Home / Equestrian sports / Endurance riding
Other FEI disciplines
Endurance is long-distance riding across natural terrain, sometimes up to 160 km in one day. Speed matters, but so does finishing with a healthy, fit horse.
| Group | Other FEI disciplines |
|---|---|
| Also called | endurance, endurance racing, distance riding |
| Olympic | no |
| Governing body | FEI |
| Where it is popular | Endurance rides are held worldwide, including the United States, Great Britain, continental Europe and the Middle East, which hosted the first world championship in 1998. |
One-day FEI endurance rides run from 40 to 160 km, and senior championships are at least 160 km in a day. The course is split into phases of roughly 40 km, and after each one the horse goes through a vet check for soundness, with the clock running until its heart rate drops to the target, usually 64 beats per minute. The horse then rests, drinks and eats. The winner is the first rider over the line whose horse passes the final vet check as fit to continue.
Any breed can take part, but Arabians lead at the top level because they are light and have great stamina. Akhal-Tekes are also known for endurance.
Riders wear a helmet and comfortable clothing and footwear, and use a light saddle that fits well for long hours. Many use a heart-rate monitor to keep track of the horse.
The best-known rides are the Tevis Cup in California (100 miles in one day), the FEI World Endurance Championships and the European Championships.
First learn to ride confidently and to care for a horse. Then, at a club and with a coach, start with short training rides and build up distance gradually, always putting the horse's wellbeing first.
The famous Tevis Cup began in 1955, when Wendell Robie and friends rode 100 miles from Lake Tahoe to Auburn, California, in under 24 hours.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org, inside.fei.org, en.wikipedia.org