Endurance 101
Endurance Is…
An Endurance Ride is a competition testing the speed and the endurance ability of the horse. To be successful, the competitor must have knowledge of pace and efficient and safe use of his horse across country. The competition is against the clock over a distance of 100 miles with at least five compulsory stops for veterinarians to check the horses’ fitness to continue. The competitor who finishes the ride in the shortest time wins.

The History of Endurance…
The idea of endurance riding stems from cavalry training in Europe and the exploration of the west in America. Endurance as a formal sporting event began in the United States in the 1950s.

Wendell Robie, a western horseman, wanted to prove that riders could travel 100 miles in a single day. Robie and several friends rode from Squaw Valley to Auburn, California and started a tradition they called the Western Trail Ride.

Businessman Will Tevis witnessed the event, and donated a trophy to be awarded to the winner. His business partner ,James bin Ali Haggin ,of Lexington, Ky. donated the Best Conditioned horse award. The event became known as the Tevis Cup and is now the oldest modern-day endurance ride and just completed its 55th year.

The sport grew quickly and in 1972 the American Endurance Ride Conference was formed. The AERC organizes and supervises endurance races throughout the country. In 1978 endurance was recognized as an FEI discipline and in 1985 held the first World Championship. More recently, the FEI developed the CEI qualification process based on star (*) classifications.

The AERC holds hundreds of national races each year ranging from 25-100 mile one-day races and even multi day races. The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Endurance race is a FEI CEI 3* 100 mile event—the highest-level Endurance race. Riders and horse must be qualified to attend under significant international qualifying requirements.

Endurance Horses…
The prominent breed of horse used in endurance is Arabian. Approximately 70 percent are pure bred, and essentially the balance is several different breeds with the most notable known as Anglo/Arab; a cross between a Thoroughbred mare and an Arabian stallion. Endurance horses typically are between 8 to 16 years old, and are trim in appearance.

The Veterinary Checks…
Riders are required to return to the vet gate 4 to 6 times during a race, depending on the event. As a horse and rider combination arrives to the vet gate, the rider’s crew immediately removes the saddle and begins to cool the horse with massive amounts of water. The goal of cooling the horse in such a manner is to lower the horse’s heart rate to the maximum allowable 64 beats per minute before the horse can be checked by a vet. After approval from the vet, horse and rider combinations are required to complete a rest period between 30 and 50 minutes.
Competition Venue… The Endurance course for the Kentucky Cup Endurance test event is comprised of a series of six loops which utilize the Kentucky Horse Park and neighboring farms. The 75 mile (120 km) race is expected to be completed in seven hours of riding time by the winner, where as the 100 mile (160 km) race is expected to be completed in about 9 hours for the winner and the last rider/horse must finish in 12 hours and 19 minutes of riding time.

Competition Venue…
The Endurance course for the Kentucky Cup Endurance test event is comprised of a series of six loops which utilize the Kentucky Horse Park and neighboring farms. The 75 mile (120 km) race is expected to be completed in seven hours of riding time by the winner, where as the 100 mile (160 km) race is expected to be completed in about 9 hours for the winner and the last rider/horse must finish in 12 hours and 19 minutes of riding time.