Overview
Long-distance horse riding has played a pivotal role in carrying humans in a range of settings for explorers and warriors to cover, vast and difficult terrains. This has eventuated to the modern-day use of the horse now primarily for recreational pursuits. There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a proper vet completion record to be a "win". Long-distance riding also refers to the equestrian sport of endurance riding that is recognised by the peak international governing body, the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). Long-distance riding is not conducted as an Olympic event; however, it does compete at the World Equestrian Games that are held every four years (FEI,2020). The sport involves horse and rider taking mapped or unmapped routes in order to reach the finishing point. The distances covered in competition can differ depending upon competition length, and experience of both rider and horse. One day events typically do not exceed 160 kilometres in a day. In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are organised for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained. Historically long-distance riding originated by riding along national and state trails across the United States. Then heading further afield and through harsh landscapes of the nomadic Bedouin people, that adapted to the challenging and isolating environment, and so went on to spread globally.
Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.
History
The origins of long-distance riding can be traced back to hundreds of years ago with war horses in cavalry and early explorers. the earliest uses of the Arabian horse breed. It was commonly used across the vast desert landscapes identified as North Africa, Arabian Peninsula and Iraq, the people of this region are known as the Bedouin people. The horses were utilised to carry their riders over long distances and, also involved in horse-to-horse combat. In the United States there are accounts of many long-distance rides occurring from 1791 when George Washington rode from Augusta to Columbia that was nearly a hundred-mile ride in one day, taking ten and a half hours to complete. Long-distance riding has played a significant role in shaping the exploration across many frontiers and evolving into the equestrian sport it is recognised as today.
Though the need to ride long distances has existed since the domestication of the horse, endurance riding as an organised activity was first developed in the United States based on European cavalry (particularly Polish and Russian WWI) and breeding program tests requiring the ability to carry 300 lb (140 kg) over 100 miles (160 km) in one day. Organised endurance riding as a formal sport began in 1955, when Wendell Robie and a group of equestrians rode from the Lake Tahoe area across the Sierra Nevada Range to Auburn in under 24 hours. They followed the historic Western States Trail. This ride soon became known as the Tevis Cup, and it remains the most difficult of any 100-mile ride in the world because of the severe terrain, high altitude, and 100-degree (~37 °C) temperatures. Endurance riding first was brought to Europe in the 1960s.
Suitable Horse Breeds
There are particular aspects of physiological conformation that long-distance horses require to be best suited for long-distance. In particular an ‘endurance horse needs to take in a lot of oxygen’ and as such, it is necessary from a conformation standpoint to have large nostrils, good width between the branches of the jaw, and a clean throat latch all allow for easier air intake’. A long-distance horse will also be clear of wind-sucking, this term refers to when a horse opens their mouth and sucks air inwards. This can be problematic from a conformation aspect as it can be a sign of further underlying issues such as ulcers, respiratory and dental problems.
Well known breeds associated with long-distance riding include: