So, maybe you don't want to get your horse trained by anyone else?  You have the time and the energy to do the training, and you'd really like to get involved in the sport of endurance riding, and you'd really like to go to rides and learn all the 'stuff' that you need to know, BUT... you don't know where to start?

Well, Splendacrest Endurance Training can help!  We offer mentoring and assistance to newcomers to the sport, and we help you get sorted out at your first few rides.  Splendacrest can give you tips for riding, strapping, fence-building (at rides), setting up your campsite, sorting out the paperwork, and heaps more information that you really need to know!

The Splendacrest Team will welcome you into our camping area at rides, will help you prepare and strap your horse during the ride, and will even tell you when to sit down and have a cuppa and relax!  An endurance ride can be a daunting proposition for 'newbies' and we try to make sense of it all for you.  You will gain a great deal of knowledge and assistance just from seeing what goes on in the Splendacrest camp.

If you really want to know more, go to the bottom of this page and read the "Tips for Beginners" area.  If you get stuck, or you have more questions, please feel free to email me on splendacrest@hotmail.com or phone me on 0438 309 458.

Well, that's easy too!  Come along and join the Splendacrest Team at a ride.... we'll show you what's going on, introduce you to people that can help you along the way, and teach you all the strapping secrets and trotting out techniques that the 'big guys' keep under wraps! 

Actually, we recommend that newcomers to the sport attend one or two rides without their horse to begin with.  This allows you to absorb what is going on, get a good grasp on the procedures, and learn what to do BEFORE you bring your horse to a ride.  So much less stress!

Several clubs in Queensland run annual training seminars and Introductory rides for newcomers to the sport of endurance riding.  These seminars are well worth attending, but you can also choose to attend one of our own Splendacrest Training Seminars, held at "Splendacrest" in Preston, Qld.

We have decided to expand the number and style of these Training Seminars in 2008 and beyond, and will be offering a variety of topics, some of which are listed below:

• Youth Development in the sport (designed for 13-17 year olds)
• Adult Beginners - Riding
• Adult Beginners - Strapping
• Adult Beginners - Vetting
• Ride Volunteers (designed for partners and/or friends of riders)
• TPR (Temperature, Pulse, Respiration) Steward training
• FEI Ride Procedures (VGIH vetting procedures - advanced)

Each Training Seminar runs over 1 - 4 days, depending upon bookings received.  If you are interested in learning any of these skills, please email your details to splendacrest@hotmail.com stating which item/s you are interested in.  Training Seminars can be combined for small groups, so that you can make the most of your time at Splendacrest.  You are also welcome to bring your own horse to Splendacrest, or you may chose to use one of ours for the seminars.

The endurance competition season in Queensland runs from March - October, so we are quite busy during these months.  If you would like to participate in in-depth training, we suggest that you consider booking during summer, when we can offer you more time! 

So, you want to do endurance riding, but don't know where to start?  Hopefully, this page will assist you on your quest for answers!

To begin with, you should be reading everything you can about the sport.  There are many websites and books available, all designed to help you out.  If you are in Australia, begin by going to:  www.aera.asn.au

This is the website of the Australian Endurance Riders Association, and has information about the rules of the sport and how to become a member of the Association.  In the menu bar, you will see "State Divisions".  Click on this to get into your respective state's Endurance Association.  Here you will find calendars of the rides that are held in each state, the contact details for each state's Management Committee, and lots of other useful information.  The QERA (Qld) site also has lots of additional information and articles available to read:  www.aera.asn.au/qera

You can also join a couple of chat lists, and ask questions and get answers there.  The official AERA chatlist is AussieEndurance@yahoogroups.com .  Anyone is allowed to join, but only AERA members are allowed to post to this list.  Another good list is Aussie_Endurance@yahoogroups.com .  Here you are able to post and read, without having to be a member of AERA.  Both of these lists are full of information and should really enthuse you to get involved in the sport.

Another great resource is the series of "Endurance: Beginners to Advanced" magazines which are available from most Newsagencies.

Please read on for more basic information about getting started in the great sport of Endurance Riding!

What kind of horse do I need?

Any horse can get you started in Endurance Riding!  Although the majority of horses in the sport are either purebred or partbred Arabians, there are plenty of Thoroughbreds, Quarter Horses, Australian Stock Horses, American Saddlebreds, Ponies, Crossbreds of every colour, style and type, and many other breeds also competing successfully.  It is actually recommended that you commence your endurance riding with the horse you already own!  That way you will know your horse, and will be comfortable and confident on your own horse.  Of course, maybe your current horse just doesn't turn out to be suitable, or maybe you decide along the way that you need a different mount.  That's OK too!  But why not try it out with your current horse? 

What kind of tack/equipment do I need?

Well, to be honest, you will see a greater variety of tack and equipment (and dress) in endurance rides than in any other equine sport!  There is no "hard and fast rule".  Stock saddles, dressage saddles, polo saddles, half-breeds, western saddles, and of course custom built endurance saddles are all evident at a ride.  Probably the one item that will stand out for you at your first exposure to the sport will be the breast-plate.  It is considered that the use of a breast-plate enhances the safety factor for the rider, and also assists in keeping the saddle in place when riding up hills.  So, you can use your current saddle with no problems!

Similarly, bridles are many and varied, with most kinds of bits evident.  Hackamores, rope halters, sidepulls and bitless bridles are also popular, although you probably won't see many western-style shank bits!  Any stirrups can be used, however I consider caged safety stirrups to be the best.  But don't let that stop you!  Try your stirrups out, and if you're not comfortable riding more than about 20kms in them, then you can change to a purpose-designed endurance stirrup, which has a wider footplate often with some 'give' in it.

Many riders are going 'barefoot' these days, and hoof boots are getting rather commonplace.  If your horse is shod, make sure that it is freshly shod before a ride (about 1 week before), because you certainly don't want to lose a shoe due to an overdue shoeing date!  Also, ask your farrier about using a lightweight (not aluminium) shoe, preferably concaves not flats.

Shin, bell, splint and fetlock boots are also greatly evident at rides, however don't use them unless you horse actually needs them!  They shouldn't be used as a fashion statement, but purely out of necessity.  Every bit of extra weight you put onto your horses' legs means that they have to carry that weight around for 40 or 80 kilometres... and that's a big ask for any horse!

What do I wear?

Wear whatever you want, and whatever you are comfortable in!  People ride in jeans, moleskins, jodphurs, shorts, and yes! I've even seen a girl riding in a skirt!  And there's no real dress code (for Australian rides), so you can wear a t-shirt, polo, long sleeves, short sleeves, singlet, or even a jogging bra!  (Or the blokes can go topless if they wish!)  Of course, there are environmental factors to consider such as sunburn, scratches from lantana or overhanging branches, riding in the cold and the rain and the mud, and everything in between.

Helmets are compulsory in the sport in Australia.  And not just any old helmet... it must meet Australian Standards.  There are a number of great light-weight helmets on the market these days, such as Aussie 21, Tipperary, LAS, etc.  Please invest in a good helmet, and save your noggin!  A word of advice:  black and other dark-coloured helmets are hot to ride in for extended periods of time.

You can also wear just about anything on your feet!  Well, maybe not thongs.  Although many people wear standard riding boots, and some even wear top boots, these can be quite hard to walk down hills in if they have a slippery sole.  And as endurance riders often get off their horses to walk down hills (thus giving the horse a bit of a break), then most wear some kind of boot or running shoe with a good sole.  And as some running shoes don't have a heel, caged stirrups are reccommended in this instance!

Lots of riders in endurance wear chapettes or gaiters.  Lots of riders wear gloves.  Quite a few wear shade brims over their helmets.  Believe me, you won't look out of place at an endurance ride, no matter what you wear!

So, you've got the gear and the dress sorted out, and you've decided to use your current horse.  So how do you start your training regime?

Age of the Horse

Firstly, although you can enter Introductory Rides (up to 20kms) on a 3 year old horse, and Training Rides (40kms) on a 4 1/2 year old horse, you cannot start your horse in an actual Endurance Ride (80kms) until it is 5 years old.  The age of the horse for endurance riding purposes is based on its actual date of birth, not 1 August.  So if your horse's DOB is 11 December, then you cannot enter an Endurance Ride until after 11 December in its 5th year.  BUT... if your horses' 5 year old teeth are not "in full wear" (meaning that the back corners are flat) then your horse is not considered to be mature enough to enter an endurance ride, regardless of its DOB! 

But you, the rider, must successfully complete 2 x 40km rides first, before you are allowed to enter an 80km ride.  So, let's get back to Starting to Train your Horse......

Let's assume that you want to use your horse that you've been riding already in another discipline, be it Dressage, Jumping, Sporting or Polocrosse.  Let's assume that your horse is over 5 years of age, and is sound.  Let's assume that your horse gets ridden a couple of times a week for a couple of hours at a time, and is reasonably fit.  Well...... load up your horse and head off to a Training Ride!  Your horse will most likely be able to do 40kms already!  It's really not that hard.

So your horse is a bit younger, or not very fit?

Beginning Training

Firstly you must start off by training every part of the horse.  Take into account diagonals, canter strikes, uphill and downhill work, flat work, standing still while other people are around, drinking when offered water, eating grass along the track, loading and unloading easily, allowing your fingers to poke into his mouth, lifting the tail and sticking a thermometer up there, allowing other people to approach your horse, getting your horse used to travelling in front of a group and behind a group, allowing other horses to overtake you, etc, etc, etc.

You must not forget that you, as the rider, will also need training.  Most people don't realise that not only is "economy of motion" important to endurance riding it is also important to the health of a horse.  You've all heard the term "keep them off balance" when talking about someones mental situation. Well, for horses being balanced is actually important for their mental health and if they are kept off balance and out of rhythm by poor riding or insufficient training their mental state deteriorates. Which of course is poor for endurance and the long term training and health of the horse.

Once you and your horse are getting fitter, then you start to condition your horse for longer distances.  To begin with you could just do 5 - 7kms a few times a week, generally at a walk/trot.  This would take you 45 minutes - 1.5 hours or so, depending upon your training terrain.  After a few weeks of this you could up the distance to 10 - 14 kms at the same pace, taking 1 - 2 hours to complete.  Then you start to add in some speed over the same distance.... so taking 1 hour to do 12kms or so.   NEVER up the distance AND the speed at the same time.  And take 2 - 3 weeks at each level before progressing to EITHER a greater distance or a greater speed.

If you are lucky enough to have a hilly area in which to train, the absolute BEST training is to walk up and down those hills about 4 times a week for about 1.5 hours at a time.  You will be surprised at just how fast your horse gets fit on this regime.  Be careful not to overtrain your horse at this stage.  You don't want him to get sour, and you don't want him to strain tendons.  I feel that at this stage of conditioning riding every second day, and allowing him to do simple things or rest on the other days is the best method.

Feeding your Horse

Probably one of the biggest problems for endurance horses is getting over fed and under worked.  Although the endurance horse needs LOTS of roughage, therefore LOTS of grassy hay, he doesn't really need much in the way of concentrates and grain at this stage.  Keeping your feeding schedule simple will also cut your costs.  I would suggest that you feed 1 large scoop wheaten chaff, 1/2 scoop copra meal, 1 scoop of a concentrate such as Prydes EasiResponse or Mitavite Economix, a handful of coarse salt, and a tablespoon of epsoms salts.  Mix this all together with plenty of water, and serve.

As your horse becomes fitter, and the work load increases, you can start to add oil, other supplements as necessary, and electrolytes.  But start off fairly simply, and 'tweak' your horses' feed depending upon his requirements.

Getting to an Endurance Ride

Your horse should now be ready to do an Introductory Ride (20kms) if it is between 3 - 4 years of age, or a Training Ride (40kms) if it is at least 4 1/2 years of age.  So how do you find these rides?  The Australian Endurance Riders Association Inc has a great website at: www.aera.asn.au .  On the navigation bar at the left of the page is a listing for "State Associations", where you will find a link to each state's own website.  Each of these websites has a listing for their "Ride Calendar".  Check these calendars out, and you will see every ride in your state listed.  What you are looking for is a ride that is close(ish) to you where there is either a 20km or a 40km ride listed.

Usually there is a Ride Organiser's contact so that you can email or phone and let them know that you are coming to their ride.  This is also a great opportunity to ask questions of this person, such as driving directions to get there, camping facilities at the ride base, time that the ride commences, what travel paperwork you need to bring with you, etc.  Traditionally all endurance rides in Australia commence on Sunday morning (with a few exceptions).  So you do need to arrive at the Ride Base on Saturday afternoon, set up your campsite, settle your horse into a yard (that you provide:  either panels or an electric fence), go to the pre-ride Vetting Inspection, have a leisurely dinner, get a great night's sleep, and then ride off into the great blue yonder on Sunday morning.  Well, that's the idea, anyway!

Arrival at a Ride Base can be a bit confusing, but basically all you have to look for is a place to park your vehicle/float and room to set up a yard for your horse.  Some ride bases have great facilities, ie. Showgrounds, and some have no facilities at all.  Sometimes you will have access to power and water, and sometimes you will have to lug buckets of water a fair way from the only tap on the grounds to your campsite.

Once you and your horse are settled, then you need to go to the Secretary's Tent and fill out a nomination form and pay your nomination fee.  You will be given a 'bib' with a number on it, and you must wear this bib throughout the ride.

Membership Benefits

To begin with, there is no need for you to join your State Association.  You do not need to be a Member in order to ride in either a 20km or a 40km ride.  On the day, when you pay your nomination fee for this ride, you will be charged a little extra to cover a "Day Membership" which includes insurance cover for that day.  If you do want to join your State Association, you must do this in advance of getting to the ride, as there are a couple of items of paperwork to sign, send in to the Registrar, and then you will receive a Membership Card in the mail... which you then take along with you to the ride as proof of your Membership status.

Once you have completed 2 x 40km rides, and you decide to 'step up' and do an 80km ride, then you MUST become a Member of your State Association before the ride.  Membership Benefits include an excellent insurance coverage which covers you on any horse, any time, any where!  It also includes a bi-monthly Newsletter, and access to a variety of services including a Reference Library, Voting Privleges, etc.  The levels of Membership start with "Trainer" (pink card), progress to "Novice" (yellow card), and then on to "Open" (white card).  A "Trainer" can only enter 20km or 40km rides, a "Novice" can enter 80km and 120km rides but must ride at a restricted pace, and an "Open" card holder can enter any distance and can ride at any speed (depending upon the level of the horse).

Membership varies from State to State, but is approximately $150 annually for a full riding membership.

There are 2 levels of accreditation for the horses:  "Novice" and "Open".  A Novice horse can only enter rides of up to 120km, and must be ridden at a restricted pace (generally no faster than 14 kph).  An Open horse can enter any ride, and can do any speed.  A Novice horse only becomes an Open horse upon the successful completion of 3 rides of between 80km and 120km.

In order to register your horse as a Novice horse, you must pay $25 for an AERA Logbook.  These are available through each states' Registrar.

Going to the Vet for the Pre-Ride Inspection

Once you've filled out your nomination form and paid the nomination fee, then it's off to the Vet Ring!  Make sure that your horse is clean and well-presented, and take special care to clean up around the tail area (because the Vet is going to have a look under there!).  Wear your ride bib, as this is your identification from now on.  If it's a bit breezy, take your horse to the Vet Ring with a rug on, in case you have to stand around for a bit.  At nomination you would have been given a Day Card (if you aren't a Member), or your horse's Logbook would have been completed with the details of the ride you have entered.  The Chief Steward (who wears a red vest) will approach you and ask if your horse has a microchip or a brand.  He will inspect the horse, compare its markings and brand to the information in the Logbook, and may look at its teeth in order to determine if it is of the correct age to enter.

He will then direct you to the TPR Steward bays.  TPR means "Temperature, Pulse, Respiration", and at each ride there are several Stewards who take on the role of checking these areas before you get to the Veterinarian.  You will take you horse to one of these TPR Stewards, and you must hold you horse quietly while the Steward takes their heartrate, their temperature, and their respiration rate.  All of these numbers are then written into the Day Card or the Logbook.  The TPR Steward will fold the rug back as needed to get to the horse, but will be happy to leave it on the horse during this procedure.  Your job is to keep the horse calm and relaxed.

Once the TPR Steward is finished with you, you can progress to the Vet.  The Vet will check the entries in the Logbook, and then do a fairly comprehensive examination of the horse, including checking its heart sounds, gut sounds, capillary refill (lifting the lip and pressing on the gum), jugular refill, skin recoil (to check hydration level), muscle tone over the rump area, a general look at girth, withers, and back for any sore spots, and a look at the legs to check for previous injuries.  He/she will then ask you to trot your horse out, and at this stage you must remove any rugs that you have on the horse.  A Tip:  it is far easier to do this if you didn't do up the legstraps in the first place!

The trot out is usually a triangular pattern, which allows the Vet to see your horse travelling away from him (checking for any rear end issues), then travelling across in front of him, and then travelling directly towards him (checking for any front end issues).  If you aren't confident, just ask exactly what it is you need to do.  Unfortunately, this is where many people fall down in their training!!  You must practice the trot out at home, so that you are confident that your horse will do exactly as  you ask.  The best way to trot out is to hold the lead rein loosely, stand at the horses' shoulder, and give it a cue of some kind that means "TROT!".  The goal is to get your horse trotting freely on a loose rein next to you, with impulsion and confidence.  Don't look at your horse, look where you are going!!

After you return to the Vet, he will 'give you the nod' and you can exit the Vet Ring, and the Vet keeps your Logbook/Day Card.  If there is a problem with your trot out you can be asked to repeat it.  If your horse is lame, you will be eliminated from the competition before you even start!!!  It is a good idea to trot your horse out in front of a friend or new aquaintance before you go to the Vet Ring, just to make sure that your horse is still sound after the float ride from your house to the ride base!

After the Pre-Ride Vet Inspection, you can take you horse back to your campsite and either put him away or take him out for a short ride to see a bit of the track.  This is always a good idea if you haven't been to this ride before, because you can see what you'll be riding over in the morning.  Make sure that your horse has plenty of hay in his yard, and give him a hard feed to keep him munching throughout the night.  Also make sure that he is drinking well.... and if he doesn't like the water that you've provided, you may have to mix up a little mollasses into some water for him.  Sometimes horses turn up their noses at chlorinated water or bore or dam water, so flavouring it can help.

The Pre-Ride Talk

Generally the ride organisers will have a information session for all riders after all the pre-ride Vetting has been completed.  It will be announced as to where this talk will take place, and everyone should attend.  In fact, you can be disqualified if you are a beginner or novice rider and do not attend this talk!   The ride organiser will usually talk about the track, and tell you if there are any areas where you should exercise caution.  The Chief Steward will usually talk about his rules and requirements, and remind everyone to be at the Vet Ring on time!  The Head Vet will usually talk about the problems that might occur if your horse is not ridden sensibly and to the conditions on the day.  Consider that very hot or very cold weather can make things a bit difficult for both you and your horse.

Sometimes you might be given a map of the course, although this is not really necessary as you will be following coloured arrows and flagging tape around the track.  The Chief Steward will also announce "official time", which is the time on his watch!  You must make sure that your watch and his watch are synchronised!  You will also be told the exact time that you will depart, and all riders in each ride depart at the same time.

After the pre-ride talk you can have dinner, chat with your new friends camped next to you, feed your horse, wander around and talk to people, and then get yourself off to an early night in bed, ready for an early start on Sunday!

The Ride

I suggest that you get up at least an hour before the scheduled start of your ride.  This gives you time to throw your horse some hay, get some breakfast into yourself (VERY important!), get dressed and put your ride bib on, and saddle/bridle your horse in preparation for the ride.  You do not have to start with everyone else.  You are allowed to start within 15 minutes of the scheduled start time, so if you want to make a calm and collected departure, or if you are worried about how your horse will react in a large group, just hang back at your campsite for a few minutes after the start time and go out a bit late.

As you leave the starting area you must call your bib number out to the Chief Steward, who marks you off a list to indicate that you are now on course.  Introductory and Training rides are generally commenced in daylight, so you won't need a headlamp for them. 

Once out on track you will be following coloured arrows (make sure you know which colour you are supposed to be following), and flagging tape hung from trees along the way.  Most tracks are well marked, and it is pretty hard to get lost (unless some young hoon has decided to removed some arrows during the evening!).  Your horse should be capable of trotting along at a fairly good pace, and you can always slow down where the going gets a bit tougher. 

You can pace yourself by watching for the 10km markers and looking at your watch to see how long it's taken you to get to each marker.  For instance, if you get to the first 10km marker an hour after you left, you are travelling at an average of 10kph.  If you reach this marker in 45 minutes, you are travelling at about 14kph.  If you reach this marker in 30 minutes, you are going too fast!!!!!!  The maximum overall speed allowed for Training rides is 14kph, so you have a minimum of 3 hours in which to complete the 40kms.  This means that you cannot arrive back at base any earlier than 3 hours from the time you departed, or you will be disqualified for going too fast.  Of course, you can take longer than 3 hours, with an average of 10kph meaning that you will do the 40km in 4 hours.  An average speed of 8kph means that you will finish the 40km in 5 hours.  An average of 5kph means that you will finish the 40km in 6 hours.

You should be aiming at completing your first training ride in between 4 - 5 hours.  This will ensure that you are not taking too long and tiring out your horse, but still allows your horse to be travelling at a reasonable pace.  Remember that most horses walk at about 5kph or slightly more.

Strapping

When you arrive back into the ride base, you will be given a 'time slip' with your arrival time noted on it.  This slip will also state your Vetting time, which is 30 minutes after you arrive.  During the next 30 minutes, you go back to your campsite and strap your horse in preparation for the Veterinary Inspection.

Covers of Novice (Blue) and Open (Yellow) Logbooks

Veterinary ID Pages from Logbook

The left-hand side of the page

The right-hand side of the page