❔About Endurance & EDRA

What is the sport of Endurance?

Do you enjoy riding your horse for miles through beautiful scenery, have a need for a little speed, and like to challenge yourself? Endurance is the sport for you!

Endurance involves riding your horse for distances of 25-100 miles within a time limit and meeting veterinary criteria before, during, and after the event to ensure the welfare of all equine athletes. In addition to placing in the order that they finish, participants are also competing for various other awards such as “Best in Class”, “High Vet Score”, and even “Turtle”, depending on the particular ride. However, most competitors are mainly challenging themselves to complete the distance within the time allotted and enjoying the beautiful trails we get to ride, all while ensuring their equine athletes are healthy and happy.

Other Competitions at Our Events

In addition to standard endurance rides, EDRA events usually include Intro Rides and may also host a Ride and Tie or Test your Mettle Relay.

  • Intro Ride: Ride a 8-15-mile loop and complete vet checks for an relaxed introduction to the sport and/or just an enjoyable trail ride.
  • Ride & Tie: Two rides, one horse! While one person rides ahead, the runner does the trail on foot. Then, the rider ties the horse on trail and begins running on foot; the when the first runner catches up to the horse, they ride on ahead – and repeat until the distance is covered.
  • Test your Mettle Relay – Similar to endurance, but in teams that take turns. Click here to learn more.

EDRA is one of multiple sanctioning bodies for equine endurance rides in North America. We have a Board of Directors and general membership. EDRA sanctions and regulates rides, tracks results and points, provides resources and support to ride managers as well as participants, puts on clinics, hosts an annual conference and awards, and continually works to improve and grow the sport of equine endurance.

Our mission statement: The mission of the Equine Distance Riding Association is to promote, at all levels and to all members, safe, competitive equine distance riding events and experiences. EDRA boundaries include the continental US and Canada. Lifetime miles of equine and rider will be compiled for EDRA sanctioned events within these boundaries. Central to EDRA’s mission is a robust mentoring program that supports the development of equines, riders and ride managers to their maximum capabilities while protecting horse and rider. Fun, friendly, and fair competition in a learning environment is our goal.

An equine

You need a horse (or mule!) that is ridden regularly and safe for trail riding and camping overnight. Most horses that are ridden regularly are fit enough to do an intro ride and possibly a 25-mile ride, depending on the specific horse and ride location/course. All breeds of equines are welcome to participate in endurance. While Arabians are the most common breed used for endurance, many other breeds can successfully participate and are common at our rides including stock horses, Mustangs, Morgans, Saddlebreds, and even Icelandic ponies!

No special tack is required. However, it is critical that your tack is properly fitted and adjusted to your horse. Many endurance riders have learned the hard way how minor tack problems can become major issues once they ride longer miles. Check your tack often for issues, especially rubs or pressure points. Consult a professional saddle fitter as needed. 

 

A basic checklist includes:

  • bridle (bitted or bitless)
  • saddle, pad, and girth/cinch
  • breast collar (highly recommended)
  • crupper (only if your saddle tends to slide forward on downhills)
  • Hoof protection (shoes or boots) – if you haven’t used boots before, please reach out for recommendations about what works best in endurance

 

There are a number of specialty tack items popular among endurance riders, such as biothane tack (which won’t be damaged by bad weather), specific saddle styles and brands, specific pads, etc. However, the most important thing is to use what works for YOU and YOUR horse. Once you are participating, your preferences for specialty tack will likely develop and evolve.

Rides are often located in remote areas with access to miles of trails, so you’ll need a way to get there! If you don’t have your own rig, reach out to other riders to see if they can help out. We are a friendly organization, and carpooling can save money!

There are a variety of camping options for both humans and equines. People camp in anything ranging from sleeping in their vehicle or the back of their trailer or setting up a tent to having full-size living quarters or RV’s. The most common horse-camping options are panels (portable or livestock panels), portable electric fence, and/or tied to the trailer using a special HighTie system. Less commonly, riders might High-lining is an option, but most ride camps are located in fields so may not be possible. Hobbles are not recommended and may not be allowed due to the nature of having a large group of horses camping in one area. If you are unsure about camping arrangements for you or your horse, do not hesitate to reach out to EDRA members and/or the ride manager for more information and assistance.

Ride your horse

Any regularly-ridden horse can successfully participate in Intro rides and, often, 25-mile distances. To increase your horse’s fitness for endurance, riders new to the sport should ride 5-10 mile distances once or twice per week with some elevation and regular trotting. Be careful not to override your horse! Regular walking, especially with elevation, is excellent conditioning for an endurance horse. Moreover, riding more than 20-30 miles per week is generally unnecessary and can cause excessive wear and tear, even for competitive horses at longer distances.

More extensive conditioning for 50+ mile rides and/or more competitive times is highly dependent on the individual horse, terrain, and ride you are preparing for, so we recommend gaining experience through the following recommendations.

One of the BEST ways to learn about endurance is to volunteer! Rides are only possible with great volunteers, and everyone can contribute in some way (even non-horsey partners and family members!). Volunteers might help scribe for a vet, take pulses, record results, transport supplies, mark/unmark trail (on horseback, foot, or bike), and many other duties – we can find something that you are comfortable and confident doing! Meanwhile, you will learn much from observing the ride and participants as well as connecting with other riders and volunteers who are always happy to help explain what is happening and give tips to help you be successful. Use the Calendar to find a ride that you are interested in volunteering for and reach out directly to the ride manager to let them know you’d like to volunteer.

Most rides include an Intro ride. This is a unofficial and non-competitive short version of a full endurance ride, usually with distances of 8-15 miles on trails that are used for the actual ride. You will also complete a pre- and post-vet check, just like you would for an actual competition. Sometimes, it is possible to arrive and leave the same day, but for the full experience you should arrive the night before in time for the Ride Meeting and stick around until the Ride Meeting after your Intro ride.

A knowledgeable mentor will be able to work with you and your horse’s individual needs in order to prepare appropriately for doing endurance. This is especially important as you move from Intro rides and 25-mile distances into higher distances and/or riding at a more competitive pace. Contact Us and/or visit our Facebook page to find a mentor to support you!

Ride Preparation

In the weeks leading up to the ride, Ride Managers and volunteers spend countless hours identifying, clearing, and marking trails to ensure they are safe and total the correct distances in addition to providing riders a fantastic experience.

Participants generally arrive in ride camp 1-2 days before the ride, depending on distance they are travelling and the distance(s) they are planning to ride. Often, for a Saturday ride, Thursday is often a “fun” and social day for the handful of riders who arrive early, while Friday is when most riders arrive and are getting their horses settled in and prepared for the ride.

 

On the day before the ride (usually Friday), riders must check in and get their vet card as well as vet in with their vet card so that their horse is cleared to compete.

 

Riders often go for a “pre-ride” to stretch their horses’ legs and show them the start line and first few miles of the trail.

 

If there is an “out” vet check, it’s important to get your bag with any supplies you want at the vet check into the trailer as it often leaves early in the morning.

The evening before the ride, around 5-7pm, there will be a Ride Meeting to inform riders about ride details such as start times, vet checks, things to be aware of on trail, etc. At EDRA rides, there is usually an educational clinic either immediately before or earlier the same day as the Ride Meeting. Check with the specific ride manager for more details.

About an hour or two before their start time, riders will wake up to feed their horses and make sure they have enough to eat before the ride begins.

 

Different distances will have staggered start times, with longer distances starting as early as 5AM and the shortest distances starting as late as 8AM. Intro (or “Trail Riders”) will often have an open trail around 9-10AM. Be sure to check if there is a cutoff time for Intro/Trail rides!

 

Riders often like to warm up their horses and/or mount up around 15 minutes prior to their start time. Competitive/faster riders will usually be at the start line 5-10 minutes before the trail opens and immediately trot down the trail once volunteers announce that the trail is open. More casual riders, or riders whose horses get overly excited at the start line, often wait with their horses away from the starting line until the initial wave has gone down the trail and trot or walk across the start line 3-5 minutes later. While you can start later, there are cutoff times and you must still finish by the designated time in order to complete the ride; riders should aim to begin the ride no later than 15 minutes after the official start time.

Riders will complete the ride in various stretches, broken up by “vet checks”, “holds”, and occasionally “trot-by’s”.

  • Vet check – a veterinarian looks over your horse and completes your vet card
  • Hold – a designated time that you must wait before continuing down the trail
  • Trot-By – a point on the trail where a veterinarian watches you and your horse as you pass on the trail in order to ensure they are looking healthy and sound

Some stretches of trail may be loops which bring riders back into camp for the vet check and/or hold. Other stretches might lead to an “out vet check”, which is a point along the trail where you will stop to have your horse checked by a vet and you will complete your hold on the trail rather than in camp.

Once all distances have completed and results have been tallied, there will be a ride meeting that often coincides with dinner (whether provided by you or the ride). Results will be announced, awards given, and participants and volunteers will celebrate their experiences together. If there is a ride the following day, information about the ride will be given.

Once the ride is over, participants may go home the same day or camp until the following morning (especially for longer distances to give horses time to rest). Volunteers and ride management will stay to ensure the camp is cleaned up properly and take down trail markers.

The majority of our events are currently in Washington with one ride in Montana. However, we are looking to expand to other regions – please reach out if you are interested in sanctioning a ride with EDRA!

Check the Calendar of Events to find a ride near you! Reach out to the ride manager and/or on the EDRA Facebook page to ask for details about the ride and to let people know you are participating for the first time. You can also ask about whether a particular ride is recommended for horses/riders new to the sport as some are particularly challenging. Riders are always happy to keep an eye out for new riders and support them so they have a positive and educational experience.

If you are interested in becoming a Ride Manager or know about some great trails where we should hold an endurance ride, please Contact Us to let us know! We have many resources available to help support ride mangers, ranging from planning tools to the EDRA trailer with supplies like water tanks, cones, vests, etc. to ensure a smooth and successful ride.