[mftowner06]

After seeing Firegurl's pics of her horse and her endurance ride ...I've been thinking that I want to do that with my horse.

So tell me about endurance trial rides...how do you train your horse, how do you get involved etc...where does one begin? I have a 3 year old MFT that I just started riding, and I've heard MFT are good at almost anything but especially the endurance rides...

[endurgirl]

I've competed in quite a few endurance rides and enjoy it.

You need to visit www.aerc.org and you will find a list of rides for your area. The website also has some great training information.


A horse must be 4 years old to start a 25 mile (Limited Distance) ride and 5 years old to do a 50 mileor more (Endurance) ride.


I've seen many breeds compete in endurance, mostly Arabs and 1/2 Arabs. QHs, TBs, gaited breeds also are common.

For 25 miles there is a time limit to finish of 6 hours and for 50 + miles you have 12 hours to finish.

To condition, do long slow distance rides. Trotting builds the stamina, lung capacity, etc. On a three year old, I wouldn't push too hard. Most horses can complete a 25 mile ride without being in great shape. Note I said COMPLETE not win or even top 10. There are vet checks and holds after every 10-15 miles during which you have to pass the vet check then allow the horse to rest normally 40 minutes. There is a pulse requirement to pass the vet check, normally it is 60 or 64.

[CheyAut]

There's also competitive trail riding, which I think is fun (although I"ve only done a clinic and mini ride) you can look into.

[xlilxonex]

Hmm, never done it but it seems like fun!
I know my guy used to do it 25 or 50 miles.. Not sure...

[SweetSavannah]

That's awesome that you're interested in the sport of endurance! It is truly a unique equestrian discipline that can become very addictive!

I started out riding in the English disciplines but was frustrated at how limited I was by $$$. It was disheartening to watch the mega-dollar horses in the dressage ring who were being ridden by top level riders. Same in showjumping. It seemed like you had to have stacks of cash to afford an international horse, lessons from top trainers, and of course the best gear money could buy to make it to the top.

But in endurance you don't need a fancy horse just to "have a go" and your ability to train and manage your horse throughout the ride is rewarded. Whether or not you complete a ride relies entirely on the training and preparation you've done beforehand. You are assessed on how well you have trained your horse for the event... not just a 5-10min performance in the ring!

In Australia it might be different but to do a 40km ride (equivalent to a 25miler) your horse must be 4.5 yrs old or showing teeth that mark it as that age. For an 80km ride (50 miler) your horse must be 5yrs old.

The best training is L-S-D. No, not the halluginogenic drug! Long Slow Distance! A good endurance horse needs to have lots of "slow twitch" muscles and doing LSD work will help your horse develop more slow twitch muscles. Even a fast twitch horse like a cutter or a race horse can covert those fast twitch muscles into slow twitch given the right training!

Have a look at the "Starting Out" section of this website. It'll give you a guideline about what to do to prepare for your first ride.
http://aera.asn.au

At 3yrs old I wouldn't be doing too much yet. If you have an older horse you can lead the younger horse off that would be perfect. This is what most people do to get their youngsters fit. Otherwise if you have a big paddock get a nicely padded pull-back collar, tie him to the back of a car and jog him around the paddock. Mind you, teach him to lead first before you try to do that!!! As a youngster you don't want to stress his joints by having a rider on his back the whole time, but you can get his stronger and fitter by doing work without a weight on his back. Later once he's broken in you can start to introduce more undersaddle work. Slow and steady is the best way to go about it.

Here's a photo of me and my endurance mount, Jim. He's a 16yr old part arabian stallion who I'm sort of leasing from his owner. He's a seasoned endurance horse and when he was younger completed rides of 120km and more, winning in the Heavyweight division as well as earning a few "Fittest Horse" awards. I've just brought him back into work after 5yrs off and he's still fit as a fiddle!

[cowgurly02]

Endurance is so much fun I'm still a newbie to it, just started this year and have done one endurance ride of 25 miles. I also did 2 CTR's (competitive trail rides) as well, which are also a lot of fun but much slower paced. I prefer the endurance.

I got soooo much advice from the more experienced riders! As the others here have said, long slow distance training. Lots of long trotting and building up gradually to longer distances.

It is a blast and definitely something I am going to continue with next season!