For many riders their first introduction to the sport of endurance riding is through taking part in pleasure/sponsored rides and getting hooked on the sport.
Endurance riding isn't simply a long pony trek, ambling through lanes, it isn't for the faint hearted, and it isn't for the rider who doesn't actually enjoy being in the saddle for long. So what is it? It is a unique competitive challenge and a supreme sport for learning about equine fitness and health. Veterinary checks before and after competitive rides, and in the middle for longer distances, ensures the best possible care is taken of your horse. Any problems can be picked up earlier rather than later. You, the rider, will learn more about the way your horse functions and the importance of regulating your riding to suit conditions which will affect the way your horse behaves and how he presents to the Vet. Key factors being:
- The terrain: is it hilly or flat, sandy or hard ground?
- The weather: is it cold, wet, foggy, or hot and sunny?
- The route: does it look to be difficult to follow on the map, or a more simple circular course?
All of this will present you with things to think about, which is one of the challenges of endurance riding. You need to think about the ride ahead, plan your tactics, plot your directions, work out where your back up crew (for longer distances) will meet you and anticipate how you will ride. An examination of your map of the route, will raise your awareness on sections which will slow you down and where you may be able to make up time on faster going. Even though all routes are marked, all endurance riders check their whereabouts on a map usually carried in a case to protect it, and never just follow the rider in front. There are two reasons for this, the first one is obvious, the rider in front may be lost! Secondly, part of the adventurous spirit of endurance riding is pitting yourself and your horse against the elements, riding unknown territory, and finishing exactly where you should, back at the venue. To successfully complete an endurance ride gives you a real sense of achievement and understanding of the old saying "To finish is to win".
Another element of endurance riding is the spirit of camaraderie that exists amongst the riders and what is refreshing about the sport is that you need never be alone. Set speed rides, for example are competitive only in the sense of personal achievement, so friendliness between riders is commonplace. You will find sections of the ride where you need to reduce speed for whatever reason, and part of the fun is the conversation with other riders along the way. When you meet again at another ride, you will be meeting friends both old and new. The toughest challenges are presented by the endurance rides, where riders are competing against each other, rather than the clock. The highest level of competition is the 160km (100 mile) endurance ride to be completed in one day, the International Senior Championship distance.
Perhaps the best reason of all for taking up endurance riding, is the partnership built up with your horse over the many miles of new riding ground. You guide him, and he carries you, and the relationship which is forged between endurance rider and endurance horse would be hard to equal in any other sport. He has to trust you to lead him back home, and you have to trust him to get you there, and the resulting confidence will stay with both of you in any future sports you may try.
The three main types of endurance riding are:
Non Competitive Rides sometimes called training, pleasure or social rides and may be of distances up to 40 km. Open to anyone these rides must be completed at between 8 km/hr and 12 km/hr. When run in conjunction with competitive rides, horses must be trotted up before starting and again within 20 minutes of finishing.
Competitive Rides are usually between 30-80 km, speeds vary between 8-18 km/hr with restrictions on higher speeds for novice horses and lower speeds for more advanced combinations. There are veterinary inspections before the start and at the end of the ride and, for rides of 55km and above, also at halfway. Horses must comply with set veterinary parameters to successfully complete the ride, and may be eliminated at the final veterinary inspection if, in the opinion of the veterinary panel, they are not fit to continue. Grades from 1 to 4 and Completion are awarded dependent upon passing the vet inspections, finishing within the appropriate speed parameters and upon the horse’s final heart rate.
Endurance Rides are only for advanced horse and rider combinations and are the hardest test for both. All FEI and International competitions are Endurance Rides and there are many competitions on the national calendar. They usually begin with a mass start, and the riders aim to cover the distance as fast as they can, taking into account the terrain and welfare of their horse. During the Ride the rider will be required to present their horse to the vet at various set intervals to be checked as fit to continue. Following this are rest periods called "holds" where the horse and rider can eat and take a breather before continuing. Many riders’ ultimate goal is the successful completion of an Endurance Ride. These vary from 65–160 km in a day or longer over several days
So if all this has whet your appetite, why not think about trying something new with your horse or pony and take up the challenge of endurance riding.