# What is Endurance Riding, exactly?



## HorseCrazyNC (Jun 11, 2015)

Hey guys...

What is endurance riding? Is it just like a very long trail ride? Does it take place over multiple days? If so, where do you and your horse sleep, eat, etc? Is it a race? 

Thanks! It just makes me curious :cowboy:


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## Roman (Jun 13, 2014)

It is like a trail ride and a race. It could be different miles, I:ve heard of 100mi ones, and you have a certain amount of time to complete it. Along the way there are stops where you and your horse rest and the vet checks on the horse.

I know phantomhorse on here does Endurance riding!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

It's all of those things, but not that simply.

Endurance racing has different distances - the longest I know of in the US is 100 miles and the shortest I've heard of is 25. Depending on the organization you're with will mean which set of rules you follow regarding tack and how the rides are run. There's often checkpoints where you have to do vet checks and your horse has to be passed to be allowed to continue. Some races are over multiple days, some are in the same day. Endurance riders usually camp at the ride location, so that can mean anything from sleeping in your truck, to a tent, to a camper. People set up temporary housing for their horses. It can actually get fairly elaborate with the stuff.

The most extreme endurance race I've ever heard of is the Mongol derby, which takes place in Mongolia and is 1000km (about 621 miles) long and is I think 10 days long. In this race, you have to camp on the go and you switch horses every 40km (25 miles approximately) Read about it here: Home â€” The Adventurists


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## HorseCrazyNC (Jun 11, 2015)

Cool! Thanks for the info! 

I've heard Arabians are great for endurance, but what about gaited breeds? I have a friend who competes on her 15 year old Rocky Mountain gelding, but I don't know how well they place. Thoughts?


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## LifeInTheIrons (Mar 28, 2015)

Gained breeds do compete, and they usually do pretty well! 

Breed isn't as important as size, motivation, and fitness, however, Arabians do particularly excel at endurance, as it is pretty much what they're built for. Thousands of years ago when they first came about, Arabs were bred to be able to go days in the hot desert without water or food, and often had to travel long distances or carry their riders into battle with very little food and water, or none at all. They have the perfect combination of agility, extreme intelligence, above average stamina, and of course, they are super sweet and have hearts as big as a house!


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## LifeInTheIrons (Mar 28, 2015)

Oops, made a typo in the first sentence of my last post, I meant "gaited".


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## Faustinblack (Aug 16, 2011)

My riding buddy rides a mustang/standardbred cross and I ride a mustang/paint cross in endurance. As long as your horse is fit you can do endurance


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