My mare gets anxious going down hills.
Which is exhausting because we live in the mountains..so a lot of up and down.
I'm not sure if she's in pain, and if so, where??
I've been getting off to walk her down, just in case it is pain.
I have the chiro coming out to check her~ just wondering if anyone has had this issue come up in their riding.
Not sure if this plays a factor, but she's post-founder, barefoot, but in hoof boots.
I don't know how fit she is, but if she's not properly muscled, she will have trouble coming straight down hills. Let her zig zag down if you can. I would check and make sure the hoof boots have sufficient traction. Her reaction migh be to her feeling like she is slipping.
My mare gets anxious going down hills.
Which is exhausting because we live in the mountains..so a lot of up and down.
I'm not sure if she's in pain, and if so, where??
I've been getting off to walk her down, just in case it is pain.
I have the chiro coming out to check her~ just wondering if anyone has had this issue come up in their riding.
Not sure if this plays a factor, but she's post-founder, barefoot, but in hoof boots.
Mine is the exact same way and is post founder. She hates comming down hills and constantly fights with me when i try to make her go down hill. but even if i watch her walk down hill when she is loose on the property she goes very slow and constantly zig zags.
we trained horses here with a good friend of mine a couple years ago, alot of horses want to race down the hills and will get anxious about it. We taught them vertical (LOL I mix the two up, might be lateral....up/down, not side to side) flexing, so when going down a hill you pull them in a bit, gently pull/release......I know it helped my mare and now she goes down so nicely any steep hill!
I would bet it's discomfort from the founder, but there's also the saddle to consider. It could be the way it fits, when she goes downhill it digs into her somewhere.
I'm going to say it's the fitness of the horse. When I first started really riding ST she'd throw a fit at the slightest down slope and then try to fly down when she figured out she was going to go where I pointed her. Just recently she hasn't thrown any fits and willingly goes down. She starts getting a little faster when she starts to slip, but I pull up on the reins and she'll slow down and move onto her butt a little better. Eventually she should figure out to sit her butt down without my guidance, but she needs a reminder for now. Posted via Mobile Device
Balance of the rider, fitness of the horse, fit of the saddle, comfort of the feet, etc all play a part in going down hill. Do you have a crupper on the saddle so it does not slide forward?
Mare is in great shape. We ride 4-5 days a week.
Saddle fit isn't the problem. It is treeless, so it does wander down her neck.
I've been curious about a crooper. She does this when we don't have a saddle on too.
Hoof boots are fairly new.
I'm a balanced rider as I ride bareback frequently.
She'll get going on a pretty fast walk going down, which turns into a trot and I don't want to trot down hills.
As soon as the hill is done, she's totally fine.
I'll look into the vertical/lateral that was mentioned.
Does anyone think it could be spinal pain? Hip out?
Thanks for all the advice~ I really appreciate it.
We live in such mountainous area, I really don't want to have to get off and walk her down these canyons.
My horse does the same thing. For him it's inexperience. I'd like to see you climb a hill or go down a hill easily with a person on your back. It's work! They have to learn to go down it.. it's not going to be an automatic thing.
Work on going down at an angle, take it easy. They'll learn to go down it without running once they exercise/build muscle memory to do it properly.
I'm not sure why but this thread has me a little frustrated.
It very well could be inexperience. I've been riding her for only 6 mths and I have no idea what training/experience she had prior to her life with me.
Then I'd just take it with her slow. Start with a SMALL hill.. go down it without being in her mouth. If she starts to rush, ask her to slow down and as SOON as she reacts, ease up. Keep practicing and you'll be able to handle bigger hills.
my horse is always slow going down hills, but it's because he is just watching his footing and also watching for his and my safety. We aren't the only one's looking for danger!!
I had her massaged today.
Masseuse found pain in her shoulders and hips.
I rode her afterwards and we did a downhill with no problem at all.
yaaaaa!
She moved out with ease and her head stayed low and cool.
Glad you found the problem. My friend's horse rushed down hills and her pelvis was out. It makes sense when you think about how they have to get on their hind end to balance down a hill.
Status
Not open for further replies.
You have insufficient privileges to reply here.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
The Horse Forum
3.4M posts
92.6K members
Since 2006
A forum community dedicated to horse owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about breeding, grooming, reviews, health, behavior, housing, adopting, care, classifieds, and more!