9 replies to this topic

[Prelude_HighLyfe]

***EDITED TO ADD: So I took my mare out for ride in the pasture today, with 3 other dead broke (quarter) horses. She was pretty good, I walked her the first 5 minutes on foot, as she was really blowing and had her tail flipped over her back (hehe) but after a few minutes she settled down a little bit. She's never been in the pasture, and I'd say she did pretty good! All three of the other horses spooked at some thing or another, and she never spooked, just did a lot of snorting and blowing. She was solid and never spooked!! Can you tell I'm excited? Even one time a horse went galloping off in the distance, and she just looked, never budged..although I hopped of fast enough where she couldn't do anything with me on her back. I'll probably do this a few more times until she's completely solid out there and then trailer her to a park not far from home to ride trails. YAHOO! ***

I have a few questions! I have a mare that I will soon be getting dressage lessons on because that is the direction I think is best for her basic training right now. I wanted to know however, what are some successful endurance lines? I have thought about it, and my mare Koweta Prelude, has a full brother named Koweta Bentley whom has accumulated many points in endurance. He won two 50 mile races, and has shown to always be in top 10 of the races and also has one top 5 and one Reserve champ for the 50 mile Region 12 races. Their sires name is Koweta Elixxer and the dam is a russian Menes daughter named Peneskova. Here is the pedigree link http://www.allbreedp.../koweta prelude

I would really like to take her in this direction if she will do well at it. However, she has never even seen a trail. I would first like to take her trail riding and go from there. Does anyone have any suggestions for preparing a horse for what they might see on a trail? She's typically not too spooky but I am just not sure what will happen if she does spook. And I am also curious to know everyone's opinions on competing a horse in endurance and in shows as well, can they do both? Please let me know your thoughts! Thank you

[ladycascabel]

Judging just from her breeding, she probably has the athletic ability to compete but I can say from personal experience that if YOU can't stand several hours of trotting then endurance riding is not for you! It is a grueling sport.
It's fairly uncommon for any of the endurance riders I know to also compete in shows but as long as your mare can keep a decent weight while she is conditioned then I wouldn't see why you can't also show her.
How about a photo or two?? i know there are some endurance riders on here who could give you an honest conformation critique.

As to the despooking stuff, get her used to blowing plastic bags, dogs, backpackers, and fourwheelers/motorbikes and you should be fine. Riding out several times with a "been there, done that" steady companion will also help a lot. If a scary situation comes up and the other horse says "ho hum" then your mare will probably do the same.

Mary

[Mystic Rose]

Posted on your other thread in sport horse.
Yes - they can show and do endurance. You have to really get the mental training established though. Dressage is wonderful for that! And then when you start endurnace, you stay SLOW. What makes it hard for them to be able to do both - is when hey get hyped up and learn what speed is!
To train for trail - just work with obstacles in the arena/ in hand and mounted at first, take her for walks around the neighborhood, whatever you can to just expose her to the world. The more she sees that you as her leader act like is 'no big deal' the steadier she will be when mounted on the trail.
To start trail riding, the best if if you have a steady horse to go out with - let them lean thru the obstacles and yours learns the 'world' isn't so bad. So try and find riders in your area. As I said on your other thread - check out AERC.org and Endurance.net for contacts/mentors. and where are you? There is always a chance that I (or someone else on here) could direct you to someone local to ride with =)

[Spanish Vision Farm]

I don't know those lines. There are so many factors that decide if a horse will finish a ride or not ... Being an Arabian is a good start. After that, what type of body do they have, how do they travel, lung/heart capacity, ability to adjust to new places, your athleticsm as a rider ... training ... timing ... tricks of the trade ... all come into play as much as or more than just bloodlines.

Start w/ the basic good conformation, good brains, and get the horse conditioned. You won't know til you try!

You see all types of Arabians, and other breeds, competing. CMK are popular as are Polish/Russian/French and racing bred lines. But you will also see domestic and Egyptian competing. To see what REAL endurance horses look like, ck out the global races and photos of international riders at ridecamp. (www.endurance.net).

That said, there are 25 mile limited distance (LDs) rides, 50s (you can ride fast or slow), and 100 mile rides (for the real gritty folks). It's all about how competitive do you want to be? Or do you just want to be able to finish in a decent time on a safe/sound horse and have a good time?

Almost any Arabian should be able to DO endurance ... it's just how much effort does it take to get there (conditioned and ready to do the ride) and how effortless does the horse travel and how well do they behave (if you care) once you are there ... The hardest part is getting them conditioned. Once they're there, they stay pretty much conditioned just by going to rides.

My favorite mount is a little mare that knows how to take care of herself on trail and in camp. She doesn't get overly excited when other horses leave her or go in front of her on trail.
She has a deep heart girth and pulses down amazingly fast. Strong legs and good feet. Good head and heart. We are still working on the despooking part. When she is fresh or timid on trail, I just slow down.
I have not "raced" her yet. She is smooth to ride and completed her 5 LD rides in a row at a slow to medium pace. Now I'm ready to start riding her in 50s and I have another mare to bring along as well. Both are Polish or racing bred. My first mount was domestic, Egyptian/Polish but he decided he likes arena riding better (a sissy).

You should be able to find an AERC mentor in your area, or a rider that will take you along on a practice 25 mile ride when you are ready! Or you can enter a 10-15 mile intro ride AERC for fun to get an idea of the atmosphere.

D

[Spanish Vision Farm]

<<anyone have any suggestions for preparing a horse for what they might see on a trail? She's typically not too spooky but I am just not sure what will happen if she does spook>>>

take her on trails. ha ha. do desensitization/despooking w /her to teach her to spook in place. If you think the horse is going to spook, put them on a "Frame" and ride them a bit more on the bit. your dressage training will help prepare you for that. you can also sidepass them past spooky things. just make them work thru it by making them "work". get her to some clinics if you can. work cattle. take her for walks in new places (down roads).

western saddles are great for what happens if she does spook. most people get in trouble on trails because they give their horses too much freedom. horses need a leader on trail. or else they may be afraid of everything (if they are that type). others benefit from riding with other horses.

D

[Prelude_HighLyfe]

So, it's looking like I'll start with dressage. Especially because our main problem is getting her to use her rear end, and she definitely can't go into a ride with an out of shape rear end! I am mostly just freaked out about the health portion..how do you know (during a ride) if your pushing your horse too hard..and what about breaths per minute, beats per minute, all the vitals?? I am terrified of hurting her in some way. And they say like..only a portion of horses at races are truly fit at the vet check/intervals. And how do you condition at the walk, do you just walk a lot? Or walk a lot of hills?

Jennifer- I am located about 20 miles west of Atlanta, Georgia!

SVF- I think right now, I'd just like to do a race where I just want to finish and have fun with a healthy horse. If we like it..then I'll progress to harder and more rigourous conditioning. I only weigh 100lbs and am 5'1", but I am so lazy and out of shape. I would die if I went on a ride over 10 miles right now. It will probably take me a while to get in shape too, lol!

[Greentree]

That's the beauty of endurance!! ANY horse can do it. But.. It takes a real dedicated commitment to COMPETE. It takes a horse with a LOT of heart.
You have to spend the time training and conditioning and paying attention to learn your horses comfort zone. They will not tell you anything unless you learn to listen to them. The vet is only a part of the equation at a ride...they don't know your horse.
Good Luck!! Wish I was closer, so we could ride!

Nancy

[lkirby]

You need to be able to rapidly dismount [and re-mount] to lead your horse through really scary situations even when riding out on trail with an experienced partner. Use a good bridle that can't be pulled off of your horse's head if they pull back suddenly while you are leading them. Also, use a bit that will STOP them when necessary.

Start slowly with a 25 mile ride and ask for help/assistance as a beginner rider. You need to build up your endurance [and your horse's endurance] to be able to ride for a minimum of five (5) hours. Walking is two to three miles per hour (2-3 mph). Trotting is four to ten miles per hour (4-6 mph) with an average of 7 miles per hour (7 mph). You can learn to see and feel your horse's breathing and heart rate when you are riding them.

Lorna G. Kirby, PE

[OneMuddyTB]

This is a GREAT thread! Love the information. I won't hijack with my own questions (besides that could be putting the endurance before the horse since I don't have her home yet) but I just wanted to say it has been very informative!

[fireweedak]

Dressage is an excellent place to start! Also Reining or Natural Horsemanship have also been beneficial.

Here is a helpful site on distance riding and feeding: http://www.shady-acr...san/index.shtml

Karen Chaton's site has TONS of info too: http://enduranceridestuff.com/blog/ She's on Facebook too.

The basic rule of thumb when training for distance is do not increase both distance and speed at the same time.
If you usually walk a 5 mile loop the next step would be to mix in trot intervals or stay at a walk and increase the distance.

I truly have come across some of the kindest most helpful people in CTR. Sounds like you're going the AERC route, but they also seem to be a helpful bunch!

What I've found helpful while starting a horse on trails is to BREATHE! I mean audibly Inhale slowly and then exhale in the most relaxing way you can. Gus has copied me so many times when I do this, lol. Also, when you come across bikers, skiiers, even scary stuff, SMILE and greet them, even if it's a scary object. "Hey, awesome day for a hike huh?! Seen any wildlife?" This response helps Gus register them/it as "friend" and move on. I'll find SOMETHING to quickly yap at people about. And if they are one of the few that ignore me I talk anyways, lol. Monday I had to "chase" a biker that spooked us on a bear trail. "You scared us, now we gotta OWN you and walk up to you." lol

Make sure you can stop your horse in an arena before you hit the trails. We have to scoop poop on our trails so Gus was REALLY good at standing for mounting very early on. Highly recommend practicing it out on the trails. Teaching a verbal command for "walk" has helped MANY times, and still does. "Walk on" and "step up" I use all the time. You might find something similar that helps you too.

If you can keep it fun and pleasant for your horse that seems to make for a more enjoyable ride.
Happy trails!