Help Understanding FEI results

[Stoney447]

I have a mare that I am using in my breeding program that has FEI results in endurance. I do not know anything at all about endurance as I am involved in breeding and show jumping, so I thought I would ask here for some clarification about what exactly she was doing before I purchased her.

According to the FEI database, my mare finished second in the CEI3* 160+ at Durazno in Uruguay, and had a gate 2 me in the CEI3* 120 at Minas also in Uruguay earlier that year.

I had a couple of questions that I hope that you guys could help with:

1. What is a me? I presume it means medical elimination? I guess I am not sure what they are checking for at the gates in order to pass the horses on.
2. How rigorous is it to train the horses for the 100 milers?
3. How odd is it to have a 16.3 hand warmblood from a jumping background with only 35% blood doing these 100 milers? Is it common or are people more likely to use horses with more blood, such as Arabians or Arab crosses?
4. In jumping it is very nice to see FEI results in our horses history. How common is it for horses to compete in these FEI endurance races? Is this considered the top of the competitive sport or are there higher levels of races?

Thanks so much! I am really excited to use this as an opportunity to learn more about other horse sports and also to learn more about what my broodmare has done in the past!

[gothedistance]

1. “ME” is probably metabolic - which means the horse was NQR (not quite right) in some form or matter - either low or non-existent gut sounds, weak vitals, not recovering to set parameter, etc. Could be a range of things. Metabolic is different from a lameness which is way of going.

2. Depends upon the horse and how close they are to the ideal for fast recovery and mental/physical ability to motor the trail as efficiently as possible. Most horses here in the US are started in Limited Distance (25-30 miles) after a 2-3 months of conditioning work, then move into the Endurance (50 miles and up). Achieving a 100 mile horse is not a matter of rigorous training - it’s a matter of slowly conditioning the horse into fitness to hold up to 100 miles going an average speed of 7-8 mph. Most 100 mile riders maybe ride the horse once a week for about 25-30 miles, then rest it. Working on hills to build fitness and wind are the most important, and so is LSD (long slow distance). The very last thing any competent 100 mile rider wants to do is exhaust the horse in training. A little goes a long way when you look at training for a ride.

3. It’s odd, but not completely uncommon. Speaking for US endurance: all types of breeds are found in the 100 mile results, including Icelandic ponies, Morgans, Quarter horses, Thoroughbreds, etc. You’d have to check the results of races in Europe and the UK to find the breeds used there. Purebred Arabians tend to predominate because they are genetically suited for this type of riding, but they aren’t exclusive. I’d say there is a huge number of Anglo-Arabs and 3/4 bred Arabs as well.

In Europe/Asia (and Central and South America) I believe the FEI is the top governing body for the Endurance sport, as it is for most horse sports outside the US, and so the majority of big rides are FEI rules and regs and recordings. (For those of us who have something to do with FEI, please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong) FEI has divisions for small rides to large ones, local to international. To have an European horse with FEI endurance points isn’t unusual.

It is unusual in the US, however. Our rides (LD, Endurance, Multi-day) are run under the AERC (American Endurance Ride Conference) as our national governing body and hence we ride under AERC rules and regs. Very, very few of the US endurance horses have an FEI number and FEI rides are few and far between here. When they are held they generally only draw those seeking to partake in international competition.

That said, your mare sounds like she was well suited for endurance to have placed so high in a 160k ride. It sounds like you have a lovely gal to add to your breeding program.

[Stoney447]

Thanks so very much for taking the time to explain! I like to know as much as I can about my broodies. I am so excited and proud that she was able to accomplish this as I think it speaks to her great temperament and her work ethic as well as innate ability, which are wonderful things to have when breeding for jumping as well

[gothedistance]

She does sound lovely. How old is she? 7-8??

[Stoney447]

She is actually 18 this year and her results are from 2005. She is retired from being ridden now, I am just hoping for a filly from her this year so she can be fully retired!