# Why do you Endurance ride?



## AHiddenStar (Jan 6, 2012)

Hi everyone!

I'm Mackenzie, a newbie here on the forum, and I couldn't be more excited to find a community of endurance riders.  

I was curious why and how you guys all got into endurance riding and how you think it's effected your relationship with your horse or how it's influenced your riding (if it has). 

For me, endurance riding is therapeutic. Horses have always been my escape to a much happier time; also, I just really REALLY love traveling, nature, and exploring new places, so endurance riding seemed like the perfect fit for me. It also has a lot to do with the fact that I used to put too much pressure on myself to be "perfect" when I did show jumping and huntseat shows. In endurance riding, you're riding for the sake of riding and improving your relationship with your horse. The entire mentality of "To Finish is to Win" has helped me relax and stop taking everything too seriously. 

I can't wait to hear all of your responses!


----------



## natisha (Jan 11, 2011)

I think endurance riders do it to make people like me feel like wimps:wink: I don't even want to drive a car as far as you guys ride.
Seriously, I think endurance riders are tough & I admire the excellent care they give their horses. It looks like a fun sport.


----------



## Monty77 (Aug 8, 2011)

I the beginning I competed in endurance to hang out with friends, but now I do it just because it is fun and different than any other sport I have done... Ever. I find that I lets me bond with my horse on a level that seems different than anything else, it's like a test of survival and the horse and rider need to trust each other completely. It also doesn't hurt that I tend to do pretty well.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

the sport just attracted me and seemed to fit my personality. I'm not very social, hate waiting for other people, and just like to go ride, usually alone. I dont like alot of rules or arbitrary BS. I looked at things like ACTHA, and CTR, not for me, AERC, is really cool and pretty simple.


----------



## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

It fits my personality. I'm a spunky, hyperactive type. I don't like rules. At least not excessive ones. I don't like dress code and stuffy show formalities. 10 minutes in the ring just isn't full filling. I need hours of riding. I need to feel like I'm going somewhere! I need to go somewhere with speed. A forward trot down a trail is never boring, no matter how many hours you do it.


----------



## cowgirl928 (Feb 4, 2012)

I'm with Joe and Brighteyes. I hate waiting for people. Show me a trail and I'll go there alone without slow people bogging me down. I just like to go. I love that the trail is always going somewhere. There is something new around every corner. It is also super relaxing, especially when it is in the spring or fall and nice and cool out during the morning and a stable 70s during the day. It is so nice to just go at your own pace. Love it 

(btw I like some CTR stuff too, but it depends on the obstacles. Some of the obstacles are ridiculously dumb but some are kinda fun. Plus you get to show the really expensively trained horses that someone that trained at home can place higher then them without the expensive training


----------



## Back2Horseback (Mar 21, 2012)

I am just learning about the discipline, and thus far, I think it will be perfect for me! 

I personally have a very hard time being "judged" in the show ring. Part of it is that in my mind, it comes down to a false, plastic feeling for me. For example, the requirement to have the "perfect clothes", for one...(same reason I live in Jeans and tees, and love that I get to work in scrubs!) and OFTEN, though certainly not as a RULE, it just seems snooty, with a lot of mean, hard people competing to outdo one another. I "get" that it's the point, but I just would rather help another succeed WITH me, than out do them OR have then out do me!

I can't compete with those types of restrictions on me. If showing was PURELY about the riding ability and the athleticism of horse and rider, and maybe about team work with other riders, rather than against them, I think I'd love it...but it isn't. Plus, often, it CAN come down to who has the most money, and that doesn't fall in line with my values. I realize there is much more to it than that, but I have trouble seeing beyond those aspects of showing.

Endurance, thusly, gives the rider exactly the aspects of proving the athleticism of their horse and themselves, but without all the snooty stuff, IMO. Not to mention the awesome aspect of being out amongst the elements, with you and your horse depending on one another fully. I can't, at this point anyhow, imagine a better way to grow with my (future) horse! 

That's why I'm learning all I can about endurance riding, and when I'm ready, and have the horse to go with me (ha ha) & not my trainer's horse, obviously, endurance is what I plan to do in terms of riding! :0)

Welcome to the forum!! :0)


----------

