Endurance - a first impression

Having spent most my life around horses, I now find it odd that I only learned of endurance riding less than a year ago. If I had ever before heard of the sport, I had certainly not understood what it entailed. Endurance riding was first described to me as "competitive trail riding," a concept that didn't seem too hard to grasp, as I've logged quite few miles on the backs of many trail horses. When I realized that endurance riders raced 30, 50 or even 100 miles in a single day, I realized that I needed to know more. With further research, I realized that endurance riding is better described as a marathon for horses; which is why I just had to go and see what it was all about when I heard that there was a big race within a three hour drive of my home.

The rain had stopped and a gray haze was hanging over the camp at 6:45 a.m. as the 100-milers were getting their horses warmed up. The timekeeper stood at the gate checking in the riders as they got ready to go and yelled out a minute-by-minute countdown to the start of the race. The horses and riders walked or trotted calmly through the puddles of water up and down the drive waiting for the race to start. As 7 a.m. arrived, the timekeeper unceremoniously yelled "GO!" and a group of 10 or 12 horses and riders took off at a gallop down the lane. Most of the rest of the pack had elected to wait until that first pack was out of sight before they decided to head out at a fast trot, each rider having their own strategy to winning.

After a few minutes, all of the 100-milers had disappeared into the woods and the 30-, 50-, and 55-milers began checking in with the timekeeper. They were an interesting-looking bunch, most riding on something that looked like a modified Australian saddles (which I later found out were Endurance saddles, of course) and wearing tight spandex pants and t-shirts. I could tell from their voices that most of them were what I would call "of non-Southern decent" (otherwise known as Yankees, regardless of where they live), which probably explains why I've never even known an endurance rider.

These guys led the pack in the second group. Photo by Amy Kiel

I was invited to join a "pit crew" and ride along to the first vet check, where the horses and riders would be needing our help after the first leg of their race. As we pulled into the vet checkpoint, I realized that no one had actually gone to breakfast after all, but had come here to set out hay and buckets of water for the horses they were expecting (hopefully) any second.

The first riders came into sight shortly after we arrived; clocking-in at 8:04, a mere 34 minutes after leaving camp. Seven miles in 34 minutes! I'm not too good with math, but that's moving! Both horses and riders looked pretty tired to me, but what do I know?

The horses were quickly un-tacked and doused with water. It seemed that I was the only pit crewmember in the area without a really cool stethoscope-blade contraption that synchronizes with your watch to check the horse's pulse; I felt positively naked. Everyone had their designated jobs; wet the horse, check pulse, walk the horse, offer water. I watched.

After watching for a while, I realized that each horse and rider has a certain amount of time to get checked and cleared by a vet, and then another mandatory amount of time before they can hit the trail again. After a half hour or so, horses and riders began entering the vet check area where a team of veterinarians were waiting to check the horse's vital signs and general health before clearing them to continue the ride. Several horses had to go through the vet check more than once, but most eventually cleared and headed out for a 16-mile loop when their time was up. We headed back to camp for a couple of hours before the next check. I hoped to see some of the 100-milers at the next check.

At the second vet check everything went much as before, except that the "ambulance" - the trailer that takes the horses who have been disqualified for various reasons back to camp - was making continuous round-trips, taking almost a full load each time. Surprisingly, none of the disqualified horses looked too bad; some had thrown a shoe, some just couldn't get their pulse down quite enough to pass the vet check. With the exception of one little mare who tyed up at the first vet check (she got great care and was fine), all of the horses seemed to be in superior condition.

While I was sitting at our "station" waiting for our horse and rider to arrive, I looked around at the other crews and was amazed at how prepared some of these people were. Many of them had large tanks of water; there was even a big truck with what had to be a two hundred-gallon tank of water with an electric pump and a water hose. Another team had a small, quiet generator and water pump attached to a garden hose to help cool off their horse. There were even tents set up to provide shade (or shelter from the rain).

Luckily, the rain had stopped and the sun and a nice breeze helped to dry both horses and riders. As I saw our rider get in line to check in to the vet check, a man on a beautiful bay Arabian stopped by and asked if he could have some water. I presumed he meant for his horse to drink, but even as I nodded, he tossed a sponge into our bucket and snapped the line to which it was attached, caught it in mid air and squeezed the water over his horse's neck. As he dropped it into our bucket a second time, I recognized the ingenuity of his little system. He had a natural sponge inside of a mesh bag, tied to a 6-foot line and clipped to his saddle. He tossed it in the water a couple more times, said "thanks" and headed out to finish the rest of the race.

Our horse didn't pass the second vet check due to potential dehydration, so we packed up and headed back to the camp to watch the rest of the 30-milers finish. Only 31 of the 50 who started the race finished the 30-mile ride. It seems that the heat and humidity took out more than a few horses that were conditioned for winter weather. The 55-miler group (who must weigh 200+ lbs. Including tack) had the best finish rate, 7 of 8 finished. The 50-mile group had 27 of 50 finish the ride; the FEI 100-milers had 7 of 12 riders finish; and the 100-milers had 25 starters and only 14 finishers. All together, 145 started and 85 finished, losing more than 40% of the horses and riders along the way. Click here for unofficial results.

Much to my surprise, in the 30-miler class, also known as "Limited Distance" (not endurance), the first one back to camp does not necessarily win, but the first to pass the final vet check does. The first ten to finish are all considered winners, but of the first ten, only one will be chosen as being in "Best Condition;" a most coveted honor. Those eligible for BC must pass an additional vet check after another hour where they are graded on everything from the horse's ability to recover quickly, hydration, soundness, and overall fitness.

All in all, I gained an appreciation for the sport of endurance riding and the horses and riders who are fit enough to even try a marathon like this. I have a newfound respect for the Arabian breed, but was proud to see several Appaloosas, Quarter Horses, and even a few mules competing. This sport isn't for everyone, but there are all kinds who compete. Many of the riders had a decidedly "English" look about them, but there were a few in jeans and cowboy hats riding, too.

Check our Photo Gallery of the Carolina Ride.