# What exactly is endurance?



## FutureRN (Aug 8, 2012)

So I'm new to horses in general and only know about endurance from you guys and Wiki. Is it more about having fun on the trails, the first place winner, bonding with your horse?

When you do multiple day rides, do you have to bring all your own camping stuff or are there designated places to stop? Do you stay in groups or is it more individual?

Are there obstacles set up on the trails (like having to jump over logs and stuff?)

Share whatever you like to educate me! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

the rides are timed events over ddistance. Now many people act like the word race is taboo, but it is what it is . It is a race over a distance of 50 miles or more. and completing with a horse judged "fit to continue" No specific obstacles other than what is naturally out there. You camp alone or if you have crew or a partner that rides too. It is basically an individual thing. Usually you set up camp and the rides start and end in the same spot. One way rides tend to require crew. As in non riders driving around to the next pit stop. You have to have your own gear.


----------



## goneriding (Jun 6, 2011)

This may be different than "endurance" type rides, I rode 250 miles(steep hills, water, flat and rough rocky terrain)in ten days. Rigs are jumped to the next day camp and you are bused back to your horse. You get on your horse right where you got off the previous day, basically. Everything is mapped and the water holes are on the map as well. Trails are marked but marked somewhat scarce and you had better pay attention. There are nightly meetings to let you know of any issues on the trail.


----------



## silverfae (Dec 29, 2011)

I do competitive trail, which is different, but I am hoping to do some limited distance (25 mile) rides next year - the thing I like about both sports is that it can be whatever you want it to be. It can be racing to be in the top 10, it can be working to do better than you did last time. It can just be about spending time with your horse testing your mettle. For me finishing well means coming in under the allowed time, with a horse that is happy about being there, sound, and ready to keep going. It means pushing myself to the limits of what I think I am capable of, and it definitely means having a good time with my horse, because it isn't worth it if we aren't having fun. It's also about knowing my horse, knowing how far he can go, how to ride him to his potential, and when it's time to throw in the towel.

I personally try to ride alone on my rides because I think it's important to "ride your own ride" - if you go out with someone else, you often try to match a pace that doesn't work for you and your horse. Some people pace together well, though, and like to ride together, so it's about what works for you. 

The multi day rides around here are considered competitive trail rides, which are a bit different rules-wise than endurance - here (VT/NH), endurance rides are done in a day. 

Usually people will trailer in the day before and either stable their horse at the facility the ride is out of, or they carry temporary fencing with them to keep their horses in for the night. People will generally camp out with their horses and then vet in the next morning if they haven't done so the night before. 

You get stopped along the way to make sure your horse is still doing ok, and pulled if they are not - nobody cares about you though, you could be lame in both legs and on drugs and not get pulled =P 

There is also a kind of riding called judged pleasure rides where you do have to do a set distance and a set number of obstacles that you are judged on throughout the ride.


----------



## FutureRN (Aug 8, 2012)

Thanks for the responses everyone! It sounds like a fun challenging sport! 
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

Joe4d said:


> the rides are timed events over ddistance. Now many people act like the word race is taboo, but it is what it is . It is a race over a distance of 50 miles or more. and completing with a horse judged "fit to continue" No specific obstacles other than what is naturally out there. You camp alone or if you have crew or a partner that rides too. It is basically an individual thing. Usually you set up camp and the rides start and end in the same spot. One way rides tend to require crew. As in non riders driving around to the next pit stop. You have to have your own gear.


 
I wish everyone would catch on to it being a race. It's not bad to race when you have fully grown and developed horses which is the requirement for every endurance race I know of (unlike TB racing).
Often find myself explaining that distance riding is NOT endurance racing. I guess some people make the mistake because there are so few distance riders (and it's not a competition) they think that anything that goes over 50 miles or takes multiple days is "endurance". Have to explain that for someone riding distance the only thing it really shares with endurance is getting there with a healthy horse and rider, but there's not a time limit so speed doesn't matter. Since it's not a competition generally 100 miles in 5 days is a good weeks ride, but wouldn't be much of a pace for an endurance ride. Not to mention that I've had horses that were good endurance horse, but not so good for long distance (riding distance everything needed for days is carried on the horse) and horses that were good for distance, but I don't believe would have made it through the vet checks on an endurance race (like the larger of my current two mares).
It's much easier to produce a horse that can do distance riding (at least to some degree) than it is to produce a good endurance horse.
And while they aren't generally touted as great endurance horses (you'll usually hear the praises of Arbians for that) my personal choice if I were to start with endurance riding again would be a gaited horse. Discovered long ago that covering over 40 miles a day on our TW stallion was SO much easier on me than doing it on my QH (and I was a young man back then). Might not out run the Arabians, but that's ok, because I'd still get there and feel better when I finish :lol:


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

its lbs not miles said:


> Discovered long ago that covering over 40 miles a day on our TW stallion was SO much easier on me than doing it on my QH (and I was a young man back then). Might not out run the Arabians, but that's ok, because I'd still get there and feel better when I finish :lol:



I think this so much depends on the person in question!

Riding a gaited horse, while comfortable for short rides for me, leaves me just short of crippled for any sort of distance. For whatever reason, the motion of posting keeps my back supple and moving. The motion of a gaited horse (and I can only speak for fox trotters and walkers, have not had the pleasure of riding other gaited breeds for a long distance) is not enough to keep my back loose.. and by the end of the ride I was having to try to two point or stand or any number of other crazy things to not have spasms. I actually got to ride the fox trotter the second time (both horses were owned by the same woman) as she thought maybe the difference in its gait would be better. Nope. Everyone else was comfy, I was hobbling.

Maybe because it was an arab that caused my back injury, I am destined to ride them forever now. :wink:


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

I used to ride 25 mile rides on a TWH. I would get so stiff and sore, that occasionally I would turn around and ride backwards in the saddle for a change of scenery. The horse was very smooth gaited; I think it is like Dawn said. Sitting in one spot too long makes you stiff.


----------



## its lbs not miles (Sep 1, 2011)

You get sore tired backs from walking your horse for 20 miles? Perhaps it's because when I do distance riding I'm not actually "riding" the whole way. I stop to allow for some grazing and if it's multi day camping ride I'll lead for awhile to give the horse a break (it is after all carrying it's tack, my gear, my food, much of it's food). Leading it for a mile after grazing gives the horse a bit of a break from my weight at least and weight is the killer for distance riding.

I use ride our TW to town (over 30 miles round trip) and free time permitting I'd take 2 and 3 day weekend riding treks generally between 40 to usually under 80 miles for a round trip camping weekend (one of the great joys in my youth). Never noticed any pain (easier on me than backpacking :lol. Was thrilled to have that smoothing riding stallion after doing it on QH's before we got him. I could walk a QH and cover a little over half the distance I covered on our TW and would feel the same. The only issue with our TW was he hated to trot so making him trot was a lot of work. Not a problem though, because I wouldn't trot him and I was happy to let him do his fast walk which left me no more tired than walking on one of the QH's. After a week of riding a QH with the cows (that stallion was never going to make a good cow horse) he was a wonderful relaxing ride.
His fast smooth gait is the only thing I find lacking in my current horses, but when I was shopping for my latest two I couldn't find a TW that met the other requirements I was looking for (I'm sure they're out there, I just didn't find one). So I gave up on getting a gaited horse and accepted that to cover the same amount of ground I'll be back to posting and being more tired at the end of the day or just travel a shorter distance. Doing up to 10-15 miles still doesn't give me pain, but I haven't done a 20+ mile day in at least 20 years. The only bright side is I'll get to condition myself for doing the longer distance riding again while I'm conditioning my new horses for it.
Would make my day if the younger one ended up with a smooth pace a couple of the Saddlebreds I've ridden had (the older one likes to jump like some Saddlebreds), but that's only slightly more likely than her flying :lol:


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

its lbs not miles said:


> You get sore tired backs from walking your horse for 20 miles?


If you mean me, I wasn't walking. We were moving right along. Running walk and canter. 

It has been quite a while since I rode more than 15 miles in one sitting.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

its lbs not miles said:


> You get sore tired backs from walking your horse for 20 miles? Perhaps it's because when I do distance riding I'm not actually "riding" the whole way. I stop to allow for some grazing


For me, yes.. if I was to walk _any_ horse for 20 miles, I likely would be crying by the end.. or on the ground walking (hobbling) myself with the horse in tow. 

I have the same kind of spasms if I am on my feet all day at work and not able to move around (doing anesthesia for a 2+ hour surgery has me crippled as well, even if I have a stool to sit on). Movement is my back's friend.

The smooth motion of a gaited horse is still enough my back counts it as non-movement and gets angry. So I am all about posting! :lol:


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

come ride Emma then. Shes got a nice smooth run walk at about 10-12 mph. Then shes got some kinda I dont know what the hell she is dooing butt raise throw you out of the saddle gallop thing going on, Definitely get yo loosend up. Gonna have to get a video of it and post it see what you guys think. I havent really cantered her hard as I cant get past whatever she is doing.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

Joe4d said:


> come ride Emma then. Shes got a nice smooth run walk at about 10-12 mph. Then shes got some kinda I dont know what the hell she is dooing butt raise throw you out of the saddle gallop thing going on, Definitely get yo loosend up. Gonna have to get a video of it and post it see what you guys think. I havent really cantered her hard as I cant get past whatever she is doing.


Would love a chance to saddle up with you at some point Joe. Its a shame we don't live closer!


----------



## Arab Mama (Jun 10, 2012)

Endurance is the most fun you will ever have TOTALLY abusing your body. It is so much fun, but it is also a lot of work. It is a really great chance to bond with your horse and truly become a team. It is amazing how tired you can get trying to "save" your horse from getting too sore.


----------



## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

There are lots of fun ways people abuse their bodies............


----------

