Learn About Endurance
This page is intended to assist interested people in learning about endurance and or competitive trail riding. If you are a potential newcomer to endurance or competitive trail riding there is much to learn. One fortunate thing about the information you need to know is that it will often apply to other areas of life. Much of the knowledge that will help you involves equine health and fitness. Once learned, this knowledge can apply not only to endurance but to showing, trail riding and other organized equine sports. The same is true of the human health and fitness aspects of the sport.
For the majority of endurance riders that I have met the main priority is to Keep their horse safe, healthy and happy. If you get involved in endurance or competitive riding you will not be winning large cash prizes, or small cash prizes for that matter. This is a sport that is about FUN and challenging yourself and your horse to perform to high standards. Knowing how to prepare your horse for competition and keeping him safe and healthy while preparing and competing is the most important thing you can learn. The standards can be met by many breeds of horses and by most people who are willing to put in the necessary effort and preparation required. The great thing is that the preparation required involves a lot of time spent riding your horse. What a wonderful thing to have to do to prepare. Whether your goal is to ride your first 25 mile Competitive Trail Ride or Limited Distance Endurance Ride or to set a new season mileage or point record for you and your horse, you will be getting ready by riding your horse more.
Most of the information that we will share here is in the form of links to other web sites and articles that have been written about this sport. There is a lot of good information available. I would say that the most important thing you can do that will benefit you the most is to go to some rides and volunteer to help out. Most ride managers really like and really need people to help them at the rides. While you are volunteering you will meet some great people, many of whom will be thrilled to answer your questions and help you out in many different ways. The place with the most information about upcoming rides that might be in your area is the American Endurance Ride Conference. Go to www.aerc.org and click on Ride Calendar under the Competition button.
The links on our Helpful Links page will help you find information about this sport. We would be very happy to have you send us questions or comments by using the Contact Us button. We will do our best to point you in the right direction for the answers. Please take the time to get out to a ride this year and see what it's all about.
