# Tell Me About Endurance Riding



## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

Tell me about endurance riding. Anything, I wanna know.


----------



## phantomhorse13 (Feb 18, 2011)

BornToRun said:


> Tell me about endurance riding. Anything, I wanna know.



That is a pretty broad statement. Do you have more specific questions? 

If you are looking for an equally broad answer, I can tell you what I tell non-horsey people who ask me what I do: its like ultra-marathoning on horseback.


----------



## whispering willow (Nov 9, 2011)

Its were you ride horses fast...duuuuuh


----------



## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

whispering willow said:


> Its were you ride horses fast...duuuuuh


Please


----------



## whispering willow (Nov 9, 2011)

I have a right to talk on the enternet XP


----------



## SouthernTrails (Dec 19, 2008)

whispering willow said:


> I have a right to talk on the enternet XP


Not like that!


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Actually, it is a whole lot more than riding fast...and that was pretty dang snippy.:think:

I have been training to ride/finish an endurance or Limited Distance ride so while I haven't completed a ride yet I have worked at becoming an endurance rider. 

One must complete a ride of a certain distance in a certain amount of time on a horse that MUST pass vet checks along the way and when crossing the finish line. If the horse doesn't vet out it is pulled from the competition. And often an average speed can be anywhere from 6-10 mph so hardly a flat out race. The horses heart rate must hit a certain count in a certain amount of time, must be able to move out easily with no hint of lameness or stiffness.

Quite a bit of conditioning and training of both horse and rider goes into Limited Distance/Endurance riding. I have a heart monitor on my horse to monitor his conditioning. My horse right now could complete a 25 mile ride with no problem. Not so sure about me!! I am riding a QH so while we can go and have a good time, he is not likely to be competitive. An Arab or Arab cross is the endurance horse of choice for serious competitors. 

Hoping to compete in my first 25 miler in March.


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

whispering willow said:


> I have a right to talk on the enternet XP


You certainly do!!!!! Talk on the "enternet" all you want but when you are on the internet you may want to moderate your tone so that people take you seriously instead of thinking you are a snippy child.


----------



## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

QOS said:


> Quite a bit of conditioning and training of both horse and rider goes into Limited Distance/Endurance riding. I have a heart monitor on my horse to monitor his conditioning. My horse right now could complete a 25 mile ride with no problem. Not so sure about me!! I am riding a QH so while we can go and have a good time, he is not likely to be competitive. An Arab or Arab cross is the endurance horse of choice for serious competitors.
> 
> Hoping to compete in my first 25 miler in March.


Do you think an OTSB would make a suitable mount?


----------



## DancingArabian (Jul 15, 2011)

Depends on how much you train and how competitive you want to be.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## whispering willow (Nov 9, 2011)

I didn't mean it in a "snippy" way I meant as joke, sorry


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Any horse can compete. They have had ponies compete in the Tevis Cup! If you are riding endurance to finish as long as your horse is conditioned you can compete. Now riding to be competitive is a different story. But an OTSB should do just fine. I am riding a chunky QH. I know I will never "win" but an endurance motto is "to ride is to win". For me, just finishing a ride in the specified time and vet out clean will be a MAJOR win for me. 

It is a dream of mine and I don't want to give it up. I will never be competitive but I am more than ok with that. I love trail riding and riding strictly for pleasure. I do enjoy the training part with my horse. I enjoy monitoring his heart rate on the trail (yes, I am a MAJOR GEEK) and tracking miles on my Garmin. 

Read all you can get your hands on (I bought a book "Go the Distance") and learn about heart rates, electrolytes. I know several endurance riders here locally and they are a fun bunch of folks!


----------



## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

QOS said:


> Any horse can compete. They have had ponies compete in the Tevis Cup! If you are riding endurance to finish as long as your horse is conditioned you can compete. Now riding to be competitive is a different story. But an OTSB should do just fine. I am riding a chunky QH. I know I will never "win" but an endurance motto is "to ride is to win". For me, just finishing a ride in the specified time and vet out clean will be a MAJOR win for me.
> 
> It is a dream of mine and I don't want to give it up. I will never be competitive but I am more than ok with that. I love trail riding and riding strictly for pleasure. I do enjoy the training part with my horse. I enjoy monitoring his heart rate on the trail (yes, I am a MAJOR GEEK) and tracking miles on my Garmin.
> 
> Read all you can get your hands on (I bought a book "Go the Distance") and learn about heart rates, electrolytes. I know several endurance riders here locally and they are a fun bunch of folks!


I think for now just finishing would be a major accomplishment and then maybe go competitive with more experience under my belt. Haha, I like your motto! Who is the author of that book?


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

Nancy Loving DVM is the author.


----------



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

not only does the horse have to be in amazing shape, you do too. The first compeditive ride I did I had been doing 15-20 mile practice rides, 3-4 times a week. I figured I would be fine. By the time I finished I nearly fell off the horse. You and your horse need to be in amazing shape, thats half the battle.

some other breeds do very well, my BO competed and won on a OTTB for years.


----------



## BornToRun (Sep 18, 2011)

BlueSpark said:


> not only does the horse have to be in amazing shape, you do too. The first compeditive ride I did I had been doing 15-20 mile practice rides, 3-4 times a week. I figured I would be fine. By the time I finished I nearly fell off the horse. You and your horse need to be in amazing shape, thats half the battle.
> 
> some other breeds do very well, my BO competed and won on a OTTB for years.


Guess it's time to start running again :/


----------



## Joe4d (Sep 1, 2011)

Endurance 101 is a new book that has just been released, looks to be a good one. 
Oh and any horse CANNOT do endurance. I get tired of hearing that. While individuals from many breeds can finish, lots and lots of horses simply cant and never will be able to. 
A horse needs to be completely sound but mental aspects are a big factor.
Most athletic horse in the world isnt worth a fart in the wind if it wont drink out of a creek, quite a few horses simply wont eat and drink when stressed. Ive seen Arabians with pulse rates of 48 spike to 70 as soon as they come into he vet check area out of nerves, again great athlete, pulses down fine alone, but can never get through a vet check. I could go on there are plenty of things that could keep a horse from doing endurance.


----------



## QOS (Dec 8, 2008)

That's true Joe but that is an individual horse issue. Any breed can do endurance properly conditioned. Stock horses can go all day long but they will never beat an Arabian. Biscuit will be able to complete 25 miles and that boy will eat and drink anywhere. LOL he was not well taken care of before I got him and if food is offered he is going for it...if he is thirsty he is drinking from a creek, the lake, a bucket. He isn't very picky!!

Now whether my old backside will be able to go 25 miles is yet to be seen. I have rode 15 miles without getting off once. It was a go go go ride this past March. Right now with my pinched nerve I think it would be hard!!!


----------



## Arab Mama (Jun 10, 2012)

We also ride CTRs and LDs mainly just for the enjoyment and personal satisfaction. Though, surprisingly, we have won a couple of awards at some rides. We have fun, the horses have fun, and it is a good way to stay in shape. Not only are endurance riders fun to be around, you won't find a more knowledgeable or dedicated bunch of people. They are also more than willing to share their expertise.


----------



## poppy1356 (Jan 18, 2012)

QOS where did you get your heart rate monitor for your horse? I must get one.


----------

