endurance tips for the first timer!

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smellsofhorse

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Hi, im contemplating doing some endurance.

I know its fun, great for bonding with your horse and you get to go for a nice ride!

But also its technical!

Can you give me some basic info/tips?

I know you can enter NCR or TBYB which would be a good start.

But things like can you wear a stop watch, how hard if the route.
How much trotting/cantering should you do?

What about trec too?
Similar but with an obstacle section?

thanks!
 
I know nothing about Endurance, but I have seen this advertised.

Calling all riders, non riders and reluctant other halves! Why not attend an “Endurance Clinic”
Endurance is the formula one of the equine world and is so much fun and inclusive for the whole family!
Saturday 4th June 10-4pm New House Farm, Tormarton, Badminton South Gloucestershire GL9 1HB
09.45am Registration
10.00 Welcome by UKCC Coach & International Endurance Rider - Rachael Claridge
10.15 What makes a good endurance horse? Richard Bristow, Willesley Equine Clinic
11.15 When to use Electrolytes? Aimee Redfearn, Brinicombe Equine Supplements
12.15 Lunch break – please bring a packed lunch and a folding chair (Demo in arena)
12.45 What do the crew do at endurance rides? Adam Farley & Jane Cooke, Endurance Crew
13.45 How do you do an endurance ride? Rachael Claridge, Former Young & Senior GBR Rider
14.45 Who will make an endurance rider? Georgina Isaac, Inspire Hypnotherapy
15.45 Summary and Finish
N.B – Please bring a packed lunch, folding chair, warm clothes and an open mind for this fun filled day. This session will launch a series of ‘Claridge Endurance’ clinics in the Badminton area. This is an un-mounted event to ‘set the scene’ with mounted and in-hand sessions to follow over the summer.
To book a place please send a cheque made payable to: ‘Rachael Claridge’ to
14 Hazel Way, Colerne, Wiltshire SN148QA for £20 before Thursday 2nd June or £25 for late entries/on the day.
For further information please contact Rachael on 07789641014/01454238942 or visit www.rachaelclaridge.com
 
Endurance is great fun and the people taking part are a friendly bunch and will do their best to make you welcome. There's lots of advice on the EGB website www.endurancegb.co.uk. Your local group will run pleasure rides, as well as competitive rides. It will probably be best to start with a pleasure ride, as these are low key, relaxed rides which are ideal for a new horse and rider. The distances will be between 10 and 20 miles. The routes are all marked and you will also have a map. There will be stewards on the route to open gates, make sure you get across roads safely and generally make sure everyone is ok. If you plan to go on your own, but want someone to ride with on the day, the organiser will probably be able to suggest someone to "nanny" you. It really is great fun.
 
dieseldog said:
I know nothing about Endurance, but I have seen this advertised.

Calling all riders, non riders and reluctant other halves! Why not attend an “Endurance Clinic”
Endurance is the formula one of the equine world and is so much fun and inclusive for the whole family!
Saturday 4th June 10-4pm New House Farm, Tormarton, Badminton South Gloucestershire GL9 1HB
09.45am Registration
10.00 Welcome by UKCC Coach & International Endurance Rider - Rachael Claridge
10.15 What makes a good endurance horse? Richard Bristow, Willesley Equine Clinic
11.15 When to use Electrolytes? Aimee Redfearn, Brinicombe Equine Supplements
12.15 Lunch break – please bring a packed lunch and a folding chair (Demo in arena)
12.45 What do the crew do at endurance rides? Adam Farley & Jane Cooke, Endurance Crew
13.45 How do you do an endurance ride? Rachael Claridge, Former Young & Senior GBR Rider
14.45 Who will make an endurance rider? Georgina Isaac, Inspire Hypnotherapy
15.45 Summary and Finish
N.B – Please bring a packed lunch, folding chair, warm clothes and an open mind for this fun filled day. This session will launch a series of ‘Claridge Endurance’ clinics in the Badminton area. This is an un-mounted event to ‘set the scene’ with mounted and in-hand sessions to follow over the summer.
To book a place please send a cheque made payable to: ‘Rachael Claridge’ to
14 Hazel Way, Colerne, Wiltshire SN148QA for £20 before Thursday 2nd June or £25 for late entries/on the day.
For further information please contact Rachael on 07789641014/01454238942 or visit www.rachaelclaridge.com
Click to expand...


Thanks, i will look in to that!
 
The 20km pleasure rides take about 2-2.5 hours to complete if you want to be inside the time and get a rosette. This means trotting most of the way, cantering where you can and walking only where it's not poss to trot or you want to give horse a breather. At least that was my experience of it, tho our rides (NE Scot) involve some stiff climbs and rough terrain so maybe you could walk a bit more and still make the time.

To be fit for it your horse would need to be happily doing 2 hour + hacks mainly at trot or 3-4 hour slower ones on a regular basis.

I was worried about heart rate as despite the fittening work my pony was still a bit chubby but her heart rates were great before and after!

have great fun, they are excellent rides!
 
Hi

I've been doing a bit of endurance recently accompanying my friend & youngster (who does 'proper' endurance) on her experienced endurance horse.

For pleasure rides (NCR's), normally approximately 20k 2-2.5 hours would be about right, and yep, mainly in trot. we dont tend to do anything other than walk on tarmac/stony ground though. others do continue in trot over tarmac.

for this sort of distance, your horse needs to be realtively fit and like a previous poster has said they need to be comfortable being out for that period of time and moving forwards. For pleasure riding, you may need to do a veterinary trot up before and after the ride, however there are no heart rate requirements when pleasure riding.

As a general rule routes are well marked with sprayed arrows on the ground, or boards or coloured tags attached to trees/fences etc, you'll get a map too - suggest getting a map case - can be brought cheeply from outward bounds type shops.

You may also want to invest in a water bottle holder & bottle - if riding in the heat of summer dehydration for the rider happens easily (here speaks the voice of experience!)

Make sure you have plenty of water with you, as well as something to 'slosh' the horse off (ie. pour water over them to cool off) we always take a sponge to wash all the crud that comes out of their coat between back legs etc. from sweating.

We dont tend to take much else out, a hoof pick and mobile phone.

I would really recommend looking on the EGB website and finding your local EGB group - make contact with them, they can give you loads of advice, and probably recommend a good first ride for you, and possibly have someone else going who you could team up with to do the ride and help you through the first one.

Best of luck - its great fun!
 
Intro to endurance days are fantastic, & many groups run them. They will give you the confidence of knowing what to expect. Also look up your local group from the EGB site, & make contact. There are often experienced enduranced competitors who are willing to accompany you on your first rides & show you what to do & how to ride.

We are a lovely lot, & because of the nature of the sport (where as you go through the grades you compete against the clock/grade charts/course not each other) are very helpful. It is to my knowledge the only affiliated horse sport where it is written in the rules that you must stop to help a competitor in trouble. New members (or affiliated members), or riders just lloking for lovely places to ride, are always welcomed. It is remarkably free from snobbery or b*tchiness, no-one cares what you wear (though spurs & long whips are banned), what colour your tack is, whether you co-ordinate or what your horse looks like (2 donkeys did a pleasure ride recently).

If you need more info, pm me your email address & I'll scan a copy of the notes I produced for attendees for our intro day.

When you do your ride remember to have fun!
 
Endurance people are some of the nicest you'll meet in the horsey world. Some years ago endurance friends persuaded me to have a go - mid-forties, on my TB ex-showjumping mare. We did a couple of pleasure rides, and then to my amazement we were deemed fit enough to do the NCR at The Red Dragon event at Builth Wells.

Neither of us knew what we were doing! She damaged her hoof really badly on the way down; I was in despair but the amazing farriers and vets there re-built her hoof with that car body stuff, and sid that on the proviso that she trotted up sound in the morning I could ride. She did! I was stabled next to the Irish international team. They were so kind to me in every way, as was the English international rider, a friend of mine, who kindly accompanied me as her horse wasn't in the team that year. I'm sure I showed my ignorance at every turn, but everyone was so friendly and helpful.

The old girl trotted up unsound after the ride. (So did this old girl). But I think you'll have a wonderful time, and that introductory event at Badminton should be marvellous. You will then start to compete with a level of knowledge. Hope your forse flies!
 
I recommend finding your local EGB branch, a lot of them run their own social/training rides which are like NCR's but are not in the national schedule (they also have different speed 'limits'.)

Make sure you understand the basic rules of the ride- nobody (unless they are a competitor) is allowed to accompany you around the course, speed limits will apply (8-12kph for a NCR and 8-15kph if you use the TBYB scheme to enter a novice ride.)

Draw up a little table to carry with you that gives you the timings for each speed so you can check your progress on course- stopwatches are definitely allowed!!!

Wear comfortable clothes- to come within the speeds you invariably need to be consistently trotting so don't try out a new pair of boots (I learned the hard way!!)

Have fun :)
 
Hi. if you really want to get into endurance. Please take the minimum of a few months to get your horse fit and healthy. It can take a long time to build up strength and (hence the name) endurance. It depends what you're doing now as far as fitness goes. If it's a short pleasure ride you're planning it should be okay. There's no pressure or timing to worry about. Just go and enjoy a day out and get a feel for it. You'll gradually pick up little tips and tricks as you get more into it. You'll find some people are very competitive. Most though are down to earth, enjoying their leisure time and having a good day. If you don't feel quite ready just yet you can always go along to an event to see how it at goes. Take a pick-nick and talk to some of the stewards/marshals and pick their brains. They are usually club members taking it in turns stewarding.
 
Start by entering a pleasure ride at a low distance,5 miles or 10 miles if your horse is fit-ish.
Read the map carefully,look for up and down hill parts and plan where you will walk and where you will trot and canter. Turn up in plenty of time,relax and have a cup of tea while your horse picks at his haynet or grazes. This keeps the horse calm and stops him thinking its mega exciting and getting out of control. Start the route slowly and increase your pace when the horse is nicely warmed up and listening to you. Remember its fun and enjoy the ride and dont take it too seriously. You'll have a great time.
 
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