# New to endurance riding!



## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

*My endurance horse, Snickers*

Well, he's as good as mine at least - pending vet check on Friday


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

lots of questions, Id say join AERC, get the magazine, check out their websight and read read read.

After that mount up and ride ride ride.


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## mystykat (Dec 4, 2011)

Completely off topic, and I apologize, but I would loooooovvvve to see that mane out of the braids! But I agree with the above post, the best way to learn is reading up on it and/or contacting a local (if any) endurance breeder/barn.


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

I guess my most important question for now is how to condition my horse (and me!). We're still getting used to one another and I'd really like to start off on the right foot so he'd be ready for the endurance rides. The other stuff I can learn with time - but I'm assuming you can't really rush the getting conditioned part.


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

mystykat said:


> Completely off topic, and I apologize, but I would loooooovvvve to see that mane out of the braids!


Oh I know!! All their horses are very well kept, braids and blankets included! It'll be so beautiful I may just have to take him in the ring a few times and show him off  I'm afraid to take it out though because right now EVERYTHING is muddy in our area!


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

that was the ride ride ride part. There isnt any magic to it, get on and ride, get a wrist GPS and keep track of your actual distance and speed, go out an a leisurly ride and track you rtime and distance. After that gradually add speed,, then add some distance, then back and forth. Be advised a horse will get in cardio shape really fast but joints and ligaments take awhile. SO just because your horse can do it doesnt mean he should. 
"western" saddle can mean anything from a 20lb light weight close contact skirt, to a 50 lb roping saddle. Your saddle should be light and comfortable for you and the horse. Arabs dont take QH saddles. While throwing on a thick pad and putzing around at a walk pretty much any saddle will work if you are gonna do any LD's or endurance events a less than perfect saddle and pad combo can really screw things up.

Would you want to walk 20 miles in pointy toe shoes that dont fit ? You could probably be ok at a 2 hour dance. But not a 20 mile hike. Get him a proper saddle that fits him. Doesnt have to be super expensive. just fit and be comfortable fo rboth. You will also need a good secure bags that wont flop around to carry basic trail needs. I wouldnt wast time on anything but stowaway bags. reguarless of saddle type choice go with a tucker coolback pad. They run about $80. You can spend a fortune more but you wont have a pad that works any better. If you have natural wool felt pads those would be fine too. Some of the cheaper fake fleece pads slip around. stick with coolback, or a natural wool pad. NOOOOO tackyto grippy pads.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination...but I am training/conditioning my horse for Limited Distance (25 miles) rides. I started in the summer riding anywhere from 3-8 miles several days a week if possible. Some weeks it was just once. Lots of walking and trotting...walking and trotting.

I bought the book "Go the Distance" and it has loads of information. I do have an modified endurance saddle - it does have a horn...wish it didn't now. I recently bought Biscuit biothane Taylored Tack that is a halter/bridle combo and the bit will detach from the halter so that when he vet checks the bit comes out so he can eat/drink/relax. I went on a 14 mile ride this past Saturday with my training buddy and she is on an Arab with the same tack as me. We LOVED the functionality of it.

We did get our horses hoof boots. They are all barefoot and the hoof boots come in handy for rough rocky areas. We both have Garmins to keep a eye on how fast they are going and for how long and average speed. Also got heart monitors so I can keep an eye on his heart rate. 

They say the biggest thing is to NOT over ride your horse. I don't think Biscuit is over rode but we did ride 530 miles last year and have 51 miles for January so far. Going riding this weekend weather permitting. 

They say any reasonably fit horse can go 25 miles. We shall see next weekend if _*I*_ can go 25 miles! Good luck and let us know how you're doing. The new horse looks nice...I am sure his mane is gorgeous out of the braids.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

How is your new Arab bred? My guess would be Polish or Russian with his nice solid bone! Can't wait to hear how you get along with him.

I think one of the best resources for a new-to-endurance rider can be found here. They answer just about every question you asked in your OP. 

Welcome to a great sport!!


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

phantomhorse13 said:


> How is your new Arab bred? My guess would be Polish or Russian with his nice solid bone! Can't wait to hear how you get along with him.
> 
> I think one of the best resources for a new-to-endurance rider can be found here. They answer just about every question you asked in your OP.
> 
> Welcome to a great sport!!


Thanks, that was an excellent source and you're right - I'm pretty sure it has answered all my questions and more! Snickers is Crabbet/Egyptian bred. I'll have the papers once my check clears (which I will be giving her Friday). He's fairly green at the moment - he had 30 days when he was younger and was trained in way that his and my riding styles click really well, especially coming from a QH background with reigners. From my understanding, he didn't get much riding since then, but has been put back in the riding rotation since the breeder decided to market him. No issues getting on him (a little head shy but they're going to fix that before I take him home) or riding, but it will take a little time for us to get used to one another's movements (first Arabian I've ever ridden and it was definitely NOT a western pleasure ride!).

My plan is for us to get used to one another a little more in the arena and pasture, then start taking him to a nearby riding park to do flat work. There are a few large, scenic, (and I'm expecting spooky for him at least at first) loops that connect, so I'm going to start with one lap at a walk - going for a trail ride, again to get used to and trust one another as well as to track the distance - then picking up the pace and adding loops from there. Once we get that established, I may take him up into the foothills a few times, but since I don't have my own truck and trailer I'm setting my sights on 25-mile rides this year. I'd be happy if I managed to complete 2-3 races since it is just my first year. It'll be fun to try to beat our times on our own, anyway, just in the conditioning rides.

The site wasn't very specific about how far/fast to work your horse in conditioning, just to do it about 3 times a week, so how far do you generally ride for a conditioning session? That way I can know what to work up to without overdoing it. Thanks again!


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## SorrelHorse (Apr 9, 2009)

As far as conditioning goes, just ride ride ride! I used my equestrian team horse for an endurance ride over the summer. He was in excellent competition shape but no one thought he would last the endurance ride because he wasn't out training on the beach or running up hills all the time.

Well we proved them wrong. We came out among the top five riders and were in best condition. I rode in my barrel saddle, put some saddle bags with water bottles and lunch, and just went wherever the tape took me. 

The entire day Rebel rode for 40miles. The race itself was only ten. (First time, we entered the "wimp race", then went out with others for an extra thirty miles after I got back) Over the entire four days we camped there I rode close to a hundred miles (Five the first day, fourty the day of the race, 25 the day after, and then fifteen the last day)

Never once did he come out soaking wet. He got a little bit of damp sweat, but it went away pretty darn quick and his heartrate always came out excellent. Got straight As on his vet checks and the vet said he had the toughest feet of any horse he'd ever seen to go all that with no shoes. 

So the moral of my rambling is, if you can get your horse up into tough working condition, you can easily take home an endurance race prize. I don't think me and Reb will ever be able to win an eighty mile race, or even a fifty miles race, but for the 10/20/25 I now hold expectations!! I just had him conditioned for roping, gaming,ranch work, team penning and cattle work, etc and hell, I think after all that he thought some miles on a nice trail was a welcome break (Mostly because I didn't make him drag a cow down that trail ;D)

Good luck in your adventures....I hope you have a blast, I'm definately going to enter the same race next year and this time get pictures because it was the greatest competition experience of my life.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

jillybean19 said:


> The site wasn't very specific about how far/fast to work your horse in conditioning, just to do it about 3 times a week, so how far do you generally ride for a conditioning session? That way I can know what to work up to without overdoing it. Thanks again!


One of the big things you will hear experienced people talk about is starting a new horse with "LSD" (which is "long, slow distance"). As someone already said, the cardiovascular system gets into shape pretty quickly, but tendons, ligaments and bones take longer. They are what need the long, slow distances to make them strong over time.

Working 3 times a week can mean different things to different horses, depending on where you are starting from. If you are taking a horse who has just been hanging out in a pasture for years, you are starting at a very different fitness level than one which has been used to 4-5 days of ring work (even "easy" ring work).

When I first started conditioning Dreams, she was borderline obese, having been standing in a pasture for almost a year without work. We started conditioning in late November with the goal of being ready for a competition in April. 

We started dong short, slow rides (covering 6-8 miles in 2ish hours) twice a week (which was the most I could ride in a week due to travel issues). After maybe a month, I bumped that up to one 6-8 mile ride, one 10-12 mile ride, keeping the same moderate pace (though I would train at all 3 gaits.. just did a lot more walk and slooooooow trot than anything).

After another month, we bumped up to 2 10-12 mile rides each week. Then we bumped up the pace on one of the rides, but kept the distance the same. After a few weeks of that, I went to a faster ride of 10-12 miles and a slow ride of 15-18 miles. Beyond that, I slowly crept up the pace of what was considered "slow" (for me, an overall pace of 5-6mph) and "fast" (overall pace of 8-10 mph).

Once we started competing, my conditioning backed off a lot. My first season, I was riding in a 50 miler every month. Dreams would get the week before a race and the week after a race totally off. The 2 weeks in between, I would get her out once a week, for a moderately paced ride of 12-15 miles. That was more than enough to keep her fit (she also lives at pasture 24/7, so was moving around on her own all the time too), and as she has a good brain, I didn't have to worry about her losing her mind with that small amount of work. [One of my good friends has a mare who needs to be ridden 3 times a week or she will lose her marbles.. so that friend just does short rides of 4-5 miles each time, cause its the mental exercise she needs, not the physical.]

After that first season, she got about 6 weeks off totally, then we were conditioning once a week. Throughout the winter, the weather had a lot to do with how far and fast we went, with the goal being 15ish moderately paced miles. Once we got 2 months away from the first competition of the season, I started alternating between faster rides of 12-15 miles and slower rides of 18-20 miles (but still once weekly). Just how much condition a fit horse holds onto is amazing!

Our second season, we did our first 100. My conditioning program didn't change, as all the experienced riders I knew told me that the best way to condition for a 100 was doing a 50 miler. So we did 50 milers in March and April, then I did my own 2-day 50 mile ride at home in May (no 'real' rides local to me that month), then rode a 100 in June. Dreams got a month off after the 100, then I went back to the same schedule of conditioning I had been doing before to finish out my season with a few more 50s.


I think you have the right idea of getting to know your horse in the arena first and then moving out onto the trail as you both learn to trust each other. Any remotely fit horse who is ridden reasonably can do a 25 mile ride. You may not win, but you will finish, and that should be your goal to start with! Actually _racing_ in the rides will come with time.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Wow wee Phantom...thanks for all of the info. I think I need to step it up a bit - not necessarily distance but maybe trot for more than we are. I am getting stronger too...and that will help but I want Biscuit to be as fit as he can be this year.


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## mystykat (Dec 4, 2011)

jillybean19 said:


> Oh I know!! All their horses are very well kept, braids and blankets included! It'll be so beautiful I may just have to take him in the ring a few times and show him off  I'm afraid to take it out though because right now EVERYTHING is muddy in our area!


 
Haha well I can't wait to see more pics of him when it's not so muddy. My guy has such a short little mane..and tail... He keeps rubbing it off on his blanket :evil:


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## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

conditioning is reletive. My horse was a drinking horse, so was used to going on 8-16 mile rides at a walk. Just about every weekend. Once i got interested in endurance I kept the same distances . Over the last three months started adding speed and frequency. One day a speed day, the other day easy day. On club rides I get there early, run him 8 miles or so get back eat lunch, wait on club to show up and ride again but at a walk. My other group we do the oposite. Ride at a walk with the club, then after lunch do a speed ride. My horse can pretty much hold a steady runwalk at 7-8 mph for a good 10 miles now.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Very good thread. The ride, ride, ride is correct. As a veterinarian, the problems that I have seen with endurance is people that do not condition at all and then take their horse to an endurance competition. One lady said that her horse would be fine for only a 25 mile ride without conditioning. The horse did do well at the competition. She went lame the next day.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

awww...poor thing!!! I love Biscuit too much to hurt him and hauling him out to a 25 mile ride without conditioning wouldn't be a good thing. Maybe 25 miles at a walk - that would take some time - but walk/trot 25 miles? Maybe not a good thing. Better safe than sorry and I want to ride another day - not just one day! Going riding tomorrow and Sunday - but they will probably be mostly walking with a little trotting. Big ride is next week..


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Actually the crazy person that I referred to galloped for a lot of the ride.


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

:evil: Good Lord - what an idiot. Poor horse...was it a temporary lameness or permanent?


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

She is fine now.


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

If I went on an endurance ride and cantered for 25 miles (with or without pre-conditioning), I would be lame. My horse might be fine, but not me.


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

Gah, I just hate it when people are idiots and their horses pay the price (and they always do!!). Yeah, Snickers is in pretty good shape, but I'm not going to assume anything about his condition and preparedness for an actual race. Like I said, I think this year is going to be more about conditioning than actually competing, especially because I graduate this December and then I will have a lot more time (and money to get a trailer and truck!) to condition him the way I'd like to. If I can, I'd be really happy if I made it out to two 25-mile competitions, MAYBE one 50-mile one (I'm definitely not getting my hopes up on that one though), but if I come to 2013 without having competed because I wanted to be sure my horse was ready, I'll be happy with a sound and sane horse


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Jilly, that is a really nice horse.


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

Celeste said:


> Jilly, that is a really nice horse.


Thank you! You can see him under halter at Phantasy Arabians - that's the place I'm getting him from.

He's also got really nice bone. The vet came and took a look at him today and brought his wife, who's an endurance rider. She said with his bone and build, he's exactly what they look for in endurance horses  I'm quite excited to get started with him! He doesn't have that dished nose and is "just a chestnut", but I really like him!

Here are a few more pictures of his legs - he's got some pretty solid bone!


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## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Glad to hear her horse was ok...even if the owner was an idiot. 

Jilly he looks really nice. Good bone is a must for endurance. Biscuit is a QH with 9" cannon bones. He is pretty solid but he is not huge. And he wasn't started til he was probably darn near 6 years old. Long slow miles are going to build those tough tendons and ligaments...woot!


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## Celeste (Jul 3, 2011)

Snickers doesn't have an extreme head, but he does have a really nice head. He looks like he is solid as a rock. How tall is he?


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

Celeste said:


> Snickers doesn't have an extreme head, but he does have a really nice head. He looks like he is solid as a rock. How tall is he?


That's what I was thinking. You can't think such a beautifully built horse isn't pretty! I think his chin is cute - it hangs down and is pretty defined haha. He's 15.1 - and his rounder barrel (as opposed to their withers that stick out, especially during this time of the year) makes him look more solidly built and athletic than my quarter horses (14.3 and 15.1). My baby is supposed to be his size, but right now he's a full two hands shorter than Snickers. I know you can't really compare the build of QH's and Arabians, but coming from a full stock horse background, I'm pretty impressed by how solid Snickers is.


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## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

jillybean19 said:


> I think this year is going to be more about conditioning than actually competing


This is def the right attitude to have. And not only do you need to make sure your new horse is physically ready, you need to make sure he is able to do all of other things expected of a distance horse: trot out in hand, stand for the vets, camp happily, etc. I am always amazed at people who have obviously never tried to do any of those things with their horses at home first.. talk about a miserable experience for everyone!


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## jillybean19 (Dec 23, 2011)

*New Endurance Forum!*

Hey all you endurance riders! I know there are a few in this thread  We now have our own forum for posting about endurance! It's located at Endurance Riding - but here's the catch: in order to keep it, it has to get active and STAY active! So please start posting anything endurance related there so we can keep our new home for endurance conversations! Thanks!

(PS - sorry if you see this message on a few different threads - I'm trying to get the word out to as many endurance riders as possible!)


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