Body Position Riding Down Hill

Dan wrote to me and asked "What is the proper seat position when riding down a steep hill? I have read 'lean back', 'lean forward', etc. (I) want to make it easiest and most comfortable for my horse".

Thanks for writing Dan and you're good to be thinking about your horse. While I may not know about "proper" seat position, I'll give you my opinion and some photos, sorry I couldn't give you a bigger or steeper hill right away, but the principles are the same.  Those mountains in the background are 20 miles away. 

I have to have an idea that the hill is safe before starting down it. I've been down some pretty steep and rocky slopes with Cholla cactus everywhere, hoping we get through it unscathed and holding my breath each time my horse's feet started sliding or the ground was giving way.

Its good to get your horse used to stopping on the top of the slope and allowing him to drop his head so he can take a gander at the hill you're about to ask him to go down. See photo at left.  As far as going downhill straight away or going downhill in a zig zag pattern - it would depend upon the steepness, presence of a path (or not) and obstacles along the way.

Hills can scare some riders, and some will make the mistake to take up slack in the reins or pull on their horse. This can pull your horse's head up, get him out of position,....cause him to be bracy and not allow him to see the ground like he should - nothing good comes from this.

You and your horse will have more control coming downhill if the horse can break at the poll and collect, bringing his hind end more up and underneath himself. This is hard to do, but it starts with the horse being soft. As you start downhill the horse needs a fairly loose rein, but you need to be able to rate him so it doesn’t become a run downhill.

I use a lot of small hills like in the pictures to get my horses used to stopping at the stop and walking down. And sometimes at the bottom, if it isn't too steep, I'll ask him to take a couple steps backwards.

I would suggest that leaning forward is not good. Puts too much weight on your horse's front end and making it likely that you come over his head if he stumbles. My body position going downhill is to lean back keeping my body relative to the sky as I am when I am riding on flat level ground. You'll end up putting a little weight in the stirrups with your heels down. Some riders may straighten their legs and some like me will like just a little bend in their knees.

Most of my saddles have a pencil roll on the cantle, so there is nothing really to grab onto, although sometimes I'll use my free hand to brace against the saddle horn. But if you are riding a saddle with a Cheyenne roll, it will provide a ledge which you can grab with your free hand by reaching behnd yourself - try not to twist your torso much. This would also come in handy keeping you from being propelled forward if your horse stumbled or his front end buckled.

I guess I could have just said "Don't Lean Forward, instead Lean Back" but nobody ever accused me of using a six words when I can use a hundred.  I'll try and get up into the foothills in the next couple of weeks for better photos or a video, until then I hope this helps Dan. Safe Journey.