New here and to endurance riding.

[system]

Hi everyone. I have been reading your post for awhile and finally decided to post a question. I have been getting my tb mare ready for her first endurance ride now for about a year. My friend was helping me to get ready but has recently kind of bailed out on me. She told me my horse is fit enough but I just don’t know. She is worked at least 4 days a week between ring work and riding. She does at least 10 miles when we ride and for the most part we trot and canter. We also do 20 miles at least once a week. My friend convinced me for her first ride which is in a couple of weeks to do a 50. She said that is the only way I can tell if she is fit enough yet or not.

My question is I took her out yesturday for her 20 mile ride. we did alot of trotting and cantering with a little bit of walking. My horse has a winter coat the weather has been really weird this year in the south one day it is in the 30’s the next its in the 80’s. So she was dripping sweat, it was in the high 70’s. Her breathing was fine. I didn’t have to push her or anything. We were out by ourselves. We completed the 20 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes i’m sure its not a great time but I keep a book on how long it takes her so I can tell if anything is going on. Anyway from what I am telling you do you guys think that she is ready to do a 50?

[Halcyon_Days]

uh, yeah, she’s ready. You have to be careful of overtraining, especially too much canter work the first year you compete in endurance riding. It’s all about the trot, you want to keep your pace consistent, maybe roll into a canter for a few miles in great footing, but develop a versatile trot, and you’ll be riding a deluxe endurance horse–soft jog trot for twisty trails, medium relaxed trot to efficiently go all day, big power trot to really cover some miles fast, and a good strong marching walk is a wonderful thing, I hate it when horses dawdle around at the walk, it kills your average miles per hour and they can catch their breath fine walking a bit faster–or hop off and walk yourself for a few minutes, it helps unstiffen the rider, and you can look your horse over from a different angle. Remember, your first few endurance rides are NOT about beating anybody, but about learning how to efficiently cover the miles and have your horse look great at the end. If you’re humble, polite, and ask questions, people will bend over backwards to help you and give you advice. If you show up at the first rides and gallop your horse around like a lunatic for the glory, they’ll assume you’re an idiot and stay away from you. Nobody wants to see you and especially your horse crash and burn (end up lame or on IV fluids) It takes a few seasons before all of your horses systems are ready for speed work, and there’s a lot to learn about conditioning, diet, shoeing, tack, getting through vetchecks, etc. It’s loads of fun and really addictive. If you do sign up for a 50 as your first ride, ask around when you get there and see if you can ride with someone experienced (mentor) it can make all the difference, they’ll teach you how to sponge, trail etiquette, at what point to get off your horse and walk into the vetchecks, whether you should sponge to get pulse down or quickly put a cooler on your horse, etc. The first few rides are kind of overwhelming with small details, it helps to have a calm voice talking you through it.

[system]

Thank you. I think my friend is supposed to be mentoring me, but like is said she has kind of bailed on me after we went riding a few weeks ago. I do alot of trotting work and cantering ony on soft ground especially since my horse is barefooted and touch wood hasn’t taken a lame step yet. I wzs just worried since my goal is to finish and still have a horse. she is only 6 years old and has been doing great so far don’t want to end her carrier before it started. I was just going to do a 25 because I that is all I have done with her is at the most 25 miles without a break, i know they get vet check breaks but I wasn’t sure when with the 50. Anyway since I never did 50 at home with her I dind’t know if she could do it alway from home and don’t want her to break down. I do know she has done 20 miles two days in a row and figured that she should be able to do it but just kind of nervous because she really likes this sport better then the dressage and the race track.

[Halcyon_Days]

nobody goes out on a conditioning ride and rides 50 miles–just too much wear and tear on the horses feet (and shoes!) and legs/joints. There’s lots of good training and conditioning advice on endurance.net and aerc.org If you go to endurance.net, you can click on Ridecamp, which is an email chatgroup with lots of good info, you can search the archives, I’ve found it to be very valuable when I’ve run into questions/problems, anything from saddlefit to different kinds of vitamins/supplements

[system]

Thank you I will go on that today. I really do appreciate all your help.

[gothedistance]

Martin07 -

20 miles in a little over 2 hours is going VERY fast, even for competition. Riding at an average 10 mph is far above what you want to be doing. What you want to aim at is about 5-7 mph average.

Click on this link: How to condition for Endurance. It will help mentor you in determining what you need to do as well as prevent you from overtraining - which is kinda what you are doing now, as Halcyon Days already noted.

When you are finished reading the conditioning section, go read the rest of the “How To” manual – you will find it invaluable for helping you understand what to expect, and how to prepare for your first ride. If you have questions, come on back to this forum and ask. Everyone here is more than happy to help coach you in the right direction.

I’d suggest you just do the Limited Distance (25) for your first ride. It will take some of the stress off you, be easier for your horse, and you’ll get to experience all the ins and outs of endurance within the framework of a nice morning/early afternoon. Don’t race it – just ride for the pleasure of being on the trail, shoot for an average of 6-7 mph, and remember to get off the last 100 yards and walk your horse into the vet checks. All good horsemanship which will not only help relax you…and your horse…but be looked very favorably upon by those who are experienced – especially the vets.

[system]

thanks I will look at the site. I do know my horses speed at the medium trot is between 7-8 miles an hour. My friend has a watch that tracks your idstance and speed and I think heart rate. We do alot of trotting with cantering on the soft sandy roads which she does have a very fast canter even when collected. She is a bigger horse about 16 hands and very thick for a thoroughbred.

This is probably why she finished 20 miles so quick.

[Icecapade]

I was going to say… 2 hours and change is really fast for a 20… I wonder if your milage is a bit off… often we overestimate. Get a pedometer for your horse… a wheel… or drive a section that you know, hit your lick and time it. its better to do it for a longer stretch obviously but 1 to 2 miles will give you a ball park.

20 miles for training should take you a little under 4 hours… we did it with two quarter horses one out of shape arab and one top TB eventer in training. We did mostly 9 mph trots with a walk about for the Corranza memorial which was about 10 minutes of ‘site seeing’

Its probably really unwise for YOU to do a first 50 on your horse’s first 50 if thats your first race.

If you had raced before… yeah i might could see jumping a 50… maybe. I personally never do. 25’s are training wheels… thats what they are there for… you never know on anything so its nice to judge your horse and yourself.

Take your time, there is no rush. enjoy your journey. =) But it sounds like you guys are on your way to doing really well… I wish you luck!

[system]

We have used a gps with the mileage and I drove it. We ride on the country dirt roads and the side of paved roads and it is almost 2o miles exactly.

I’ve talked to the ride manager and just pre registered without picking while miles. I don’t forsee my horse having any issues since we have been training for this 1 year exactly. Plus before that we have trailered to different big trail ride and overnighted at dressage/jumping shows. Plus she was on the track n I have taken her to barrel show to watch so she gets used to hearing horses run and knows she doesn’t have to.

I can’t remember if this is an elevator ride i have to check again either way I think i will just do the 25 and if it is an eleveator and she is doing well maybe up her to the 50 do you think that would be ok?

[gothedistance]

@Martin07;3778945

I think i will just do the 25 and if it is an eleveator and she is doing well maybe up her to the 50 do you think that would be ok?

If it was me, I’d just stick with the 25. There will be a lot of information you’ll need to absorb before, during, and after the ride, so it will be nice to have your time on the trail short and to the point so that both you, and your horse, enjoy it and enjoy the learning process. There will be plenty of time for you to move on up later. No need to rush.

Believe me when I say a 50 is no walk in the park, even for experienced competitors. There is 4x the work involved, more if you crew for yourself.

Take your first ride to learn the ropes. Do the 25 and then call it a day. If you find it easy (as I did), then for your next ride move up to the 50’s. :yes:

[2enduraceriders]

You are more then ready to go do a 50!

You would not be happy doing the 25. You may, depending on the ride, end up in the top 10 or better with the amount of conditioning your horse has.
Just go out there and ride your horse as you know her best! There truly is nothing wrong with placing on your first ride…

Good luck and enjoy!!!

[Painted_Horse]

One of the things you have not conditioned your horse to, is the crowd at an endurance race. Some horses get really excited when they show up to a ride and see 90 other horses. When the race starts and eveybody heads out, your horse will be excited and want to go.

The other horses have learned it’s a 50 mile race and have learned to go the pace. To stay calm and relaxed. Your horse being new will get wound up and expend a lot of his energy in excitement.

I’ve never done a 25. I started with 50s. And I suspect your horse can do a 50 just fine. What you will need to do his first few rides is learn to control his emotions. Don’t let him get into a race, teach him to relax around the crowd. It’s OK to not be in the lead. He doesn’t have to catch every horse he can see going around the curve in the road up ahead. If he can calm down and be relaxed about the ride he will complete 50 just fine.

I often rode off in the opposite direction when the race starts. Let everybody get out of camp and then I would bring up the rear or close to the rear. I didn’t want my horse to get caught up in the excitement of the begining of the race. Think of Hildogo. When the race started everybody/horse was crazy, but once out of sight of the starting line, they all settled into a ground covering walk/trot. Let the crowd go, keep your horse relaxed and stay in your stride.

Around here the winners will finish the course in 4.5 maybe 5 hours. You have 12 hours to complete the course. Take your time, Finishing your first endurance race in 7.5 - 8.0 hours is very respectable. And if you need 12 hours take all 12. It’s much better for you to get off and walk a few miles and let your horse forget about the crowd and excitment than to come into the half way point with a spent horse.

[system]

I was thinking about the crowd probably being our most difficult part of the day. I tried taking her places to get her used to hearing horses running around. We have been to shows with 100 plus people and a bunch going on and she has done well but this is completely different. I was planning on starting later then everyone else so the crowd and the excited horses will get on their way and then Ican go after all that was over maybe 5 or 10 minutes.

I guess i will just wait till the night before to see how my horse is reacting to everything to see if I should do the 25 or 50.

[wendybird]

Hi Martin07. Re your ride next week -

I remember how nervous I was for my first ride. It was harder than I expected, but more exhilarating than I had thought possible, even though I came in last, and it rained all the time. But we vetted through successfully and so far have never failed to qualify, and our times are getting better with every ride - just under 12mph last week.

Try to arrive early so that you have time enough to show her around the base. Better still if you can take her the day before, and keep her in a yard alongside the other horses so she can relax and absorb the atmosphere. I have found that my horses really enjoy the activity and watch everything that goes on. They seem to like the human company too.

Along with others, I would suggest that you do a 25, not because you couldn’t do a 50, but because the first ride is a fairly steep learning experience, from the moment you start packing your gear to getting home again after the ride. Do a 50 when you’ve got it all sussed.

Here in NZ we carry portable yards and set them up next to our trucks/trailers; people gather around and share food, talk until dark, and then go to bed. Rides commonly start at midnight for the 100, and at intervals after that for shorter rides. We do loops, which means that we return to base - most of our country is inaccessible for vehicles, so no out-bases. FEI rules.

Starting off - well some horses are cool as, and others simply do not believe you when you say it is not a race. So you may have some serious riding for the first few miles until the edge wears off! One of mine was like this (but only at endurance rides), and I found that I just had to let her go, as steadily as I could, until she settled.

I see that your horse is barefoot and that you have been riding on ‘soft’ surfaces. It will pay you to get her out on harder terrain, tar seal, gravel, rocky trails etc so that her hooves will cope with harder surfaces. Also make her more foot sure. You don’t always know what sort of tracks you’ll be riding over and ride briefings often don’t give the full picture.

So that’s another reason to do a shorter ride. Take her slowly over ‘ouchy’ ground. My horses are barefoot too, and do 50s with no trouble but we train over volcanic pumice sand tracks with rocks and red clay which is very slippery when wet. Sometimes their hooves look horrible afterwards but a week later I have to trim them, so don’t be too alarmed if the hooves look a bit ragged at the end!

Anyway, whatever distance you do, enjoy the ride. You don’t have to get placed, just finish in time and vet through.

Go!

W.