Endurance 2* Coming to Royal Windsor Horse Show

[pip6]

For anyone who wants to see international standard endurance, this has just been announced:

Endurance GB is pleased to confirm the news that broke yesterday. The Royal Windsor Horse Show, which takes place in Windsor Great Park from the 8th to 12th May, will for the first time include an Endurance competition. Discussions have been taking place for some time and Endurance GB board member and FEI 4* judge, John Robertson, has been involved in advising the organisers. The organisers of the show have secured sponsorship for the competition from Bahrain.

There will be just one class: FEI 2* 120km, which is scheduled for the 12th May.

It is such a beautiful venue but the ride will obviously have to share space with the other disciplines at the Show. However, it's a great opportunity for Endurance to be seen by more people.

This will be a seriously fast race (first past the post & passing the vet wins). Having ridden the graded rides at Windsor the course is flat & very fast (also one of my personal favourites for being able to bowl along). Horses will come into the vetgate at speed & the best able to present to the vet (heart rate under 64bpm) in under a minute. To see an international 2* ride at Windsor will be amazing. People who aren't 'into' endurance rarely see competition at this level. Well done to everyone who got this class put on!

 

[OWLIE185]

Is this an Endurance Race and how does one become selected to enter?

 

[pip6]

Yes, it is a race. You have to be internationally qualified to FEI 2* level (ie have passed an FEI 1* race). It's not open to general public entries. You need experience (as does your horse who has to also be qualified to enter FEI 2*) to know how to safely race for this kind of distance & speed. I would expect the lead horses to be going 24kph+ over this fast a course (bear in mind that's over the whole 80 miles/120km including presentation times at the vet gates).

If you want to learn about endurance, how to rapidly produce horses for vet inspection, how to crew on course, what a seriously fit horse is & the level they can perform to, then go watch. The vetgate is where a lot of the serious work happens. After presentation, horses have a rest period (most around 30 mins, varies mainly according to weather & distance) during which they eat (yes they are fed during the race - they need fuel to burn) & drink, & generally pampered. Then readied to go for their recommencement time. Expect a racing finish (no whips allowed on the final circuit - but then they are a rare site in endurance anyway, & spurs are banned at every level of endurance) even after 120km. Then the winner has (usually 30 mins) time in which they must present to the vet, & pass the vetting (heart rate, metabolics & soundness), if they fail the vet they are eliminated & lose the race.

If you want to race, join endurance, then work your way through the three levels to advanced (your horse must also reach this level). Once advanced, you can do endurance races which start at 80km (50 miles) & go up to 160km (100 miles).