Hill work - up AND down?

[Sammii]

Well, wasn't too sure where to put this to be honest, it is to do with Red's health cause it relates to him losing weight and getting fit!

Well we have PLENTY of hills around here to work with, actually...we ONLY have hills around here to work with :p

Sooo, I know that hill work and lots of it is great for fitness etc, is this going up and going down or just uphill?

Main reason I ask is that when I go "around the block" I can either go backwards (not literally!) and have lots of hills to go UP. Or go forwards (yes literally and theoretically!), and have some to go UP and most to come down?

Should I alternate it so he's getting the best of both? :D

[Roofio]

someone once told me trotting downhill is good for building muscle but thinking about it now all i can think is that it puts extra strain on the forehand. i suppose if your horse sat back a bit then it might be beneficial.

going backwards up hill sounds like the best of both ;):p

[NoviceNic]

Up and down is good. So alternate it. By the way I am soo jealous that you have hills...:o And no I am not stalking you....:p:D

[Sammii]

God, i'd never dream of trotting downhill, even moreso because of Red's navicular, I meant more long and low active walk :D

[Sammii]

Up and down is good. So alternate it. By the way I am soo jealous that you have hills...:o And no I am not stalking you....:p:D

Okay will do round the block backwards today. :D ;)

You love me Nic, admit it :p

[chunky monkey]

I would do both if it were me. But I guess thats cos I already do backwards. Me mentally, the horse phyiscally lol We will go either way.
If I trotted down some of the hills I had round me, I think I would be over his head.

[carrimclaren]

I think it's good for them to do both as they have to use different muscles i'd imagine and move differently. Trotting up is good if your horse is okay to do that but always take it steady going down. Your horse has to be fit and have the right muscles to go down hill at trot or canter and be balanced.

[capalldubh]

I am spatially challenged, and have never been able to work out how, if you ride a circular route, you won't go up the same amount as you come down? Or is it just that it happens that you go up and down the same amount, but there can be one big hill and lots of little gentle downhill slopes?

Can someone explain to me in simple language? :)

We ride out of the field gate onto a steep hill - so do we start hack by walking steeply downhill or steeply uphill? I try to alternate :) If we go steeply uphill, we get to a point on the hack where we have to ride down what looks like a cliff to me (even the car finds it hard work :D)... but if we ride downhill out of the field, we have to ride up the cliff.

[KateWooten]

No, you're quite right capalldubh, in any closed loop the sum of up + down all comes to zero - there is as much up as down. However, I think if some of the up (or down) is long and shallow, then it's regarded as flat and gets missed from the equation ... if you account for only gradients over a particular threshold, you can indeed count more up than down one way and more down than up the other.

[capalldubh]

Thanks KW - I always reckoned that, but especially when training for runs etc. I used to choose routes that felt nicer, but I suppose I was just trying to get the hills out of the way at the start of the run :o

I expect Jackson thinks this too, and I usually let him choose left or right at the start of the hack. However I know from his point of view it's: turn right, head down steep hill with high walls and nothing to snack on, but at end, get to ride up a big hill through a field with waist high grass (endless snacking opportunities) -vs- turn left, head up hill (i.e. more calories expended) but with good snacking opportunities to replenish lost calories :D

[chunky monkey]

Good question capalldubh
Well explained KateWooten

I prefer the extra steep hill as up and the long and shallow down, but horsy disagrees. However the long and shallow up is a great canter.

[Sammii]

Yes the sum of uphills and downhills are the same...what I meant when I exlpained it in my originial post was the hills that would be steep enough (in that direction) to make a difference..

Sorry.

[HorseManiac]

Very jealous you have hills . I want to build Percys bum muscles up :p