Interested in Endurance Riding?

Last year, I began competing a young (6 years) Arabian in the sport of endurance riding.  Here in the midwest, we have the opportunity to compete in any of the following divisions -
Endurance - Rides of 50 miles or more, to be completed in under 12 hours.  Winner determined by first horse across the line.
Limited Distance - Rides of 25 - 35 miles, to be completed in 6 hours (for a 25 mile event).  Winner determined by the first horse that crosses finish line and reaches pulse criteria.
Competitive - Rides of 25 - 100 miles, averaging 5.5 to 7 miles per hour.  Competitive rides are not managed as a race, but rather as a test of a horse's fitness.  Winners are determined by a scoring system that penalizes heart and respiration scores above a norm.

In the Midwest, conventional wisdom dictates that one should be begin competing a horse in the competitive division. Looking at the divisions listed above, that seems to make sense, doesn't it?  Competitive riding theoretically takes away the 'racing' aspect of our sport.  The rides should be emphasizing the physical fitness of our equine companions.  After riding El in the comp division in 2010, I have some serious mis-givings about offering that advice to new riders. 
Some things to consider when beginning a competitive career for your horse:

• What are your ultimate goals for yourself and your horse?  Do you aspire to ride longer distances? Multi-days? Decade performer?
• How old is your equine partner?  Although UMECRA allows 4 year old horses in the competitive division and AERC allows 5 year olds to compete; I would not recommend begin to compete a horse until they are at least 6 years old.  Dr. Deb Bennett has written an excellent article on the maturation of the equine species. 
• Are you and your equine partner comfortable riding alone, in a group?
• Would you like to be able to get off your horse and 'school' through a difficult obstacle? (Competitive rules in UMECRA) do not allow forward progress unless mounted.)
• Would you like to be able to put water on your horse to aid in cooling? (Again, competitive rules - UMECRA) do not allow the use of water, except for natural water.

Don't get me wrong - this is not an article bashing competitive trail riding.  I think comp riding has a real place in our sport.  I also think the Limited Distance division has a legitimate place in our sport.  In fact, Bert excels in the Limited Distance events.  He is currently in 9th place in lifetime AERC mileage for Limited Distance horses.

So, what's my beef? :)  I don't think competitive trail or limited distance events teach a horse to take care of himself.  I also don't think the restricted mileage events teach riders to take care of their mounts.  I can hear the protests already - please take a moment listen to my reasoning.

Conventional wisdom dictates that the average backyard horse that is being ridden on a regular basis should be able to comfortably complete an endurance/competitive event of 25 miles.  While this may be true, is completing this event in the best interests of the horse?  In fact, I would argue that the horse that gets comfortably through 25 mile events may never learn to 'take care of himself.'  I would also argue that the rider that only rides 25 mile distances never learns to truly take care of their mount.

I believe it is only when the horse and rider are faced with longer distances that the horse and rider form a team that has to work together to get through the distance. I always remember the quote from Matthew McKay Smith, "Never hurry, never tarry."  I view every endurance event as a test of my horse and myself against the trail.  The other riders out there are just obstacles on our way to the finish line.  :)

Events of 50 miles or more teach a rider to watch for the subtleties in their horse.  Is he eating, drinking, peeing and pooping as normal?  And while the rider is learning, the horse has even bigger lessons to learn - drink at every water source, eat at every opportunity.

Horses are incredibly adept learners.

The mud puddle they used to step delicately around, now presents an opportunity to stop and drink.  They quickly figure that they can walk and sometimes even trot down the trail and grab snatches of grass.  I have a rule for my horses - as long as they maintain forward motion, they can eat at will.  While this may be frowned upon by trail riders, it is essential that my horses learn to eat while being ridden.

Dr. Barney Fleming has written an excellent article on his views of limited distance events.  

Here's another very interesting article by Stagg Newman regarding Endurance Riding vs. Endurance Racing. 

I would encourage everyone to read as much as possible about endurance riding before attempting your first ride.