Considering Endurance

[Dani]

I’m considering looking towards Endurance for my Appy mare, I was doing a lot of ranch work with her and trying to do shows and it really doesn’t seem like it’s up her alley. She used to be a barrel horse, did really well with that and has a lot of speed. I don’t fancy patterns enough to consider taking her back to that and she never seems too enthused to go around the pattern when I ask her to.

We do a lot of trails and she really seems to enjoy herself. We can go all day and we are up to 20 mile rides as it is. If I let her (which I don’t), she would lope or gallop the whole way. She LOVES to go. Even when I let her run as fast as she wants, she’s still under control and I think she would be the same way in a competitive setting. That being said, I know NOTHING about Endurance and I want to really learn about it before getting ahead of myself and jumping in.

What are the basics you would want every Endurance novice to know? Everything from tack to vet checks and competition fees, what are the most important parts of the sport?

TL;DR - I’m considering getting in to Endurance with my mare, what should I know before heading that direction?

[KittyinAus]

You could consider competitive trail riding. http://kera.equinews.com//article/competitive-trail-riding

[Dani]

I would prefer events that are limited to 1 day. I work several jobs and only have 1 weekend day off each week.

[KittyinAus]

@Dani

I would prefer events that are limited to 1 day. I work several jobs and only have 1 weekend day off each week.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Competitive_trail_riding

Competitive trail riding (CTR) is an equestrian sport where riders cover a marked trail for a distance that is usually between 15 and 40 miles per day. Some rides are only one day long, others may run as long as three days. One-day six-mile events have also become popular.

[Dani]

Thank you, but I would like to learn about endurance.

[KittyinAus]

@Dani

Thank you, but I would like to learn about endurance.

Read this excellent article.

http://www.olddominionrides.org/EndurancePrimer/01.html

[ChestnutArabianMare]

Check out the AERC website: https://aerc.org/static/endurance_clinics.aspx. I’ve only done one short ride (a 10-miler that was set up like a limited distance endurance ride w/ vet checks and all that) but it was a blast. Fees are pretty cheap.

Your horse should be able to camp, have good manners in large groups of horses and eat/drink on the trail. You need to have tack that fits both you and the horse. What sort of tack you use doesn’t really matter, especially for just starting out.

There are lots of YouTube videos about fitness programs for you and your horse.

[Sistersiouxz]

Why don’t you try NATRC? It’s a wonderful riding experience at a slower pace than endurance. You are judged on horsemanship and your horse on performance. You will find friendly competitors who want to help you succeed. Horse safety in your camp is stressed and you will learn great tips for every day use. It’s a good way to begin and then move into endurance riding or use NATRC rides as conditioning rides. You’ll be guests at some beautiful ranches that open to riders only once a year.

[prudence]

Look at the “sticky” at the start of this forum. Several people have compiled great links to sites where you can learn about endurance riding. It sounds like you and your horse will do fine. Appys often make wonderful endurance horses, and it’s such a fun activity to undertake with your horse. Enjoy!!

[Dani]

@Sistersiouxz

Why don’t you try NATRC? It’s a wonderful riding experience at a slower pace than endurance. You are judged on horsemanship and your horse on performance. You will find friendly competitors who want to help you succeed. Horse safety in your camp is stressed and you will learn great tips for every day use. It’s a good way to begin and then move into endurance riding or use NATRC rides as conditioning rides. You’ll be guests at some beautiful ranches that open to riders only once a year.

Thank you for the suggestion, but my issue with her and ranch work is that she doesn’t go slow. Her slow lope is faster than a lot of other horses lope when they pick up the speed. I am not looking for a slower pace. My horse is not happy at a slower pace.

[Dani]

@ChestnutArabianMare

Check out the AERC website: https://aerc.org/static/endurance_clinics.aspx. I’ve only done one short ride (a 10-miler that was set up like a limited distance endurance ride w/ vet checks and all that) but it was a blast. Fees are pretty cheap.

Your horse should be able to camp, have good manners in large groups of horses and eat/drink on the trail. You need to have tack that fits both you and the horse. What sort of tack you use doesn’t really matter, especially for just starting out.

There are lots of YouTube videos about fitness programs for you and your horse.

Thank you!

[Horseman15]

You should try a Competitive Trail Ride (CTR). I did one not that long ago. They’re fun and you learn about pacing, pulsing down and such. Plus the people were really great are the one I went to. One woman knew I had never been and let me keep pace with her. It’ll give you a great introduction in to Endurance.

[Sistersiouxz]

@Dani

Thank you for the suggestion, but my issue with her and ranch work is that she doesn’t go slow. Her slow lope is faster than a lot of other horses lope when they pick up the speed. I am not looking for a slower pace. My horse is not happy at a slower pace.

Yes, I can appreciate your delimma. What I suggested is a good way for you and your horse to learn. I think you will find that endurance horses don’t lope for 100 miles. They must learn to pace themselves and it up to you to help them. NATRC is a fantastic avenue to learn and teach your horse to “camp” out, be patient and relaxed at vet checks, drink strange water, pace themselves and so much more. The object in endurance is to not only finish the race but achieve the coveted best condition award. At the end of the day, you want to retire your mare in sound condition. Speed isn’t necessarily the way to win. You must be diligent in training, attune to your horse’s mental and physical health and wise in strategy. Good luck and have fun.

[Dani]

I’m not expecting to lope the whole way in Endurance, I am able to control my horse and her gaits. I just think she would be better suited to a longer distance and a little more freedom of movement than a trail competition. We already do camp and she is not picky about water or where/what she eats (as long as she’s not on a trailer, she won’t eat on a trailer). She’s pretty good about being calm and collected when nobody is on her, regardless of what was going on under saddle. She’s 11/12 and been through a lot of different things with me and at this point I’m just trying to find a setting that is best for her. We are already well conditioned for 15 - 20 mile trails and frequently do them. We did an 8 mile trail yesterday without batting an eye, could have kept going for ages.

[tabula_rashah]

@Dani

Thank you for the suggestion, but my issue with her and ranch work is that she doesn’t go slow. Her slow lope is faster than a lot of other horses lope when they pick up the speed. I am not looking for a slower pace. My horse is not happy at a slower pace.

Okay- I’m going to be blunt here and say (even though I still consider myself an endurance green bean -2 rides years ago then several endurance & ctr since 2013), this is exactly what every newbie says. Seriously, almost verbatim. Endurance really isn’t about going fast. Yes, you want to move along in order to get in under the max time allowed, but you also have to take care of your horse enough to meet pulse parameters, etc throughout the vettings. At the end of the day, the winner isn’t just who crosses the finish line first- it’s who crosses the finish line first with the horse that vets out fit to continue (and if you’re doing an LD, it’s who meets pulse parameters first ) It’s absolutely beneficial to have a horse that’s willing to move out but a horse that’s willing to be easily rated is just as important. You’ll also find that a lot of rides combine stretches of ground where it’s good for really motoring down the trail and stretches of technical trail where you have to take a bit of time. I’ve heard several very experienced riders say that a big key to a successful ride is to “make haste slowly”. I agree with the other posters that said find a CTR or two first and learn the ropes. Also volunteer at an endurance ride- chances are you’ll learn a ton and meet a lot of awesome people. It’s an entirely different (and wonderfully different IMHO) vibe than horse shows or other competitions I’ve been to.
As far a single day- that might be a bit of a challenge as the majority of rides you need to come in the afternoon or evening before to vet in. Also if you’ve done a tough ride, a lot of miles or it was a long haul there to begin with- most people will stay over the night after the race to let their horse rest before the ride home.
I hope nothing I’ve said scares you off Please do come out and try the sport- it’s highly addictive. I bet if you reach out to people in your area via FB or the like, you’ll find riders who will be more than happy to help you out (or check out the mentors listed on the AERC website). I find that endurance riders tend to be very generous with their experience and know-how.

[prudence]

CTR and endurance are quite different sports. I don’t think of the latter as being a needed lead-in to the former because they have such different end goals, similar to hunters vs jumpers. I don’t think I would be happy doing a CTR being more of a point A to point B person.

Start out with a “fun” ride (10 miles long or so) or an LD, leaving the start perhaps 5-10 minutes after most riders and ride your own ride. A buddy is nice to ride with but be sure you are thinking of your horse the whole time. For LDs and even 50s I often arrive the morning of the ride (clearing a morning check-in with the ride manager) and drive home a few hours after the ride. I think the horse often gets more rest at my place the night before than at ridecamp and similarly is more relaxed after the ride at home. My travel distances are usually 1-2 hours. If a ride is closer I will vet in in the evening, drive home, and then come back in the morning. Have fun!

[tabula_rashah]

@prudence

CTR and endurance are quite different sports. I don’t think of the latter as being a needed lead-in to the former because they have such different end goals, similar to hunters vs jumpers. I don’t think I would be happy doing a CTR being more of a point A to point B person.

Start out with a “fun” ride (10 miles long or so) or an LD, leaving the start perhaps 5-10 minutes after most riders and ride your own ride. A buddy is nice to ride with but be sure you are thinking of your horse the whole time. For LDs and even 50s I often arrive the morning of the ride (clearing a morning check-in with the ride manager) and drive home a few hours after the ride. I think the horse often gets more rest at my place the night before than at ridecamp and similarly is more relaxed after the ride at home. My travel distances are usually 1-2 hours. If a ride is closer I will vet in in the evening, drive home, and then come back in the morning. Have fun!

I think a lot of it depends on where you are- for people in the mid-Atlantic, northeastern corner of the US our CTR governing body is ECTRA and it is very similar to endurance, vetting is slightly more thorough/ strict and you have a time window you come in on but there’s no obstacles or anything like that. And I’m envious that you would have rides that close!! This past weekend I drove 7 hours of mostly mountain driving to get to the closest one to me. There’s one a year that’s close, 2 that are 2 hours and everything else is at least 4 hours. I’ll drive home afterwards for anything less than 3 hours, but after that I’ll stay.

[saratoga]

I agree that CTR is different depending on what organization are in your area. When I lived in NY, I did some ECTRA rides which were 25 miles at a pretty decent pace (about 6 mph average, which is actually faster than the maximum time allowed in endurance, which is about 5 mph average.) But NATRC rides are incredibly slow. Like incredibly. I’ve done 2 and even though we slowed our pace way down (I generally finish in the slowest third of an endurance ride), we still had to stand around quite a lot towards the end to avoid getting penalties for going too fast. I think NATRC is better suited for those who like to mostly walk.

[prudence]

It does help to live 15 minutes from the Tevis finish! Lots of rides here. My horse and I may be retired - we didn’t do a ride this year or last. Hoping next year brings some changes that will see us at least in the “luxury division” again!

[tabula_rashah]

@saratoga I agree- I did read the NATRC rules, etc and was like, um nope, not for me lol One thing that I really like about ECTRA is that my AERC miles count for ECTRA too