Equine endurance and weight carrying tests.

[Meowy Catkin]

I came across this and thought that it might be of interest to others.

In the USA from 1919 - 1923, five tests were carried out. Each test was over 300 miles with 60 miles covered per day for 5 days.

Average weight of horses.
Arabs - 860 lbs
Arab blood - 903 lbs
Morgans - 918 lbs
anglo-arabs -1000 lbs
TB's - 1025 lbs

Average weight carried.
Test 1 - 200 lbs
Tests 2 and 3 - 245 lbs
Tests 4 and 5 - 225 lbs

Breed / average number of miles covered / average speed / % of horses that suffered lameness
Arabs / 218 miles/ 5.3 mph / 15%
Arab blood / 245 miles / 5.4 mph / 25%
Morgans / 245 miles / 6 mph / 39%
Anglo-arabs / 194 miles / 6.5 mph / 55%
TB's / 200 miles / 6.5 mph / 90%

ETA - the tests used 13 arabs, 24 horses with arab blood (not including anglo-arabs), 18 morgans, 9 anglo-arabs and 20 Tb's.

 

[Gloi]

That's interesting, are there any further details available

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes, I could type out some more highlights.

The arabs ate less to maintain their condition. It doesn't give exact amounts of feed given to each horse, it just says 1/4 to 1/2 of what the larger horses ate.

Test 1 was won by Ramla (arab) in 51 hours 26 mins (of riding over the 5 days).
Test 2 was won by a TB (no name recorded) in 46 hours 59 mins.
Test 3 was won by Crabbet (arab) in 49 hours 4 mins.
Test 4 was won by a TB (no name recorded) in 45 hours 17 mins.
Test 5 was won by an anglo arab (no name recorded) in 45 hours.

Crabbet was the fastest horse recording an average of 7.1 mph

 

[Archangel]

Very interesting.

Faracat - did you know they did something similar in the UK in the 1920s - There is a bit about it in my book about the Courthouse stud. An arab stallion called Shahzada won it. I will look up some more info when I get home if you are interested. Don't think it gave such detailed facts but interesting none the less. The photos make it look like they were just off on a jolly hack not a 300 mile endurance test.

 

[Exploding Chestnuts]

So, to be controversial: if you go too fast [over 5.3mph, you will make your horse lame?

 

[Archangel]

Found a bit more info online

In Endurance Tests Shahzada had few peers Tests were held in 1920, 1921 and 1922 over 250, 300 and 500 miles; each ride was held over a five day period. Shahzada won the first and third tests and was second over the 300 mile distance. It is reputed that he covered this distance in 37 hours and 29 minutes riding time carrying 14 stone in weight.
On two other occasions Shahzada won mile races carrying 10 stone. On yet another occasion he was able to win a seven furlong race in open company two weeks after winning a 310 mile Endurance test.

 

[*hic*]

So, to be controversial: if you go too fast [over 5.3mph, you will make your horse lame?

Or the greater the carried weight to in relation to bodyweight the better! Lies, damned lies and statistics!

It would be interesting to have further statistics on the individuals though: height, length of body, bone, coronet circumference, and girth are a few I'd have like to have seen.

 

[pip6]

Crabbets are pure bred arabs whose physique has not been modified for the modern taste for 'exotic' type arabs. As such they are a very definite type, which today is easily distinguished from show ring types. Their athletisism is renown in endurance, as is their temperament. They are often used as an outcross to improve other types. There is a group of people in the uk, The Crabbet Organisation, who work hard to promote and preserve these precious, prepotent bloodlines to produce tough, sound, sane working arabs. A lot of Crabbets were exported to the USA, where they are still going strong today.

One of my Crabbets:

 

[Meowy Catkin]

JA - you did ask...

They talk about a horse called Mesaoud (foaled 1887 imported from Egypt) who was very influential in the arabian breed. He was one of the horses owned by the Blunts (Crabbet stud). There is a table comparing him to Sir Star (foaled 1973). The persistence of desert type/erosion of desert type is discussed (desert type being desirable for a tough, sound horse).

Measurement taken / Mesaoud / Sir Star
Height / 14.2 / 14.3
Girth / 69" / 72"
Summit of skull to withers / 38" / 38"
Withers to root of tail / 47" /44"
Tail bone / 18" / 18"
Summit of skull to point of muzzle / 23 3/4" / 23 3/4"
Round jowl and forehead / 37" /37"
round muzzle / 19 1/2" / 17"
Wither to knee / 45" / 45"
Knee to pastern / 11 1/2" / 11 1/4 "
Point of hip to point of hock / 40" / 39"
Point of hock to fetlock / 17 1/2" / 17 1/2"
round forearm / 19" / 19 1/2 "
Round cannon bone / 7 3/4" / 7 1/2"
Round hoof / 16" /16 1/2"
Length of ear / 5 3/4" / 5 3/4"

Mesaoud.

Link has a photo of Sir Star - hover over the little square which sort of has a tiny horse on it by his name.
http://www.allbreedpedigree.com/sir+star2

RR - thanks for that, it is briefly mentioned in this article, but in no detail, less than you found. They also mention a 26 1/4 mile race in 1974, held in Jordan over 'a stony lava desert' where an elderly bedouin came third on his 18 yo fleabitten mare (unshod - finished sound) who was then ridden home again after the race - a further 2 hours away.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

P6 - I have another article somewhere about Will Keith Kellogg (the cornflake chap) and how he bought horses from the Crabbet Stud and took them to the US.

 

[Archangel]

P6 - I have another article somewhere about Will Keith Kellogg (the cornflake chap) and how he bought horses from the Crabbet Stud and took them to the US.

and then many years later they came back when Ben Rabba (Nasik line) was leased to Mrs Paine back in the 1980s - my mare is Crabbet/Kellogg/Maynesboro through her sire (a Ben Rabba son).

 

[rowan666]

Extremely interesting read, thanks for posting faracat.

What i take from this is if you want a sound horse, buy an arab and avoid tb's!

 

[Orangehorse]

I was very surprised when I saw a photo of the early Arab horses imported to the UK - very chunky compared to what we think of as an arab today. And I can see why people fell in love with them.

 

[Meowy Catkin]

and then many years later they came back when Ben Rabba (Nasik line) was leased to Mrs Paine back in the 1980s - my mare is Crabbet/Kellogg/Maynesboro through her sire (a Ben Rabba son).

Interesting.

R666 - The old type arabs tend to have very good legs and I think that that is a key thing. Some modern arabs have definitely not got such good legs and I would expect that they would have a greater % of soundness issues.

OH - there are so many variations within arabs now. Look at this chap, he's a race bred arabian (Kaolino), there's a lot to like about him.

I actually like the dished heads, but not at the expense of the other qualities that they should have (tough, sound, good doers, an 'in your tent' personality etc...).

 

[NZJenny]

The Arabians that are bred for endurance and racing are quite different to the show types. Here in NZ, a lot of endurance riders breed their own as finding the right type for endurance has become increasingly difficult. My old part bred mare is by Skyhawk (imp UK) Indriss x Nahawara, Indriss was an Indian Magic son and he was a stunning horse.

It was interesting that Skyhawk was not really considered as an endurance sire earlier on, as he was the old fashioned "chunky" type, rather than the leggy, lean type most people associate with the sport. That changed, but quite late in his life sadly. Those old blood lines are very sought after now and the legacy of Shazada lives on - there is a multi day ride in Oz named after him.

The weight carrying factor is something tha is often forgotten too. Arabians were bred to carry adults and even now in FEI CEI3* events which are run over 160 km, the minimum weight is 75 kg.

 

[Archangel]

Indriss was an Indian Magic son and he was a stunning horse.

He certainly was, lots of good performance horses come from this line. I didn't realise some of his bloodline made it to New Zealand though. Great news.

 

[DanceswithCows]

They also mention a 26 1/4 mile race in 1974, held in Jordan over 'a stony lava desert' where an elderly bedouin came third on his 18 yo fleabitten mare (unshod - finished sound) who was then ridden home again after the race - a further 2 hours away.

Now that's a horse!

 

[NZJenny]

Yes, thanks to the forsight of some very brave people in the 1970's and 80's we got a lot of the great crabbet lines here. Sadly they are very diluted now as they became less fashionable.

 

[pip6]

lot of top quality crabbet lines in australia though which isn't too far from you

 

[saddlesore]

That test tells me what I already know- TBs are always bloody lame!

 

[DanceswithCows]

To be fair to TBs though, this test isn't at all playing to their strengths - they're bred to go really fast, for not very long, carrying virtually nothing! It'd be like asking a greyhound and a border collie to herd sheep and then declaring the greyhound pathetic!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

300 miles in 5 days is a tough test for any horse, however two of the tests were won by TB's so there are tough TB's out there (at that time).