Must-Haves For an Endurance Ride?

[CosMonster]

Okay, we have a must-have on the trail thread, but I thought I’d do one more competition-oriented…what can you not do without on an endurance ride?

The personal motivation for asking this is that we’re going to be doing one in mid-October. It’s my first one, and may be the horse’s…supposedly she has several LDs under her girth but that can’t be confirmed and her last owner has proven to be inclined to, shall we say, stretch the truth. :lol: A good friend of mine who is an experienced endurance rider has recently been injured and offered to let me search through her gear and borrow whatever I need for the ride. So I thought I should ask what you guys would pick! We decided against a 1-day 50 although the horse is likely in good enough shape for it; since it is my first endurance ride and I won’t have a crew or anyone to ride with (there’s of course a good chance I’ll team up with someone there, but my “mentor” is the injured friend and none of my shoeing clients who do endurance are going to this one), we decided to do 2 consecutive LDs–30 miles each day. If we do those okay then we’ll do a normal 50 in early December.

So, what are your must-haves on the competitive trail? Aside from the usual cell phone, map, well-fitted tack…what little things can you not do without?

[Certifiedgirl]

chapstick, waterproof jacket (NW rider), horse treats, knife, sunglasses, plastic baggie for vet card, starbucks doubleshot, tylenol, and nuts. Have a good time!

[Lieselotte]

I could argue that you need nothing besides your water bottles! And obviously your vet card. Keep it light and simple. There are enough people en route, in front and behind you, that will help you should anything happen. And the next vet check is never that far away.

I started out with way too many things in my saddle bags. These are things I still take on a conditioning ride when I’m on my own but I don’t need them at a competition. Now I ride only with two water bottles (one plain, one with e-lytes) and a pocket knife (never needed it though) and a cereal bar. If it’s hot, I’ll also take a sponge. That’s it.

The big eye-opener for me was at last year’s Tevis (I didn’t ride, I crewed ;)) where John Crandell wore a camelpak and the horse a small saddle with absolutely nothing else on it. I looked at that bare-bones setup and it made so much sense to me. Ever since, I’ve competed with the bare minimum as well but I make sure I have everything else I could possibly need in my crew bag (which is a must-have!) at the vet check, or laid out back in camp should the hold be there.

With that said, I realize that it will make a lot of people feel more secure to have tools and extra food and extra string, tape, boots, etc., so by any means, take what you feel you may need in an emergency. I’ve just come to the conclusion you won’t need these things at a competition.

[ToiRider]

I’m not going to “Like” the keep it light and barebones advice, because I am the person everyone turns to to borrow my things on the trail. They come without water, hoofpick, extra snaps for broken tack, and bandages on the trail, etc. and then look to me to share and bail them out. Everything I have named has been needed on the trail at some point, and I provided it. I am astounded that people set out without their own water, etc. and expect others to provide it for them. Bring what you think you will need. My horse fell on the trail 9 miles from the vet check, and the shortest way back was the trail. I had to provide for myself and my horse. I also had to hand walk a horse back 7 miles once up and down some pretty steep terrain (he had an allergic reaction to his neoprene girth, but I didn’t know what was wrong with him at that time). Again, I was on my own. John Crandall knew that hundreds of riders were behind him to help. That isn’t the case for most of us, and it isn’t fair to expect others to tote our safety equipment. Just my two cents, for what it is worth.

With that said, examine your tack very carefully before each ride. I once had a stirrup leather break during a competition. I used my sponge strap to jury-rig a temporary stirrup leather, but I ended up rubbing a lot of skin off my legs. Bring a leather string and extra snap to fix tack. Those are permanent fixtures on my saddle. I once had my horse step on a stick that lodged itself into his shoe. A very strong hoofpick was needed to leverage it out. We weren’t going anywhere without that, and we were on a hill. Just because you are in a competition, rather than a trail ride, doesn’t mean things won’t go wrong. Good luck and have fun!

Edited to add: It isn’t fair to expect another competitor to give up their ride or their placing in order to stop and help. Will almost everyone do it? Absolutely, but to expect that to happen and come unprepared is wrong. OP, you are asking the right questions. I think somewhere on Endurance.net there is a great article that explores the answer to your question. I will look for it later today. I have to go to the barn right now.

[Lieselotte]

ToiRider, I presume that a good endurance rider will check tack and make sure it’s in tip-top shape before starting. That includes horse’s footwear. Can something still go wrong on the ca. 15 miles between vet checks? Sure, but it’s highly unlikely if everything was perfect to begin with.

It also goes without saying that a good endurance rider will bring enough water for him/herself, appropriate to the length of the loop and the temperatures. People who don’t go out with any water at all are obviously not endurance riders – or they’re very experienced and it’s cool and they can easily ride a loop in a couple of hours. (I have ridden cold early morning loops where I didn’t touch my water at all.)

But I believe you are talking about people who are either novices or simply don’t take care of themselves or their things well, who don’t plan ahead and don’t take this as serious as they should. Competing 50 miles or more requires a certain amount of preparation and foresight. Just like you condition your horse and yourself, you constantly improve and monitor your tack, the clothes you wear, the food that works for you and your horse, etc. This finetuning will lead to more successful rides but of course you can never plan, or bring enough, for a true accident.

ToiRider, I’m sorry you have had many unprepared people bother you like that during a competition but hopefully they learned something from it! So for everyone reading this, by all means, take all the things you feel you need and that make you feel more secure and prepared. With more experience you can probably figure out what’s safe to leave at camp or in your crew bag.

[Eddy_s_Mom]

I tend to carry a lot of stuff but don’t usually need it.

I carry two water bottles, an extra Easyboot Glove and some athletic tape in my cantle pack.

In my pommel pack I carry my vet card, a map if they give one, some Platinum bars for my horse, a snickers bar <---- this can save your life!, and a more healthy bar or two for me. I also carry Cliff Shot Blocks and Gu or some other type of gross gel-stuff in case I get low blood sugar and food doesn’t sound great. I usually also have a bottle of bug spray in case we get into gnats or horseflies.

I guess it’s a lot of stuff but a lot of our rides do big loop 50’s so you can be out there for a while, or on an 80 or 100 you tend to go a little slower so a 20 mile loop might be closer to three hours instead of two-ish. Plus it usually works out to where I don’t clean out my bags and when we get “lost” or otherwise distracted on a conditioning ride, I can save the day with snacks! :winkgrin:

[rainechyldes]

I’m a pretty basic person I guess.

when I compete alone - 2 water bottles 1 for me, 1 for my horse (he’ll drink out of a regular bottle, although I usually end up using it for spraying him while we run). hoofpick, piece of baler twine or something similar, small swiss army knife, and vet card (I eat during vet checks only) dont require carrying a spare easyboot, since I ride either bare or booted any rate, depending on trail

when I’ve got the kids with me, I carry more (extra water+plus they carry) snacks etc, since we tend to be moving slower and I swear to god my 11 year old develops a hollow leg out on the trail no matter how much I’ve fed him before we leave ride camp:)

[CosMonster]

Thanks guys, I appreciate your input. I’m kind of an all-or-nothing gal…I always find myself either over-packing or under-packing, generally speaking. :lol: It’s nice to hear what works for a variety of people.

I’m not too worried about this one since it’s only 60 miles over two days–I’ve done that with this mare before (not competitively, of course) and this terrain is significantly easier than the hills we usually ride in. I’m looking at it as kind of a practice run–let’s see what works and what doesn’t, and get a good handle on how to approach the 50 in December.

[Auventera_Two]

Plastic ziploc bag for your ride card. This is critical! You will either be sponging, or getting rained on, or the horse will sweat. In all 3 scenarios, your ride card must be totally waterproofed. I have tried a few different strategies and a plain old gallon sized Ziploc bag (with the little zipper) is the best. Then put that inside your regular saddle pack where it is easily accessible.

Other absolute necessities that I carry in my pommel pack:

Protein energy bar
Chapstick
All in one trail tool (tiny cutter, pliars, etc.)
Vetwrap
Small 1st Aid Kit
Few horse electrolyte cookies
Small bottle of Burts Bees fly spray (found at Walmart) if it’s bug season

I also carry at least 2 large water bottles.

GOOD fitting, comfortable clothing and shoes is essential. Practice wearing your competition clothes all day long - to clean stalls and do barn chores, walk the dog, do dishes, go ride your horse on a nice long trail. Make sure you can wear them for hours without getting itchy, irritated, chaffed, chapped, and rubbed.

[candysgirl]

I bring a few things, but I try to keep it light.

In my pommel pouch I bring a leatherman tool, a my vet card goes in there in a ziplock bag, and a granola bar or a small bag of trail mix.

In my cantle bag I have water on one side and a sports drink on the other, an extra snap, a rope that can be used to fix tack or as a lead rope or turned into a halter. I generally also bring a handful of carrots or a baggie of hay pellets.

[GotMyPony]

WooHoo, my very first post. I promise I am not affilated with this company but I absolutely love the “Travel Vest” from Magellans.com. Never do a ride without it. It weighs only 6 oz. so it’s never too hot and can be rinsed off and dries fast. It has many pockets, all with zippers or velcro, so things stay secure. A pocket for ride card/map/baggy; one for trail bar and horse treats; separate pocket sized especially for lip balm; zippered pocket for cell phone; inside zippered pocket for keys (good for when you’ve trailered out for conditioning ride); one for sunglasses or pocketknife Plus others I’ve never used. Unlike fisherman’s vest the pockets are sleek, not big and puffy. Plus it has the double zipper so doesn’t have to ride up on your hips. It’s not cheap - about $50 - but it’s worth it. It’s sized unisex so go down a size if you try one.