Introduction to Endurance Riding

Courtesy of Laura StrausbergSeptember 2011

What is Endurance Riding?By definition endurance riding is a horse race against the clock over natural terrain. The winner is the first horse to cross the finish line and pass the final vet judging. In reality, endurance can be anything you want it to be -- from a strategic racing endeavor to a glorified trail ride.

• In determining how well your horse will do, it is sometimes best to start with a Limited Distance ride to give you an idea of your horse's capabilities, and then progress upward into Endurance.

An Endurance ride is a timed test against the clock of an individual horse/rider team’s ability to traverse a marked, measured cross-county “trail” over natural terrain consisting of a distance of 50 to 100 miles in one day.

• For pleasure: To have fun, see beautiful country, spend time with your horse meet, meet new people…• To compete: Top 10; BC, etc.• To accumulate miles: How many miles in a season, a lifetime

As well as endurance rides the AERC also offers a Limited Distance (LD) program. LD rides are anywhere from 25 to 35 miles in length.

Endurance is open to all equine breeds (horses, ponies, and mules) that are 5 years and older. AERC has set a minimum age limit of 4 for Limited Distance

AERC rules allow 12 hours to complete a 50 mile ride, and 24 hours for a 100 mile ride. Limited Distance is allowed 6 hours for 25 miles. Ride time is pre-determined incrementally by the ride distance. The ride time includes time on the trail, and time spent in the vet check

While AERC-sanctioned events can be characterized as races, the mandated prizes are completion awards, and a much-coveted Best Condition (BC) award that is open to the first ten finishers

There are many reasons people choose to endurance ride and many different personal goals that are set. Based on your goal, your strategy and how you ride your ride may vary. The main three are:

What does an endurance ride look/feel like?

Linda Parish(timer) Shana Thoms (vet), Bo Parish (P&R Volunter), Carter Hounsel (Head vet

Ride about to start

Happy riders, having a good time (most of the time)

Melinda (Timer), Linda Parrish (Timer), Bo Parish (P&R Volunter)

Conditioning your horseEndurance horses must be thoroughly trained and conditioned to meet the demands of the endurance competition

The endurance community stresses longevity in the horse's useful life.

In order to build his ability to compete for many years to come, it is important to develop strengths in many areas, muscle, tendons and ligaments, bone and brain. These are listed in the order in which a horse typically develops.

Your first requirement when starting out is a sound horse.

Do a LOT of L.S.D. (which isn't an illegal substance )- it's Long Slow Distance.

If your horse is already in light to medium work (e.g. ridden on trail rides, or actively showing,), he could probably handle a LD ride immediately. If your horse has spent the last 6 months in a paddock, he could take 6-8 weeks to get it to this stage. If you have chosen a 50 mile ride as your first ride, then it will take a little longer again.

Ideally you want to be riding your horse 3-4 times per week, but for these short distances of endurance, even weekend riding will possibly get you by, providing your horse is handling the work you ask of it.

A good rule of thumb is to start at a basic level of speed and distance, and only step up to the next level after a week working at the previous level - AND if you horse has handled the week's work comfortably, without soreness or exhaustion.

Keeping a record of your training is not only interesting and fun, but also very encouraging to see your gradual progression over time. It also helps you learn how to pace your horse.

Endurance rider Tom Swift suggests, "Ride with a heart rate monitor and pay attention to how fast the horse recovers. If the horse's pulse rate doesn't drop to 64 beats per minute within 10 to 15 minutes of ceasing work, you are overriding him.“

Resting heart rate is 30 to 40 beats per minute. Trotting heart rate can range from 90 to 120 beats per minute. At a canter the rate is typically 110 to 150 beats per minute and up to 200 to 240 at a gallop. Working the horse over 140 to 160 for other than short sprints could be detrimental to his well-being. You should also recognize that each horse is an individual, and will react to stress (conditioning, competition, and so forth) in his own

way. You really must know your horse!

There are lots of opinion on how to condition your horse…. there is not one right way. This is a topic you should probably do some research on you own. Here are a few thoughts

What to Bring for your horse• Your horse’s coggins• Haynet or Hay bag• Some people like to feed saturated beat pulp for energy

and moisture • Picket ropes or portable corrals if camping over. * You

should practice with this a head of time, if possible• 3 buckets—one for horse watering and two for washing

and sponging. • Water (if possible)—horses may be more likely to drink

water from home. • Apples and carrots to encourage horses to get their nose

into feed or water. • Electrolytes, if using. • Large syringe to administer electrolyte mixture. • Sponges—one that fastens to your saddle. • You can also make scoops from old jugs to get water on

your horse.

What experienced riders want you to know:• “Bring water for horses OR figure out where the water supply is and park near it. We parked ALL the way across camp with no

water and no way of transporting water. We were walking back and forth across camp with buckets sloshing everywhere to get our horses water.” Laura Strausberg

• “I wish I had known all the things to put into my cantle bag.” Maureen Davidson

• “using reins that give you blisters or stay wet like cotton, or get slippery and slide thru your fingers.” Jeramie Judd

• Saddle(s) • Bridle(s) • Breast plates or crupper if used. • Girth or cinch • Sweat scraper • Bug spray • A pommel or cantle bag or pack • Vetwrap • Braiding bands • Rump rug• Heartrate monitor/GPS• Stethoscope • Wrist watch • Cooler • Boots (if your horse does not have shoes)• Replacement shoe like an Easy Boot if possible.• Liniment—to be used only after competition is over.

What to bring for yourself• Clothing – be prepared for extremes in

weather. Layers are a good idea• Basic first aid kit • Water bottles for saddle • Energy snack for rider• Fanny pack to carry electrolytes and bottles. • Comfortable riding pant (tights) HIGHLY

recommend not wearing jeans• Safe riding boots or shoes • Helmet

Experience riders want you to know:• “ Wearing lotion or sun screen on your face that drips down into your eyes when you sweat and burns like hell!”

Wearing socks too think or too thin”-Jeramie Judd

• “if it bothers you a little when you ride in practice, it will KILL you in an endurance ride". (a water bottle in a pouch in front of you that you occasionally bump into, English stirrup leathers without padding, metal stirrups, Ariat half chaps for paddock boots worn with sneakers, (they slide down the back on your heel, really big blisters before the first vet check) pants that grip the saddle (you slide, not the pants, chaffing to the MAX)-Harriet Merritt

• “I wished I would have known not to wear blue jeans..I was rubbed raw by the inseam! “-Cindy Kovalchuk,

• “Wear a good sports bra without under wire. Irritating and rubbed me raw when sweating. ”-Chancy Horn

• Vet card pouch• Chapstick • Cell phone holder with phone • Sunglasses or helmet visor • Riding gloves • Bandana or scarf• Sunscreen

What to Bring For Camping

What experience riders want you to know:“Make sure you have something really comfortable to sleep on. Sheesh I grabbed a tiny blow up pool mattress to sleep on at the last minute. Set up my tiny non water proof tent in the pouring rain and was completely soaked all weekend and slept on a flat deflated pool floaty. 6 years later and I'm still here, didn't scare me away but I sure wish I had planned for a more comfortable night sleep! :)-”Ann Dypwick

Camping• Make sure you have somewhere comfortable to sleep. Waking up stiff and sore from sleeping on a thin pad might

not be the best way to start the day of a long ride.• Tent if there is no sleeping quarters in your trailer.

Food and Drink• Take along food that requires minimum cooking for suppers around the camp.• Others enjoy producing gourmet meals on a portable grill. (Dinner will be served on Saturday, all other meals are on

your own)• Decide how much energy you think you’ll have for cooking and plan accordingly.• For vet stops where time is short an energy bar and cubed melons or sliced fruit are easy to grab and eat while

walking with your horse. • Sandwiches tend to fall apart if you have one hand on the reins while you try to eat. • It is just as important for the rider to drink as the horse. Water or sports drinks are great.

Camping for you horse

If you haven't done it before, camping overnight with your horse isn't as scary as it sounds. In fact there are a lot of advantages in arriving the day before, especially if the ride is run as a standard Saturday afternoon check in / Sunday morning competition.

Your horse will need to be accustomed to staying in a portable pen overnight. Preparation for this is simply a matter of setting up a pen in your horse's own paddock and putting him in there (with food and water) overnight. If he decides he needs to get out to be with his paddock buddies, then at home in an enclosed paddock is the best way to find out and review your yard structure, rather than worrying about this at your first endurance ride.

You'll see a huge variety of pens at any endurance ride, but the most common ones are made with electric tape or solid steel panels. Whatever you use it must be safe and able to hold your horse. You are liable if your horse gets out and causes an accident (the same as if he pulls away from being tied to the trailer)

Pre-ride Examination

Due to the demanding nature of endurance riding, it is imperative that horses are thoroughly checked before being allowed to start, to ensure that they are in a fit condition for the event.

All the checks are performed at the pre-ride vet check, with more time spent on things like legs and feet and checking minimum age requirements, that are not done during the sectional or end of ride examination.

This is the time for riders to point out any unusual things such as an odd gait that your horse may have, so that it is taken into account during subsequent checks which may be performed by a different veterinarian.

Note any existing cuts, scrapes or marks on a horse that a rider might be penalized for at the end of the ride (unless noted in the pre-ride check)

The Day of the RideStart: •Check in with Out Timer 15 minutes prior to ride start. •You don’t have to be mounted.• Don’t have to leave at the start but must check in prior to start. Ride card:•Have ride card out for Arrival Timer when coming into vet check.• Zip lock bag will keep the card dry – take it out of the bag for the timer.•Keep the ride card with you throughout the ride.

Holds:•No more than 30 minutes after checking in with the Arrival Timer, the heart rate must be down to pulse criteria.•Gate into a hold procedure: Hold time starts after the heart rate is officially down to criteria in the pulse box.•• You may not go back on trail until the Hold Time has elapsed, but you may stay longer if you need more time.•• Check with the Out Timer before going back on trail

Finish – endurance vs. limited distance:• Endurance: Finish line. Horse must then reach criteria and pass the vet exam within one hour.• Limited distance: 60 beat per minute pulse required. Your finish time is the time at which you meet criteria, NOT when you cross the finish line. Your horse must reach 60 bpm within 30 minutes of crossing the finish line and the horse must pass the final vet exam for completion. Taking Care of Your Horse• Traditional methods of cooling horses (e.g., muscles make heat, sweat cools and humidity prevents sweat from doing its job well. In a hot horse the pulse goes up and digestive processes slow down. Cool/cold water helps, etc.)• If something seems wrong with horse (including Peeing, Pooping, Eating or Drinking), stop and analyze.• On trail, send word with passing rider. Make sure the messenger has your horse number/letter to give to ride management. Stay put if help has been sent for.• Use of electrolytes (more important in heat and humidity).

"to finish is to win"

In endurance riding, the horse’s welfare is paramount and is the foremost determining factor in assessing the horse’s fitness to remain in the competition.

At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for the veterinary inspection called a vet check, and a predetermined hold time to allow the horse to rest, eat and drink.

Each horse must be presented for examination within a set time after finishing each lap/loop.

The veterinarian will check the horses’ heart rate, gait and overall physical condition and assess its fitness to continue in the ride.

Horses that do not pass the vet checks within the stipulated time are eliminated from the race as being ‘Not Fit to Continue’.

The ride• Each distance starts with all competitors leaving at the same time, usually at a trot.

• Your normally calm, gentle horse may suddenly become this wild animal you never knew before. So consider checking in with the timer prior to the start, but leaving your horse tacked but secured behind your trailer where he can't see the start. Once everyone, or most everyone, has left, mount up and ease down the trail.

• One of the hardest things to do is not to get caught up in someone else's ride plan. You must ride your horse as you have ridden in training and conditioning. Just because your horse thinks he can race with the front-runners doesn't mean it is in his best interest to do so. Veteran riders call it "big brain, little brain." You have the big brain to make the right decisions for your horse that has the little brain and doesn't realize this ride is 25 or 30 or 50 miles long.

• Once out on course, enjoy the scenery! Endurance rides take you through some beautiful parts of our country. Follow the ribbons. Don't feel obliged to keep the pace that everyone else is doing - ride your own ride. If you feel your horse needs to walk, then do so. If you are on your own, you can buddy up with someone else who seems to be keeping a similar pace, especially if your horse is the type who will waste a lot of energy worrying about where the other horses are.

• Try to pace yourself by keeping an eye on the time

• No matter what rate you are pacing at, the horse's heart rate should drop quickly (within 10 minutes) to 64 beats per minute after a workout, otherwise you are over-riding him. Rapid breathing and heart rate suggest pain, if the horse doesn't recover as described above.

Experience riders want you to know:

• “PLEASE be respectful to other riders, call out when you pass, wait at water, etc.”-Eron Howell

• “What the trail markers meant. ribbons? what ribbons 3 on the turn side” Karren Beason

• “I liked the concept of having newbies wear the green ribbon as I was a newbie, and it saved a lot of dirty looks.” - Carrier Merson

• “Choose a well established, well run ride as your first ride. They will have the course down pat, the ride manager will have all of the details in orders, everything around you will run smoothly so that you are the only "wild card" in your relationship with the trail. ”-Carolyn Burgess

The ride (cont)• Offer your horse water whenever there is an opportunity. .• When you reach a checkpoint, you will need to call out your number to the spotter or give them a token and wait until

they have confirmed it before proceeding.

• Don't be afraid to dismount and walk next to your horse occasionally, especially up or down steep slopes.

• If you run into a problem (eg your horse treads on a stone or loses a shoe or becomes distressed), dismount and walk your horse to a numbered gate . If this is not possible, then stop and send another passing rider with a message for help. The ride manager will send some one to pick you up

Experience riders want you to know:RIDE YOUR RIDE/DO NOT RACE• “That I had to make decisions for the horse about the pace we would ride at. Read that, slow them down. Most horses don't have

any concept of conserving energy and pacing themselves. They're herd animals and for a variety of reasons they will exceed their abilities, sometimes leading to devastating results.”-Mike Jaffe

• “To ride my own ride. And they should be asked to think about that long and hard--what does that mean? Elaborating: ride so that I would never have to apologize to my horse for placing ANYTHING above his wellbeing. And that 10 years later I would still be riding the same horse, regardless of whether it could handle the the considerable emotional and mental demands of riding in a large-herd dynamic of speed and chaos.”

• “Never EVER race. Ride your own ride. It's too easy for newbies to want to stick to someone - who goes faster and has a more conditioned or faster horse than you. Take care of YOU and your own HORSE primarily and completely.”-Lin Sutherland

• I'd only ad that you please stress to NOT race. Many first time riders do it for the thrill and get hook on that and forget how it effects their horse over the long run. Many horses can race once to top ten, but few stay sound. “- Erin Howell

What experience riders want you to know about the ride:

HORSES GET ANXIOUS AT THE BEGINNING OF A RIDE•“The horse you know and love, who you have ridden 100s of conditioning miles, will disappear around 5 or 6am on ride day and reappear after about 20 miles more or less depending on how good of condition she is in... after 70 miles at Ft Stanton my horse was still a freak - more mileage next time!”-Jean Brandau

•“I wish that I had known the effect of riding with 40 other horses for the first time would do to my little paint. I should definitely have started at the back of the group rather than in the middle. When he saw the lead horses turn the corner and disappear through a gate, he cut the corner and ran he through the brush, eventually knocking me off. He returned to the camp, I walked into camp, got back on his lousy @$$ and we went out and completed his first 25. WEAR A HELMET!!!”-Scott Godwin

•“I wish I had known my horse would become so nervous and anxious at the ride” Maureen Davidson

•“I wish we could mandate that every first-time rider start at the back, 10 minutes after the start. Both they and their horses would stand a better chance of having a safe start and a decent ride”-Beth Leggieri

TAKE CARE OF YOUR HORSE• “Start electolyting at least 1 day prior to ride. Don't trailer more than 8 hours the day before the ride.”- Victoria Roden

• “Not to give bute too soon after a race.”-Carrier Merson

• “I wish I had known about all the supplements and electrolytes needed for my horse (my trainer took care of all of those things during the ride so it took a lot of asking questions for me to learn).” Maureen Davidson

What experience riders want you to know about the ride (cont):

ASK QUESTIONS & HAVE A PLANAsk questions, ask questions, ask questions. The endurance. comm. is more than willing to help. have a basic plan for your pace, etc. for the day.”-victoria roden

“That it is okay to ask questions. We were all new to endurance at one time. Most endurance riders are very willing to help new folks.”-Dianne Campbell

ENDURANCE RIDING IS SO FUN!• “Wish I had known how much fun endurance could be, years and years ago!” -Maureen Davidson

• “One thing I wish I knew was how much I would love the sport. I would have started sooner. So many people think endurance is all about racing. I've heard so many people who won't sign up because they don't want to race. I don't race. It isn't worth a lame horse to win any top 10 prize. Its not a race for me at all. Just a great time with my horse and friends. I say give it a try, you will be happy you did, says the girl who likes to turtle. I mean, I pay for 12 hours, why not get my $$'s worth? “- Jen Master

Vet Check

The purpose of the hold is to allow time to assess the horse’s “fitness to continue” and to enforce a compulsory rest time.Pulse & Respiration (P&R)•After the horse and rider cross the line at the end of the loop, they have 30 minutes to present to the P&R staff with a heart rate (HR) at or below the pre-determined criteria (often 64 or below )•The riding time does not stop until the point when the rider calls ‘time’ and presents to P&R.•If the HR is over criteria, the rider and horse leave the P & R area and the ride time continues. •Once the HR is taken and is at criteria or below, the horse goes to the vet area

Vet Check The vet will take the horses HR and then have the horse trot 125 feet out and 125 feet back. •Cardiac Recover Index

– A second HR for the cardiac recovery Index (CRI) is taken 60 seconds after the start of the trot.– The second HR (cardiac recovery Index) can be an indicator of lack of recovery or of pain.– In a recovering horse the second count will usually be the same as the first or within 8 beats (+ or -) in a 1 minute period.– An increase of 8 beats per minute or more from first HR to second HR is an indicator that something else may be amiss.

What experience riders want you to know:“I wish I had known the things I needed to do coming into the first vet check to help my horse pulse down, like loosen his girth, remove his bit.  I learned that as I was coming into my first vet check!!”-Maureen Davidson

Parameters (vets will measure these and give each a score of A, B, C, D

Mucus Membranes: Vet will assess color and moisture in the mouth and conjuctiva (dehydration)

Capillary Refill: The length of time required for the color to return to normal pink in the upper gum of the horse after pressing hard enough to leave a white spot. (dehydration and/or blood pressure)

Jugular vein refill test - Squeeze off the jugular vein for a moment before allowing it to refill. Count the elapsed time before refill. (dehydration)

Skin Tenting: After pinching a fold of the horse's skin the skin should flatten back out in less than a second. If it doesn't, this is a sign of dehydration. measured in half seconds at the point of the shoulder (dehydration)

Gut Sounds (GIT) - listen to all 4 quadrants. The assessment of gut sounds is based on the audible evaluation of the tone, intensity (loudness) and duration of the sound in relation to the function of the normal gut.. Normally, sounds are audible every few seconds. When the horse is stressed, blood flow to the gut decreases, and the digestion process gradually comes to a halt. If gut motility stops for too long, colic can result.

Anal tone: The anal muscle should constrict when tapped. Flaccid muscle tone may indicate exhaustion, heat stress, or electrolyte/water depletion

Muscle Tone: Assessing if a horse is developing or already has muscle damage from “tying up”. It may also indicate muscle “splinting” for example on the back in response to a painful saddle fit. It is evaluated by applying gentle pressure on and off while feeling with the flats of the fingers along the muscles either side of the spine and in particular the rump muscles. The vets are checking for any abnormal firmness or hardness, sore areas or loss of elasticity.

Back, and withers: The emphasis is on any problems arising from poor saddle fit or the riders weight/style is causing a problem Vets are looking for evidence of damage to the wither in horses with high or prominent withers, rubs or painful areas under the saddle. The method of evaluation is important and should not involve poking at the back with fingertips, rather the same method as described for muscle tone is used.

Tack galls: Assessing if the gear is rubbing and causing pain

Wounds: Assessing if the horse has any wounds, in particular looking for leg wounds, boot rubs or striking wounds.

Gait: Assessing lameness,,horses are trotted out. A horse is judged to be lame when it displays, at the trot, a consistent incoordination of gait or indication of pain.

Impulsion: During the trot out, the vet judges the amount of impulsion or “spring” left in the horse’s gait.

Attitude: During the trot out, the vet evaluates the horse’s willingness to trot in hand.

Other terms & things to knowPulled: When a horse is withdrawn or disqualified from a ride. Can be ordered by the ride veterinarian, or by Rider Option

Rider Option: When a horse is pulled from the competition by choice of the rider (as opposed to the veterinarian). In some cases the rider may feel that the horse is not quite "right", even when metabolic criteria are within normal parameters. Or possibly the rider may not be fit to continue...

Best Condition: Award given to the horse within the top ten finishers who is judged to be in the best condition. Weight carried and riding time are taken into consideration

Fit to Continue: The criteria horses must meet to continue in an AERC ride and to meet within one hour of finishing a ride in order to receive a completion. This means that the horse must have satisfactory recovery in all metabolic parameters, and the horse must not have “an irregularity of gait consistently observable at a walk and/or a trot” if that “irregularity is thought to cause pain or threaten the athletic future of the horse.”

Thumps: A rhythmic contraction of the diaphragm muscles, in time with the horse’s heartbeat. Caused by electrolyte imbalance.

Timer: Ride officials who record “in” and “out” times of riders.

Trot-By: A control check where the riders trot past control judges to rule out lameness. A complete vet check does not occur unless an abnormality in gait is noted. May be “mounted” or “in hand”.

Trot-Out: A process where the horse is trotted in hand for inspection by the control judges to check for lameness and impulsion.

Tying Up: A life-threatening condition (azotouria), usually occurring in the first few miles of a ride, where a horse’s muscles cramp so badly he can barely move. An emergency requiring immediate veterinary care, and not moving the horse. Not to be confused with cramping, which occurs after many miles of stress.

Re-check: if the vet is not certain if the horse is fit to continue the card may be held and the horse a asked to return to the Vet area for requested re-examination 15 minutes prior to the start time for the next leg of the ride.

Resources and more information

• Endurance Riders Handbook http://www.aerc.org/AERC_Rider_Handbook.pdf

• Go the Distance: The Complete Resource for Endurance Horses [Hardcover] by Nancy S. Loving

• AERC which is the national governing body for endurance. http://www.aerc.org/

• TERA (Texas Endurance Riders Association) is the State group. http://texasenduranceriders.org/.