What to look for in an Endurance horse? PROSPECT W/ VIDEO!!!

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

OSI know this is a VERY broad subject, but I would like to know the main points of what to look for in an Endurance prospect. I'm looking at one gelding now, he's 10, nice conformation, big wide feet, sound mind and body. I'm just not sure what I should be looking for as far as the amount of "go" he should have, or is that something I can train into him?

Thanks!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Have him vet-checked for sure.

Good feet are important, as well as good attitude. Ride him, of course, especially at a trot which is the gait that is most used in endurance racing. He should have an easy to ride, smooth trot that is easy on him and YOU! Does he have a nice laid back shoulder which will enable him to have a flowing stride instead of a short choppy gait?

Has this gelding worked for a living? If he's been a pasture ornament all his life he will be much harder to bring into serious endurance shape. While a willingness to "go" is a necessity, remember that fighting to hold them back uses up a lot of your energy and his.

You can build his stamina and endurance, but only so much.... you can't make an endurance horse out of an animal who is not physically and/or mentally suited for it. Too much muscle mass might work against you in this instance. A lean, mean efficient machine is what you want. A large majority of endurance horses are Arabian or Arabian crosses. Not being a breed snob here, but these horses have been doing this for centuries.

Good luck!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Sorry I should have included more info. He is a registered 100% Arabian. He has a great attitude, loves people and has a "I'm looking to you for guidance" attitude... He also has a wonderful, comfortable HUGE trot and canter, and good conformation.

He has not worked for a living, mostly just trail rides with kids and he lives in a huge 10+ acre pasture. He is a big soft marshmallow right now (not fat, just soft), but muscle can come with training and conditioning, I just think he is a good horse underneath, he just needs the home and care to bring the best out in him!

The mare I ride right now is a little pistol, so I am just not used to a horse being so "calm" I guess it's hard for me to judge how much "go" he has when I am used to something with SO much "go".

I think the main thing I am worried about is that after looking at so many good Arabians, how do I pick "the best" one for endurance if they are all suitable? I guess I am scared of making the wrong decision and going with the wrong one....

 

[sawfish99]

Honestly I would take a more experienced endurance rider with you for a second opinion. In my experience on trails and in hunter paces, if the horse is laid back and easy going, you spend a lot of time and energy pushing the horse to go forward. I would tend towards a more forward horse for endurance.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Thank you guys for answering!

Maybe he just seems laid back to me because I am used to "the pistol", lol.

I have a "seasoned" endurance rider coming to ride with me (and him) on Friday to let me know what she thinks. Also my trainer (the one who found him) thinks he would be a great endurance horse and she has been doing it since the 80's.

I will be taking him to my trainers in the next week or two for a pre-purchase vet exam to make sure he would be all cleared for Endurance racing.

I will get pics and hopefully video on friday.


Anything else I am missing?

 

[MDres]

Are you shopping for a horse that can immediately compete at the "Tevis Cup" level, or are you looking for a mount to do local rides up to 25 miles?

If the answer is local rides, then just about *ANY* Arab can be brought to that level. It just depends on how soon you want to compete....

And just because the horse is a calm deadhead that you have to push at home doesn't mean it won't get fired up at a ride/competition. Lots of "calm" horses can get excited when they are in a group - you may end up holding your horse back more than you realize...

 

[goodhors]

Have to agree with MDres, starting with calm and relaxed,
doesn't mean he will stay dead in the heat of competition.
I just know I LIKE being able to position my horse wherever,
and not need to fight to keep in in that postion. Fighting with
horse the WHOLE RIDE can be tiring, takes a lot of the fun
out of the ride. He should be able to go faster if you ask,
but not pulling at you all the time. You need to "save some
of the fuel" at times, for using it later in the ride.

Being a pasture pet his whole life, means you need to take a LONG,
SLOW time to build up his body for competiton. I am talking
about at least 90 day, with 3-5 rides a week. You just can't
push him faster than this time span, and not expect to hurt some
unfit part of him.

The different body parts get fit at different speeds. Muscles are fit
before tendons and ligaments, and they are fit LONG before his bones
get fit to haul his weight properly. And you are also building his wind,
which can take quite a while, as his body stresses, then recovers, and
building an increasing system of heat removal, ability to move oxygen
thru his body.

We fit horses each year for competition, and they NEED the long time to
build the working body into a competitive machine that can handle
heat, speed, weight they need to move, recover quickly at Vet Check,
keep going for the last section. They get winters mostly off, so by Feb we
need to start getting fit for June competition, to have enough time to
do all that body building again. Even with a previously conditioned
animal, you still have to allow time for body to change enough to
handle distances and hard stress of competition after time off. If horse
is not in work, he is not staying fit to compete. You can't speed up
the process, two works in one day STILL only count as one work
in the fitness conditioning!

We see a lot of sore or damaged horses, who were pushed too hard,
before they got entirely fit. Injuries are common, because
all the body parts are not equally fit, ready to take hard work.

I would seriously look at this nice, calm horse as my next Endurance
animal. AND recommended by experienced person who does Endurance?
He sounds like a real gem, if he passes his pre-purchase
check!! I haven't ever had much trouble speeding one up, but trying
to calm some down is a lot of work! That carrying on, will raise their
P and R during recovery, can cause problems with them fretting because they
know they are going out for more ride time.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Are you shopping for a horse that can immediately compete at the "Tevis Cup" level, or are you looking for a mount to do local rides up to 25 miles?

If the answer is local rides, then just about *ANY* Arab can be brought to that level. It just depends on how soon you want to compete....

And just because the horse is a calm deadhead that you have to push at home doesn't mean it won't get fired up at a ride/competition. Lots of "calm" horses can get excited when they are in a group - you may end up holding your horse back more than you realize...

Hi MD, thanks for answering!

I am looking for the proverbial "diamond in the rough", something inexpensive, maybe green-broke, that I can put a lot of time and training into and end up with something REALLY good on my hands.

I will start with the local 25's, and then maybe 50's in a couple years, and then maybe eventually the Tevis!

If I end up getting this particular horse I don't plan on competing with him until next year after he gets some foundation work and conditioning.

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

Wow thank you for answering and for all the good info!!!

Have to agree with MDres, starting with calm and relaxed, doesn't mean he will stay dead in the heat of competition. I just know I LIKE being able to position my horse wherever, and not need to fight to keep in in that postion. Fighting with horse the WHOLE RIDE can be tiring, takes a lot of the fun out of the ride. He should be able to go faster if you ask, but not pulling at you all the time. You need to "save some of the fuel" at times, for using it later in the ride.

This is him, he'll go faster if I ask, but isn't constantly fighting to do so.

Being a pasture pet his whole life, means you need to take a LONG, SLOW time to build up his body for competiton. I am talking about at least 90 day, with 3-5 rides a week. You just can't push him faster than this time span, and not expect to hurt some unfit part of him.

The different body parts get fit at different speeds. Muscles are fit before tendons and ligaments, and they are fit LONG before his bones get fit to haul his weight properly. And you are also building his wind, which can take quite a while, as his body stresses, then recovers, and building an increasing system of heat removal, ability to move oxygen thru his body.

We fit horses each year for competition, and they NEED the long time to build the working body into a competitive machine that can handleheat, speed, weight they need to move, recover quickly at Vet Check, keep going for the last section. They get winters mostly off, so by Feb we need to start getting fit for June competition, to have enough time to do all that body building again. Even with a previously conditioned animal, you still have to allow time for body to change enough to handle distances and hard stress of competition after time off. If horse is not in work, he is not staying fit to compete. You can't speed up the process, two works in one day STILL only count as one work in the fitness conditioning!

We see a lot of sore or damaged horses, who were pushed too hard, before they got entirely fit. Injuries are common, because all the body parts are not equally fit, ready to take hard work.

I don't expect to compete on him until next year. I am borrowing a very fit mare that I have been training since June for our very first ride in October, she is coming along wonderfully, and I will continue to use her until he is ready. We started with mostly walking and trotting and now I am currently training my fit mare 3x a week, one day we do a 12 mile trot, one day we do hills, and one day we do some walking and cantering. But I would start him out much much slower, just mostly walking for the first couple of months I think and then eventually slowly work in more trotting time. And the good thing is, here, we can work them year 'round!

I would seriously look at this nice, calm horse as my next Endurance animal. AND recommended by experienced person who does Endurance? He sounds like a real gem, if he passes his pre-purchase check! I haven't ever had much trouble speeding one up, but trying to calm some down is a lot of work! That carrying on, will raise their P and R during recovery, can cause problems with them fretting because they know they are going out for more ride time.

Thank you for the information! That's the thing I am worried about with my mare, she is such a hot little pistol I am afraid her heartrate won't come down enough at the checkpoints, she is literally shaking in her boots just waiting to go for a ride here at home!

I think he is a real gem, and that's what I am looking for. He has a wonderful personality and the beauty to go with it! Plus he is SO comfy to ride!!! I can't wait to get pics to show you guys! And I hope he passes his PPE with flying colors!!!

 

[WhiteMountainsRanch]

I wasn't able to get video yesterday, but here is pic of me riding him! Hopefully I can get some video today.