# Buying the Endurance Horse



## Joe4d

Ok, just want to put up front there is a different between riding a horse you have already, and specifically shopping for a horse to do endurance.
Not very good pictures, but I will give you the bad I see. 

Personally I think 12 yo is prime for a endurance horse to be but too old to be starting one it, really takes a couple years of conditioning , so now you get your trail budy going and in a few years he hits about 18 and is ready to retire, Im sure someone is gonna chime in they completed the ididatrod on a 30 you shetland, but I am talking about averages. Especialy for one you said lives a life of ease.

Arab crosses make decent endurance by bloodline, lots of people like to cross out the crazy with a calmer breed. However my opinion is to cross it with a bredd that also does ok in endurance. QH's are by nature sprinters, have big muscles that build and hold heat. Not ideal in endurance. If I was going arab cross I would go wit a cross that also shows up for endurance, like morgan or saddlebred, TBs/arabians are a bit leaner and do well also for bigger riders.
From the pics the rounded butt and low tail set tells me that horse is built more for power than endurance. You want a horse with a high tail set, it isnt so much the tail position but the angle of the hips, its just the tail set is easier to spot in a field or odd angle pics. High tail is better.


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## EnduranceLover6

So not worth going to look at? Or should I go see him for myself and evaluate him again with the things you pointed out in mind?


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## kait18

EnduranceLover6 said:


> I have a few questions about buying a horse that is experience under saddle but hasn't been competed at any distance rides before. I am currently looking at horse (posted ad below) but I'm not sure if it is a good prospect or not. I will only be competing at shorter distance rides.
> 
> 
> What ages should you look for? (For example could a horse in its teens do okay if its had an easy lifestyle?)
> What breeds excel? Crosses?
> What is the ideal conformation? What flaws should I be on the lookout for?
> Any other important things I should know?
> Here is the ad for the horse I may go look at. Honest opinions are appreciated, you won't hurt my feelings =) Thanks!
> 
> 12 year old Arab/quarter horse gelding


how into endurance do you want to get?
once a month do a ride, once a year do a ride, every few months do a ride. will add alot to this situation.

if you wanted to compete with the top runners and go to as many eventss as possible etc i would look for a hrose around 5-7 years and already worked in endurance.

that said if you are like me and only doing if for fun every so often. then this horse could do it. just depends on how well you to mesh.

as for flaws i am not one to give that type of advice as i am still learning that myself. but arabs and arab crosses tend to be best for this.


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## Annanoel

kait18 said:


> how into endurance do you want to get?
> once a month do a ride, once a year do a ride, every few months do a ride. will add alot to this situation.
> 
> if you wanted to compete with the top runners and go to as many eventss as possible etc i would look for a hrose around 5-7 years and already worked in endurance.
> 
> that said if you are like me and only doing if for fun every so often. then this horse could do it. just depends on how well you to mesh.
> 
> as for flaws i am not one to give that type of advice as i am still learning that myself. but arabs and arab crosses tend to be best for this.


 
I'd go look and try him out! Not to add to what Joe said, but a lot of older horses CAN compete, but he is right it is a lot or training. I think if you ease him into he would do just fine, from my own experience and hearing from other QH/ARAB crosses are some the the best for endurance. That's what my guy is and he's great for endurance and he's twelve now.


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## phantomhorse13

kait18 said:


> how into endurance do you want to get?
> once a month do a ride, once a year do a ride, every few months do a ride.


I second that this is important information.

If you are looking to get into distance riding for fun (you mention "shorter distances" but that really can mean a lot of things depending on the person you ask), then an older, sane experienced trail horse is a great choice. If you are looking to be highly competitive in a year or two, then a younger, distance-experienced horse is likely what you need.

For the guy you posted specifically, he has great bone. Can't say too much more about his conformation from that picture for sure, though he gives you the impression of having substance. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but if you want to be really competitive, he may be too heavy-muscled to cool quickly. 

The other thing that makes me raise an eyebrow is the "nice western pleasure jog" as that makes me imagine moving along the trail almost backwards. :lol: Now just because a horse can jog slowly doesn't mean it can't also move out, but would be something I would want to see for myself.


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## Joe4d

a friend of mine pointed out, horse must have a good comfortable trot. Trotting is an efficient gate and you'll be doing it alot. Ive heard tell some horses have a pretty smooth easy trot. I wouldnt know. The ones I have been on would jar your fillings loose. Sorta why I am on walkers, which fall under doing endurance with a horse I have as opposed to shopping for one. Seriousness in the sport, what distances, what type of rides can play a part in your selection.

But a horse that can be a 100 miler winner, in hot weather, in rough terrain, as long as its sane enough to stay on, will also do well for a fair weather turtle rider on easy LD's.
If I was specifically shopping for an endurance horse I wouldnt sell myself short and get a horse that can be a long term contender. 
Be aware ride results for horse and rider are available online, lots of readign between the lines can be found looking at ride results. So far most of the endurance horse adds I see with claimed AERC points tend to be grossly exagerated. Horses with multiple pulls or turtle horses advertised as great. Horses owned by people with years of top 10 finnishes, change horses and then start coming in back of the pack, and now hors eis for sale. As with everything buyer beware. Problem is endurance isnt a huge sport and you are just as likely to get a great horse that has never been exposed to the sport. Not sure what part of the country you are from but in VA, I have seen lots of good prospects being used as slow trail horses for sale cheap, but as Arabians tend to run small finding the bigger ones is either hard or way more expensive. I know a girl with a really nice 14.1 or 2 arabian morgan cross Id be all over if I was 100lbs. 

So size appropriate, 7 ish yo, nice thick legs, straight back, high tail, big sturdy feet, ( get a PPE) sane, comfortable trot, Polish, Crabbit, Russian Arabian or arabian/ liteboody cross.


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## Celeste

The horse that you are looking at would be great for somebody like me that just wants to do some nice trail rides. I would look for a 5 year old if I were wanting to work toward 100 mile endurance rides.


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## jillybean19

Any healthy and in-shape horse can complete a 25. If that's all you're going to do and you're going to do them every now and then (i.e. no more than once a month), and you're open to competing to finish (as opposed to winning everything), then I'd say go for it. My friend began endurance on her VERY heavily muscled foundation QH this year and is top tenning/BCing everything this year because that horse can MOVE at a trot. Then again, my QH, with a similar build, will only ever do 25's just for the sake of doing them since he's got a poky trot. I just want to keep him in shape, not compete or do long distances - that's what I bought my Arab for.

Many people in my club with LOTS of endurance experience own QH/Arab crosses, and the one that I rode with this year said that's her absolute favorite because you get the best of each breed.

When you go see the horse, you need to assess all the normal things (personality, behavior, training, etc.) to see if you like them, and pay special attention to how he moves. For endurance, this is particularly important at the trot - does he move out well at a medium trot? Is he free moving? How do you like riding at that speed? If you feel like all these are a green light, I'd say go for it!

As for age, it only takes a couple of months to get a horse ready for their first LD, especially if he's been ridden regularly already. (Pasture pet fatties will take a little longer lol). 12 years old is plenty young, especially since I know many horses competing into their early to mid twenties.


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## jillybean19

My only red flag now that I actually read the ad is "western pleasure jog" - if he's got one of those poky little trots that is popular in western pleasure showrings and can't pick it up to a nice 8-10mph trot, don't get him. You're going to be fighting that slow trot through your whole race. If he does move out (which it would surprise me if he didn't given his breeding), then you should be fine. There are plenty of horses that have good enough movement and mind to have a slow WP jog as well as a nice working trot. But you'll have to see.


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## EnduranceLover6

Thanks for all the info. I agree with everything that has been said. I may be looking at him today or Wed and my biggest concern is the "nice western pleasure jog" which you all also pointed out. If he can't move out he's a no-go, but we shall see. I will take some better conformation pictures when I look at him and try to post them for more opinions if he's something I think will work. I'm not in a rush so I want to make the best decision possible. Its extremely hard to find a good arab, arab-cross up here in Vermont!!! A lot of Morgans, which I love, but I worry about there "racey" heart rates and I would rather go with an Arab.


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## EnduranceLover6

So the Quarab is a no-go, not because he was lazy, but because the people were lying right through their teeth. He looked way older than 12 and supposably has only been there 2 months off a meat truck. He was definately a troubled soul. Anyways. What are your thoughts on the Morgan? I'm scheduled to go look at a really nice reg. 7 year old that has been a pleasure trail horse and has a big trot and loves to go. I have heard they are not always the best for endurance because of their racey heart rates and not being able to cool down as fast. Any opinions?


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## Joe4d

high heart rate and dont cool off as fast is it in a nutshell. No way I would buy a straight morgan. They are better than QH's though and a 50/50 Arabian/ Morgan would be one I would consider. 
Arabian
Arabian/saddlebred
Arabian/TB
Arabian/ gaited (IE walker, RMH Paso,) If and only if it had a smooth comfortable gait and trot. I am against intentionally crossing gaited/non gaited as most end up with wierd back ends and bone jarring trots, but if you run across one on the hoof try it out as some end up with arabian endurance and Walker smoothness.

Stay away from heavy muscled power horses. and power horse crosses. What state are you located in I have a boring as all get out stare at gauges job and have 10 hours to surf later. I can help you look.

What is your training ability ? Obviously the higher your ability the cheaper a better horse will be, mine isnt very high I need a pretty dead broke finnished horse that I can teach to do what I want. Kinda frustratign at the moment. I have th emoney to buy a great horse, but dont have the room for another, plus I dont have the heart to ever sell the ones I have and realistically can only ride one. I need some nearby chicadees that wanna go ride.


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## EnduranceLover6

Joe- are there any articles or more information of how other breeds compare to the arab. I would love to read up on why Morgans aren't a good choice for endurance, other than the facts that we just pointed out. I live in Vermont, so Morgans are actually used more than Arabs in my area, I think its because of our climate, hills and really tough terrain, but don't quote me. I know when I rode in Utah there wasn't a Morgan to be found, but then again the terrain was completely different. Flat & Sandy & hotter than hell. Not sure if I should really be "picky" about the breed rather than the individual horse, and then again I'll only be doing short distance rides for a while.


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## Joe4d

morgans originated in your area, as a versatile working horse. Probably why there are alot of them. Just like TN walkers are all over TN. Different regions have different horses. 
Endurance has specific rules that favor arabian traits. There just isnt any way around that. Although Normally cooler in Vermont they recent vermont 100 if I recall correctly was hot. It is all about heat management, pulse rate and recovery. All things being equal an arabian will simply cool off quicker, and pulse down quicker than any other breed. A super conditioned walker, morgan, or other breed can do well but you are starting yourself off with a handicapp. Go to tevis and look at the horses that have finished in the last 10 years. Look at the ones pulled. I did the math once and 90 percent of the finnishers are at least 50% arabian. That remaining 10% consists of horses that may have arabian as well, breeds like mustang, or grade. 
The crosses that show up most frequently as competitive seem to be the breeds I listed above. People are competitive, competition is a crucible. That which works rises to the top. That which doesnt is cast aside.


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## SueNH

*
posted on my facebook page by:
NH Dept. of Agriculture, Markets & Food
*

* Eqiune fans, on Sat. Sept 15 the Maynesboro Stud Memorial Ride will take place in Berlin, NH to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Maynesboro Stud founded by William R. Brown. Brown was the most important breeder of Arabian horses in the US from 1912-1933. There will be 50 and 25 mile endurance rides and a 12 mile pleasure ride. Pre-registration required for riders.There will also be other events and activities in Berlin to commemorate the anniversary. Spectators welcome! For more information about the rides contact [email protected].
*

Might be just the place to do some networking and find your endurance arab.


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## EnduranceLover6

I am actually crewing for my aunt at this ride this weekend! Great idea =)


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## SueNH

Bring lots of bug spray! the no-see-ums are vicious right now. I have one hand that is still a little swollen from being bitten yesterday afternoon. I had welts on me the size of half dollars.


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## EnduranceLover6

Oh gosh! Thanks for the heads up!


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## SueNH

I'm about an hour south of that. Unfortunately I have to work. Take lots of pics. That's something I think I'd like to try before I get too old and stiff. While I can't do a 100 mile ride a 25 mile is well within the realm of reality for me and my gangly walker.
Weather looks like it's going to be perfect. High of 68 and not a cloud.
Leaves should be changing pretty good up there. Will make for some great scenery.


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## jaydee

A friend of mine in the UK did really well in endurance on an imported TW that gaited most of the time. When she retired him she went for an arab but never did so well as it was so 'over the top' all the time it wore itself out really fast and often didn't even finish - not to mention the damage it was doing to its legs
If I was buying an arab to do endurance I would want one that was already proven to be able to deal with the excitement of it.
I do love the Morgans, they remind me of the welsh x Tb that we have a lot of in the UK but they can also be a bit too high geared for anything that gets them excited so you have to be the sort of rider that can stay calm and relaxed and then they will give you 100%
Dont rush into anything and give any horse a really good try out and have it vetted for anything that might cause problems for an endurance horse that might not bother a trail horse thats going to do much less work at its own pace
An older horse isn't a massive problem if you aren't going to push it too hard and its had no wear & tear but I would prefer something around 8 years old thats joints are developed and it has seen the world outside of a menage enough to be able to deal with things
Hope you find something. Good luck


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## Merlot

This is my little Australian Stock horse - he was an incredible CTR pony (he's only 14.3hh) (I say was because I've had a couple years off due to injury)
He can walk faster than most horses canter and does anything I ask him too. I rode him on some very tough country- extreme hill country and he never missed a beat and always came in 1st or 2nd. 
He did better in the heat on hot days than most of the arabs which surprised me.
He is also extremely loyal - I can take his bridle off and he will follow me no matter how big the terrain. I am hooked on these little horses


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