mostly level with just some grades mixed in.

[SomedaySoon]

LOL, tbchick! She’s currently a weak Morgan horse, I don’t have any of the TB issues. Muscling up quickly is, unfortunately, not a concern view lack of strength and therefore lack of balance issue, is exactly what I’m dealing with. So I guess it’s just a matter of time. And bornfree and Painted Hunter, you are on the money, I am carrying her, she needs to learn to carry herself. Thank you!

[Winding_Down]

I do a lot of hill work, usually 3-4 days per week following ring work. I find that the youngsters are like bicycles going down hill: the wheels start gathering speed and the brakes don’t work so well. :lol: I use this time to let them learn how to balance and I stay out of the way if possible.

I don’t trot or canter down hill on a regular basis only because this is tough on hocks and stifles. I do a lot of trotting and slow canter work uphill, as a way to build muscle and wind. Hills are a terrific way to do conditioning work and I wish I had resources to put in footing on the longer hills we have here. The ground gets hard this time of year so I have to do fitness work in the heavier turf along a river bottom. However walking hills is great for building muscle as well and it is surprising how fit one can get a horse by walking up hills. And in this area, we are blessed with some pretty steep and long hills.

[jawa]

One thing you can include, on the less steep grades, back your horse a few steps up the hill. Start with just one or two steps each time you go down a hill, gradually increasing until you can get 5-10 steps. The important thing is for your horse to remain on the aids and to back correctly. 1 correct backing step is better than 5 sloppy ones.

I like to mix up how we go up and down hills since you never know what you will be doing foxhunting. I want my horse to be conditioned to take the hills at all paces and to change paces mid-grade.

[Hilary]

I also use a lot of hills but usually walk down them - it’s very hard on the joints, and unless the horse is totally clueless about hills they know how to do it, and don’t need the practice.

Now, I have had horses off the track that didn’t really seem to understand that the world was not flat, but they also didn’t know about pastures, that water came from ponds, not black buckets etc. But once they know how to go up/down, I stick to walking downhill.

Long slow canters up long gradual hills builds both wind and strength better than anything.

[ellevt]

An FEI judge/ trainer and veterinarian told me once that doing switchbacks (i.e., going across the hill rather than up and down) is the best to build balance and strength. FWIW.

Although if you are eventing, probably good to practice trotting and cantering down hills. I find that a 3-point seat is best, with center of gravity waaay back.

[Running_Fox_Farm]

ellevt- oesn’t going crossway on the hill run the risk of feet slipping out and tumbling down the hill way more then going down head first? At least head first if push comes to shove they sit down, not roll. OP, you’re lucky to have nice hills. I’m originally from MD and we had some great hills for training/ conditioning. Not so muh on our farm in Aiken. If I had a horse we were eventing, we’d do trot work on the soft hills, and basically walk up and down ( or slide) the steep ones. The hill work really built up their hind ends.

[Foxtrot_s]

As an ex-eventer I still cannot go out riding without thinking of conditioning.
I use hills as many ways as I can think of.

In a hilly field, big circles at the trot or canter concentrating on balance and keeping the same rhythm up and down, push for up, steady for down.

On a steep hill, I go down one or two steps, stop, one or two steps, stop,
and they soon learn to put their hocks under themselves.
On a longer, more gradual down slope, I’ll walk, trot, stop, trot, etc. using just my body, and eyeing a certain tree or marker. Then I will back up a few steps.

There used to be big piles of hog fuel dumped in our park for the trail repairs and I used to climb up one of them, then walk, stop, walk, stop down the other side and this was quite a test because they were steep. Now I just have one little rocky steep hill that does the job. I’m the only person who goes down it.

On that same slope up I’ll do a leg yield facing one side, and then the other
to get the pushing leg under her. I’ll package her up and trot up. It is a long slope and she is puffing by the end of that.

She has learned exactly what I want and is good at it all.

I don’t trot down hill very much, only enough to get a lesson across. Too hard on the knees and joints.

I also do not gallop or canter at the same spots so she does not take over with anticipation,

I seek out ditches and terrain to go 4x4’ing over.

And I don’t even event or hunt any more!

[SomedaySoon]

Love all the tips! Thanks ever so much. Next time out I’m going to try a back step or two, and Foxtrot, I love your exercises. When we did the hills yesterday I stayed out of her face going down (just a half halt here and there), and low and behold, she barely sped up or stumbled! Of course, my trainer also says I should hand walk her up the hills sometimes too, since I also need to get in shape… Ugh.