I can’t begin to count the times I’ve been on the phone with a customer, talking about saddles and trying to figure out what will work for both rider and horse, when I’m asked, “Do you ride dressage?” (or whatever discipline we’re speaking about). When I say “No, I do competitive distance riding,” there’s always an awkward silence on the other end of the phone followed by a polite “Oh”. During that silence, I’m sure my ring-riding customer is having a flashing vision of some crazed woman in bright spandex riding an equally crazy Arabian at full speed over every kind of terrain. On rare occasions my customer will ask me to explain exactly what my sport is, and I will, but usually we just continue our conversation about saddle fit as if my eccentricity was never mentioned!
There is a difference between Competitive Trail and Endurance. CTR is ridden at a controlled (well, most times) speed and completed within a reasonable time frame. You are not racing against another person/horse. Your goal is to finish the ride with a horse very much unchanged from the horse you started with. Your “points” determine your placement, not the order of finish. Endurance riding, on the other hand, is for most riders a Race. The first horse to cross the finish line sound and “fit to continue” wins.
I’ll start by describing Competitive Trail Rides ( CTR ), since that’s where I truly feel all Distance riders should begin. Maybe I’ll inspire some of you to try something new and out of your comfort zone. You may just find this experience to be the most enjoyable thing you and your Equine partner will ever do together. Who knows…you may even yearn to move up to Endurance Riding!
I promise you will learn more about your horse in this sport than in any other. You will know her normal temp, her resting heart rate, her heart rate at a trot, canter (on flat and hills) how long it takes her to get her heart rate back down to 48 or 60 when you stop riding. You’ll know her respiration during exertion, how her gums look and feel under normal conditions, what her skin pinch test looks like when hydrated or dehydrated, normal gut sounds and even what her normal anal tone looks like. You will know every bump, lump and swelling on her legs, the correct angle of her toe for optimum turnover and how to assess the color and quantity of her urine … and most of all you’ll know the look in her eye at the end of a long ride that says, “That was fun and I feel so strong!”
There’s a great deal that goes into training your horse for her first CTR and preparing for your first camping (yes, camping) experience with your horse, but we’ll save that for another article!! Let’s just pretend you’ve arrived at the ride site and you’re ready to present your horse to the Vet and Lay Judge. There you are, the night before the ride, with a sparkling clean horse wearing her lovely new purple rope halter and matching lead rope. There are two Judges – a Vet and an experienced Lay Judge. They eye the “Newbie” with good-humored expectation.
Hopefully you have taught your horse to stand still and let people poke and prod them because they will be poked and prodded!! Your horse will be checked extensively for overall condition. The judges will perform a skin pinch hydration exam, check capillary refill time, gum color, gum moisture, gut sounds, anal tone, back soreness, interference marks, wind puffs, scratches, girth sores, ruffled hair under the saddle area, marks around her mouth from the bit, breast collar rubs … I could go on … and that’s all before you trot your horse out for her lameness evaluation. It’s extremely important that you practice trotting your horse out on a straight line and in circles going both directions at home. It neither looks good for you to be dragged by your horse, nor for you to drag your unwilling partner – or worse yet, for her to get away from you and make a break for grass. During the trot out the judges will make note of soundness/lameness, length and height of stride, overall body carriage, willingness, toe dragging, coordination and overall attitude. Are you exhausted yet? Everything is noted on your evaluation sheet. It is now your job to settle your horse in for the night and wake up at the crack of dawn and get ready to ride 25 or 30 miles (or 50 miles in two days) and bring back the exact same horse you just presented. Not lame, not sore, not tired, not cut or bruised. The rider can look whipped and no one cares. It’s all about the horse and how well you’ve prepared her for this day.
After a usually unsuccessful attempt to sleep in your trailer you wake to the sounds of horses and riders stirring in anticipation. You feed your horse, check her water, quality of manure and stagger over to get some coffee and bagels and listen to the pre-ride briefing. During the briefing you will be told the time parameters, start time, where the hold will be, and any extreme obstacles you may encounter on the ride. In CTR the rider is not allowed to dismount and lead a horse in forward motion during a ride (unless your horse has lost a shoe and you are headed for the farrier). But if the ride manager deems that the bulls in the meadow, the single-lane bridge or the bouncy house at the kids’ party may cause you and your horse to part company in an unpleasant manner, she will let the rider lead the horse past the scary stuff.
After the briefing it’s time to tack up your horse and take your half-way stuff to the volunteer truck. I usually bring a bit of grain, some carrots and hay if there is no grass at the hold. You will be assigned a number. Either you will wear a pinney or it will be drawn on your horse’s butt with a wax crayon. (another thing to teach your horse to accept!). Riders will leave in twos with usually 3 minutes between each pair. Your official time starts when you cross the start line. I usually wear two watches: one set at “normal” time and one set at 12:00. The one set at 12:00 will tell me “ride time”. Generally, you are allowed between 4 hours and 4 hours, 20 minutes for a 25 mile ride – including the mandatory half way hold. You will get penalty points if you finish either before or after those times.
Let’s now assume that your first 12 miles or so have been uneventful and you see the “1 mile to hold” sign. Oh, yes, there will be pie plate signs along the way and surveyor tape to mark the trail! You won’t get lost …well, almost never. Slow your pace at this point. Your horse will need to pulse down to parameter – usually 60 bpm (beats per minute) – after 10 minutes of entering the hold area. You will be given a piece of paper with your entry time on it when you enter the hold area. You must stay there for 20 minutes. During this time, if the weather is warm, you cool your horse down by sponging them with water (provided at the hold). If your horse is wearing a heart monitor you will be able to see your horse’s pulse coming down. At 10 minutes hopefully you are near parameter; call for a P&R volunteer to take her pulse and respiration. Let your horse eat the goodies you sent ahead for her. Then you proceed to the vet who will watch your horse trot out and check for vital metabolics (such as hydration, gut sounds, capillary refill, anal tone, etc.). If all is well, and 20 minutes have passed, you are free to mount and leave. If you horse is not quite right they will ask you to stay for an additional 10-20 minutes and re-present your horse. Honestly, I believe it’s up to you to know your horse and to say, “No, she’s not right,” and either opt to hang out and graze her for a while … or pull her from the ride. There will be a trailer there to take you back to the camp site and vets on call to check her if necessary.
The second half of the ride is the most fun!! You horse has settled by this time and she’s eager to stop at the water areas and drink. Maybe she’s found a buddy and you have found a new friend in the rider. You look around and see the most beautiful trails and soft dirt roads you’ve ever seen. Okay, maybe there was a rocky part during that last steep climb, but your horse is taking you places you would have never seen if not for this ride … and her. You have been trotting and cantering for several hours. Check your time. You may want to allow your horse to graze at bit before the last few miles … or walk for a few moments.
Okay … here it is … the “1 mile to go” marker. This is the test. Are you thinking “Thank God, it’s almost over” or “Oh, no, I don’t want this to end”. If it’s the latter … you are born to be a distance rider! You cross the finish line with a glowing feeling of accomplishment! You are given your “in” time paper. You dismount and walk your horse back to the trailer, untack, and start cooling her with the water you set out in buckets before you left for the ride. Once cool and clean, check her pulse. She will need to recover to 44 bpm in 20 minutes. When you’re close to that … call for the P&R people who will record her pulse and respiration. Now comes the waiting game. The Judges will examine horses in order of finish and there will be a line. Check how many horses are in front of you. If you have time, walk and graze your horse. You don’t want her to stiffen up. Make sure she gets some water and food. You will be asked to present your horse twice: once for the “hands on” (metabolics, lumps & bumps) and then again for a trot out. Then more waiting. When all the horses have been evaluated there will be an awards ceremony and, yea! dinner! There is a Grand Champion, Reserve Champion and awards for 1-10th place (depending on the particular ride system) Everyone gets a Completion Ribbon if the horse is not disqualified.
Let’s face it, it’s always nice to win, but when your sport’s motto is “To Finish is To Win” you have a different feeling about the color of your ribbon. Look at your horse. Is she looking fresh, healthy, sound and happy? Are you happy? Were the trails glorious? What more could you ask for? It’s time to collect your Evaluation sheet and see where you could improve and where you did well. Pack up (which is the worst job of the weekend) and load your horse. I bet on the way home you will be planning your next ride!!