A hydraulic circuit for an actuator that has a piston and piston rod that will move a load in a first direction, and which can be externally loaded in an opposite direction, includes a flow compensated valve between the actuator and a control valve. When the piston in the actuator is moved in the second opposite direction under the external load and the rate of flow of fluid out of the actuator through the flow compensated valve exceeds a selected rate, an orifice is introduced in the flow path to restrict flow from the actuator.