I also think that (as a generalization of course) endurance riders are the group that provides the best care to their horses- the most turn out, knowledge about nutrition and hoof care, etc.
Even with poor riding, endurance horses tend to be a lot sounder than horses in other disciplines. Maybe it is because Arabs are so hardy, or maybe because of the really good care that they receive, especially not being stalled.
My barnmates who ride endurance keep their horses in stalls with 6 hours a day on 1/4 acre, 18 hours in a stall…
well … all I can say is:
Growing up, I was brought up riding in a classical school in europe.I still compete in dressage and stadium jumping. However I am a longtime endurance rider.
And on that note…
After about 60 miles - please for the love of god, someone trot out my horse at vet check for me, because my knees won’t straighten.
After about 75 miles… my back is a perma-ache, and I feel like the hunch back of Notre Dame has been reborn
After about 89 miles…my legs are shot, I can neither straighten my knees, or bend an ankle, or have an ounce of leg muscle energy left to use!
At 100 miles, thank freaking god for the finish line… just let me slide off my horse into a boneless heap on the ground and lay there to die for a few hours… swing by and pick me up in the morning – I’m ok with that.
[QUOTE=Xanthoria;6496816]
My barnmates who ride endurance keep their horses in stalls with 6 hours a day on 1/4 acre, 18 hours in a stall…[/QUOTE]
In my experience, endurance riders tend to be do-it-yourselfers who keep horses at their homes or pasture boarding…there doesnt seem to be as many who keep them in traditional boarding stables, or who would want to. But of course there are exceptions. I am guessing that you maybe live in the LA area or someplace where space is extremely limited?
rainechyldes- I definitely get tired and sore also but I dont feel like it affects my riding that much. I always make an effort to sit up and straight and keep supporting myself and help to balance my horse, in spite of how tired I am. I do see a lot of people that I feel like are burdening their horse when they get fatigued by posting really heavy, leaning to one side, standing in the stirrups, etc.
[QUOTE=saratoga;6497085]
rainechyldes- I definitely get tired and sore also but I dont feel like it affects my riding that much. I always make an effort to sit up and straight and keep supporting myself and help to balance my horse, in spite of how tired I am. I do see a lot of people that I feel like are burdening their horse when they get fatigued by posting really heavy, leaning to one side, standing in the stirrups, etc.[/QUOTE]
Aye I was being a bit tongue and cheek in my post - people who aren’t endurance riders I think sometimes skip past the part of understanding the word ‘endurance’ exists in the name for a reason both for horse and rider.
Also - personal perception applies- We all may think we aren’t riding a bit on the crap side after 90 miles, but really compared to how we sat our horse at the start gate - we surely are.
I found core strength training my saviour for that, but I do have a leg issue, thanks to a nasty nasty break many years back, and when I’m tired - I won’t lie - it definitely shows.
Many can start an 100 mile race, not all finish…Especially Tevis.
I wouldn’t say that anyone could stick with riding a horse for the length of time required at the Tevis Cup. There are people out there who probably wouldn’t be able to deal with a 25 or 50 miler. If you are a seasoned endurance rider and genuinely good at what you do and have a willing partner for a horse you have all of my respect. Even a beginning endurance rider who goes about it in all the right ways is a wonderful sight. But I agree that there are some riders who really are too much in their horses mouths. Yank, yank, yank! It annoys me when I see it regardless of discipline. It makes me wonder if the horse will have dental issues because it is simply so bad sometimes. Personally, I have a neurological disability that affects me still from seven years ago. My balance is hindered to begin with. You probably won’t see the same posture by the end of any length of a ride from me. It would be silly to expect it. However, I always try to keep the horse in mind by being courteous to them and attempting to remain balanced. Give it your best shot, folks. I don’t know many people who will look exactly the same after a 100 mile ride. Well, perhaps an android. 
Jeez! You have new participants in the growing sport of endurance in this economy and so annoyed that they are buying expensive made horses. Why not mentor, educate, give clinics, give encouragement and help people get into it correctly rather than being snobs and picking on them?
You want to see bad/crazy, etc., watch the extreme trail riders who gallop their horses into trailers and they swing off the top of the trailer,:no:, among other wonderful yayhoo type moments. There are crazy/lazy people in all disciplines.
[QUOTE=ReSomething;6491205]
but endurance is just a long trail ride right?[/QUOTE]
This made me giggle! It depends on your version of trail ride I guess. I had a gnarly endurance trainer, I had to 3 point all my hills, post trot any flat areas, and when going down hill there had better be a gap between my crotch and his back. Oh, and bareback. Not such a fun trail ride, right? I was young then, at 16 it’s fun to be that fit 
I would love to go back, be that crazy, but I have a hunter prince thoroughbred that has nervous breakdowns over goats. Someday.
I still go secretary or P&R at CTRs to keep myself in the loop. A lot of backyard women (ok a few guys, you know those few that dare venture into our world?) that are clueless tend to show up along with actual endurance riders. It’s sad to see people get excited, and then at the end they hate it because there’s SO much to be learned that they haven’t learned, and there horses didnt fair well or they had some scary moments.
There is a mentor program, but I found it pretty personally.
[QUOTE=saratoga;6496813]
I also think that (as a generalization of course) endurance riders are the group that provides the best care to their horses- the most turn out, knowledge about nutrition and hoof care, etc.
Even with poor riding, endurance horses tend to be a lot sounder than horses in other disciplines. Maybe it is because water delivery los angeles Arabs are so hardy, or maybe because of the really good care that they receive, especially not being stalled.[/QUOTE]
i think you’re right on track here!
[QUOTE=Daydream Believer;6490509]
You see it in all disciplines. Dressage in particular people can go out and buy a very well trained horse and be showing FEI levels relatively quickly. I’ve seen a lot of “ammies” riding horses like that with a poor seat and just barely getting through it. Used to drive me nuts…now I feel sorry for them as most will pay a fortune to some trainer just to keep the horse rideable for them.[/QUOTE]
I saw tons of this at a regional championship show. Riders that were WAY overmounted simply because they could afford to be. I even saw one carted off in an ambulance after being dumped before even entering the arena. My immediate reaction is outrage and envy, but then I remember the whole world is pretty much wired this way and I’m way luckier than most people to own a horse at all.
[QUOTE=sorrelfilly721;6845619]
but then I remember the whole world is pretty much wired this way and I’m way luckier than most people to own a horse at all.[/QUOTE]
This makes me smile. A whole bunch. :yes:
[QUOTE=TBRedHead;6580646]
It’s sad to see people get excited, and then at the end they hate it because there’s SO much to be learned that they haven’t learned, and there horses didnt fair well or they had some scary moments.
There is a mentor program, but I found it pretty personally.[/QUOTE]
Totally. There are people out there doing whatever their sport is, correctly, and often they have one too many horses to ride. If you can link up with peoplewho are doing what you want to do by having good manners and showing up in work gloves and throwing hay bales and mowing pastures, you can get “in” with someone who you can help and they can help you. You can pay with sweat equity or you can pay with money. I don’t think it is very impressive to repeat the commonly-held but incorrect belief that it is so nearly impossible to get horse time if you aren’t born with a silver spoon in your mouth. It is mostly just harder than most people want to work. Show up, pay attention, wear out some work gloves and don’t believe the naysayers.
The OP’s complaint is not a new one. In general things have improved…really. I was at a vetcheck in the 70’s, and as the riders came in my jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe they had the absolute nerve to subject their horses to this.
There will always be the wanna be’s. One can only hope that the performance and preparation of the top riders will sink in .
Endurance riders = Masochists 
a push-button, highly trained horse can make a huge difference to how the rider looks…can make even a bad rider look good.
Just like other generalizations, the “endurance riders take the best care of their horses” is not true either. Anyone who is a HORSEMAN and spends every day watching every detail of their horse’s care takes the best care of their horse. Like gasp eventer me. Or my best friend, who does 50 mile endurance races.
Also, it does have its own ugly underbelly. People gloss over the poorly managed horses, saying, oh they will get pulled, they will be fine. How about the horses that get run off their feet getting a top ten then go into metabolic collapse after the finish? How about the horses that colic and die within 24 hours because they were pushed beyond their physiological limits? How about the horses with permanent back or leg injuries the resulted from the rider choosing their placing over what was best for their horse? Yeah, it happens a LOT. I’ve seen it and I do wish AERC would do a better job rewarding horsemanship and have more penalties for ending up back at your campsite with a horse whose legs are shaking who is in lactic acid toxicity and needed 8 bags of IV fluids just so he wouldn’t die right there.
There ARE great horse people in endurance, like I said, my BFF is one of them who did it right and spent TWO YEARS training and conditioning her horse and herself before competing. But it also cannot be said that there are not some very very bad things going on as well. No equine sport which has a prize at stake is without its bad characters who will throw their horse under the bus and its very sad to see.
[QUOTE=Arab_Mare;6487317]
Or is Endurance Riding one of the equestrian disciplines which doesn’t need experience or skill, just horse? It just seems as though the integrity of the sport has declined, and now it’s just about how good the horse is, not how good the rider is.[/QUOTE]
Actually there are alot of equestrian sports where a majority of the people can’t ride and aren’t really “horsemen”. But I can to say the few times I volunteered at rides to do P&R’s I was amazed at how many people really were BAD riders.
But for the most part, these people aren’t going to do well in the sport long-term because the won’t be able to keep their horse together and sound.
It’s a shame they are allowed to treat the Tevis like a pony ride, but at least now you DO have to have completed a certain number of miles before you can attempt it.
There are people who “catch-ride” for Tevis. They pay other endurance riders to use a Tevis ready horse and then jump on and head down the trail. Granted, like Kyzteke said, although you do have to have to have a certain number of endurance miles under your belt (LD does not count), this thrown together combo seems CRAZY to me!
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