Endurance NEWBIE!

[atomicfriday]

Hi everyone! My name is Shannon, new to the forums and hopefully endurance riding!

just going to say… I ramble a bit and skip to the end if you like.

I’m 25 (my birthdays actually today, yippeee) and rode extensively up until I was 18. Riding is my passion and the only reason I stopped is because my horse went into retirement and I felt I owed it to him to personally make sure he enjoyed the rest of his life. I had him for 17 years and he passed away last March at the age of 30.

That being said i am a little out of riding shape but I don’t doubt in my capabilities! I have done all sorts of shows; pleasure, h/j, dressage, speed events even mounted shooting. Out of everything I enjoyed spirited trail rides the most. Riding all day on my favorite horse in the woods, nothing is better! I’ve wanted nothing more than to try endurance, even the LD rides, for years.

Now I am at a point in my life where I can confidently say I can afford a horse again. its all I’ve thought about over the years and I am getting so excited at the prospect of being horse back again!

Now that you all know my life story, I really need help choosing my next mount. I want another life long horse like my wonderful Fair Man Poco. I also want a chance at being competitive. I know Arabs rule, but that other breeds succeed too. At first I was looking at ranch trained QH as that’s what my horse was, but now I’m thinking for my purposes maybe that’s not the best choice. Pokey would go all day with zest but I’m not sure how he would hold up against a horse bred for it. I’m also wary because those horses are typically broke quite young. Now I’m looking at Arabs, not with the best of luck I might add. Please, can you experienced endurance riders tell me what to look for in a horse? Also if anyone knows of any horses for sale in Florida I’d be so appreciative for a recommendation!

Thanks and happy trails!!

[chicamux]

Arab crosses can be fantastic for multiple sports. Appaloosas with the right sort of breeding and bodies are also possible picks. Appendix QTR horses can be a decent choice as long as they have good feet and conformation that is sound. But since you are in FL you have to consider heat. No big, muscle bound horses!

chicamuxen

[chicamux]

Arab crosses can be fantastic for multiple sports. Appaloosas with the right sort of breeding and bodies are also possible picks. Appendix QTR horses can be a decent choice as long as they have good feet and conformation that is sound. But since you are in FL you have to consider heat. No big, muscle bound horses!

chicamuxen

[ehwaz]

Brains would be my first requirement. Personality is also very important- you will be spending all day with the horse, better if you and the horse “click”. Good conformation- particularly good legs. Then breed- lighter horses will generally have better recoveries (ie arabs). Smooth gaits are nice. Training wise, I would look for a horse that was started late. Easily rateable is a must for me. That said, I like a horse who has a lot of go, but controlled go is that make sense. I would look at arab crosses- Morabs and Quarab come to mind for me.

I would check out Susan Garlinghouses articles on nutrition- tons of good information on feeding for endurance horses. Karen Chatons blog also has a lot of good information, along with the AERC education page. This is a good article to read (http://www.equisearch.com/horses_care/whats-the-ideal-endurance-horse-conformation/). Also, find a good local vet(preferable one who knows about endurance) and get a good PPE. I would also try and find a local club to find other riders who may have horses for sale that aren’t advertised heavily.

[CJ82Sky]

Happy birthday! I don’t ride endurance, but live vicariously through my friend and her husband that both do, and have to say that it sounds like a ton of fun. I do go on camping trips and long trail rides in the summer, and really greatly enjoy it! Good luck finding a horse

[GotMyPony]

I just returned from the AERC Annual Conference in Atlanta yesterday. There was a fantastic presentation by vet Jeannette Mero (Calif.) on “Looking for Your Next Endurance Horse” and how she does PPEs. The biggest take-aways I got about finding an appropriate horse are (1) absolutely stay away from anything with thin, shelly hooves; and (2) heavily muscled horses just don’t recover fast enough to do well in longer distances. I wish I could remember more for you. But I know she has a FB page and I’d google anything I could find on her; she may have articles linked in various places.

Two good comprehensive books are Endurance Riding & Competition by Donna Snyder Smith (rider and trainer) and Go the Distance by Nancy Loving, DVM. I’ve also heard Endurance Riding 101 is good but haven’t read it myself.

And, of course, go to the AREC website http://aerc.org Scan down the home page, they have several videos, including educational and just some looks at a few typical rides. And they also have a mentoring program you can look into. Have fun!

[gothedistance]

Congraduations on your birthday, atomicfriday!!

And that’s terrific that you’re finally about to look into doing some endurance/LD this time around with a new horse.

Frankly, I got my Decade Team with a Welsh/Arab that was a former carriage driving pairs champion - having the cross was nice because I used my guy for foxhunting as well as a bunch of other disciplines for which he was already familiar, including the Welsh show ring. Most of the people I know have had the best success long term - in miles and years - with Arab-X’s, and have found their best horses within other sports - show hunters, foxhunting, driving, western, park show, dressage, etc.

I would recommend you look for these character traits if you want a good distance horse: mannerly, relaxed, biddable, NO LAMENESS ISSUES, outstanding feet (hard resilient, strong, balanced), strong legs, no heavy muscling (on the average QH do NOT do well in this sport when you leave LD to go into endurance (50 miles and up)), something that may have Arab crossed in, or full Arab if you find one that is sturdy, and agreeable.

Just take your time, look around, and if you find something you like then pay very close attention to what is between the ears, and the legs the horse is standing on. Those two things are critical. Everything else is extraneous.

If you contact SERA, or SEDRA organizations (which encompass Florida), they might be able to help you with endurance horses for sale, or contacting someone with a prospect, or can direct you where to look.

Good luck!!

[atomicfriday]

Thanks everyone for the help! I have some exciting news; I was referred to an experienced endurance rider/breeder and she is absolutely wonderful. She just happens to be at a ride this weekend local to me and not only did she invite me to come out to meet her and her horses but she offered me to ride an LD! I am speechless! It’s not on her sale horses but one of her personal ones, and not only will I be riding but I will be accompanied by another experienced mentor the whole way! I am so beyond excited, and cannot believe the fortitude and plain generosity of these people offering to help meso much, of whom is essentially a stranger. I won’t be able to move for a few weeks afterwards, but I don’t care! Yippeee!!

[GotMyPony]

Good for you! I had a similar experience myself. When I crewed for a friend I’d always talk to riders about breeds other than Arabs – I wanted gaited - and met a lady who competed on Kentucky Mtns. She offered that if I wanted to come down and ride at her place a few times first, she’d let me ride her original endurance horse (with her) in an LD. I ended up doing 2 rides and eventually (months later) bought that horse once she realized that she was moving up in speed and distance and he was now “surplus to her needs.” The best buying experience ever!

Endurance riders are the most generous horse people, always willing to share knowledge, supplies…and even their horses. Have a great time!

[ehwaz]

[QUOTE=atomicfriday;7474029]
Thanks everyone for the help! I have some exciting news; I was referred to an experienced endurance rider/breeder and she is absolutely wonderful. She just happens to be at a ride this weekend local to me and not only did she invite me to come out to meet her and her horses but she offered me to ride an LD! I am speechless! It’s not on her sale horses but one of her personal ones, and not only will I be riding but I will be accompanied by another experienced mentor the whole way! I am so beyond excited, and cannot believe the fortitude and plain generosity of these people offering to help meso much, of whom is essentially a stranger. I won’t be able to move for a few weeks afterwards, but I don’t care! Yippeee!![/QUOTE]

This is what I love about endurance. At my first ride, I forgot my half chaps and water bottles- within 15 minutes of mentioning that to the person camped next to me, I was trying on 3 different pairs of spare chaps and had about 10 people offer me water bottles.

[Marney]

Good for you!! I hope I have good luck as well… I am in the process of selling my young TB as he was not a good fit for me… Once he sells I will be looking for an endurance horse that I can be competitive with and have a bunch of fun with… I used to event and am new to the sport of endurance so I want to take my time and find myself a great partner… One that has some experience and is fun to be around. I have not had the best of luck with horses so I am going to be very careful with this decision. I do have Tevis on my bucket list so we will see:) I hope you have a wonderful ride and find the right horse for you!

[atomicfriday]

You guys are not kidding, I am so taken aback at the generosity and politeness of these people. And I havent even formally met them in person yet! I’ve participated in many other kinds of equine events and (no knocking) but I was never greeted before with such open arms. I am looking very forward albeit a little nervous to Saturday!

I too am going to be very particular about my next mount as apart from my darling foundation QH I also haven’t had the best luck. I had a Morgan/TB for four years, no one can say I didn’t try, but we just couldn’t click. It got to the point where I didn’t even want to ride anymore, that’s when I decided it had been enough. I also had two green projects a TB filly that sat in a pasture, she’s now gone on to be a polo pony, and a grade QH x stud who was in a bad place. I gelded him, started him and now he’s very happy as a trail horse. While I am glad I was the reason these horses found good homes I knew in my heart they weren’t “the one”. I now know what I am looking for and there will be no compromise!

[Marney]

Ya atomicfriday it comes down to do you enjoy the ride and that is where I am at with my young TB… I don’t… I tried and he is an extremely wonderful athletic horse but not for me:) I had my horse of a life time for over 20 years and I loved him to death… I will probably never find another like him but if I can get close I will be a happy camper and I can’t wait to enjoy riding again:) It has been to long! I so hope you have a blast and please let us know how it goes!

[saffire_100]

Have a great time Atomicfriday! You will have a blast. Endurance is a fun sport with lots of great people.

[monicabee]

You should check out the Green Beans page on FB - this is the national one -specifically for newbies and their mentors, as well as those starting green horses out in the sport:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/greenbeanendurance/?fref=ts

[ehwaz]

Have a great ride on Saturday. If you get a chance, I would offer to help out at the pre vet/ check in. You can learn alot just by watching everyone vet in their horses. Also, don’t forget to eat and drink- it is really easy to take great care of the horse and not take care of yourself.