A FEW TIPS TO GET YOU STARTED
Recommended Reading
The Complete Guide to Endurance Riding and Competition by Donna Snyder-Smith
Go The Distance by Nancy S. Loving, DVM
The Lighter Side of Endurance Riding by Angie McGhee (this is the funniest book I have ever read- highly recommended for a great laugh!)
www.mimi.me.uk/ - good website with a training program you can follow as well.
A GOOD IDEA IS TO TYPE OUT YOUR RIDE TRAINING PLAN AND POP IT ON YOUR FRIDGE WITH YOUR DAILY TRAINING KM'S AND YOUR WEEKS TOTAL - THE WEBSITE ABOVE HAS A GREAT PROGRAM TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA AND JUST ALTER IT TO SUIT YOU.
IF YOU DO A DIFFERENT DISTANCE THAN YOU RECORDED ON YOUR SHEET JUST WRITE THE NEW DISTANCE IN AND CHANGE YOUR WEEKLY TOTAL. THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO KNOW EXACTLEY WHAT TRAINING YOU ARE DOING.
TIPS
IMPORTANT - DO NOT FORGET TO TAKE A YARD FOR YOUR HORSE THAT IS EITHER THE METAL TYPE YARDS OR ELCTRIC FENCING WITH TWO STRANDS OF ELECRIC TAPE & DONT FORGET YOUR ENERGISER! You will need a yard even if doing a 20km day ride to house your horse in pre-ride and during presentations etc.
Most rides hold 20km social rides, 40km training rides then endurance rides are 80km and over.
All riders must do 2 x 40km rides and successfully complete them to go onto novice status to enable them to compete in 80km rides.
All horses and riders must complete 3 x 80km rides (or 240km) as novice riders and horses to gain endurance status and step up to their horses Yellow Log Book.
Whilst novice you cannot enter rides of more than 120km in distance.
The novice period is for a total of 90 days and a novice horse cannot compete in more than 4 x 80 km rides within that 90 day period and you remain Novice status for 90 days.
You cannot do a 40km training ride any faster than 14km an hour so that equates to roughly a 3 hour finishing time - minimum. FOR YOUR 40KM RIDE AND NOVICE 80KM RIDES YOU HAVE A MINIMUM RIDE TIME YOU CANNOT COME IN UNDER - IF YOU WORK OUT YOUR TIMES TO BE THAT YOU DO NOT REACH EACH 10KM MARKER IN LESS THAN 45 MINUTES YOU WILL COME IN ON THE 3HR MARK. UNDER 3 HOURS YOU WILL BE DISQUALIFIED.
Obviously you can take longer than 3 hours this is just a guide for you so if you are hitting the 10km marker in less than 45mins the 20km marker in less than 1.5 hours and so on, you are going to fast and will come in to early.
RIDE PREP TIPS
Before you even go to a ride there are a few things you can practice at home to make the day less stressful and safer for you and those around you.
Ensure your horse is use to being yarded.
Ensure you can touch him all over and other people can also - take the temperature - that he will stand for 1 full minute to have his heart rate taken - he will allow the vet to look in his mouth.
If your horse kicks a red ribbon is to be tied in the tail before you vet in and to remain in until you finish vetting at the end. Do not leave the ribbon out in the vet ring for pre-ride vetting either and rely on yourself telling people to stay clear before your horse kicks - people should not crowd each other in the vet ring but it happens and what a rider considers a safe distance a horses back legs at full kick may still stretch and connect.
Practice your strapping at the end of each training session so that your horse is accustomed to it and you have a system.
Teach your horse to drink out of puddles, different containers etc while you are training and when you finish each session.
Know your horses resting heart rate and recovery times.
Never use brand new gear for the fiirst time at an endurance ride in case it rubs or hurts the horse.
Ensure all your gear is clean and sweat free to lessen the risk of chaffing.
Have a set of underwear and jodphurs you know wont rub you!
Try not to use brand new drinking containers at rides as the new plastic smell may stop a horse from drinking - use ones the horse has been drinking from in your training sessions.
I take my own water from home to rides to place in his yard to stop the risk of my horse not liking the water provided at a ride.
FEEDING
This is purely what has worked for me and is by no means the be all and end all - each horse is different so it is up to you to know your horse - this is just some basics I have found along the way.
Vitamin E and Selenium are wonderful agents for lessening the lactic acid build up and speeding up muscle recovery during work. Dont forget to increase these and your salts two to three days pre endurance ride!
Work the feed and feed the work...... Feed plenty for the amount of training you will do - if you feed work sized feeds ensure you get out there and train - days you dont train do not over feed!
Feed plenty of grass hay to help lock fluids in the hindgut leading up to a ride - increase prior to the ride if you wish. You can also soak your hay or lucerne hay in water before feeding.
High protein feeds have been found to make some barefoot horses more sensitive, so watch your lucerne intake if your horse is prone to sensitive feet.
