EXPLORE AUBURN BUSINESS, RELOCATION AND VISITORS GUIDE 2023-24

All About Endurance Riding
Submitted by
American Endurance
Ride Conference (AERC)
PHOTO BY LYNN GLAZER
Endurance riding is defined by the American Endurance
Ride Conference (AERC) as “an athletic event with the
same horse and rider covering a measured course within
a specified maximum time.”
Endurance rides are races that
vary in distance between 50-100
miles and are covered in a single
day. The horse with the fastest time
is the winner, providing the horse
meets the “fit to continue” criteria
as determined by a veterinary
staff. The horses are monitored by
veterinarians throughout the ride
at predetermined check points and
will be withdrawn from the ride if
they’re judged to be unsound or
metabolically unfit. Each ride has
mandatory rests or “holds” for the
horses throughout the ride.
Endurance rides are races
that vary in distance
between 50-100 miles
and are covered in a
single day. The horse
with the fastest time is
the winner, providing
the horse meets the
“fit to continue” criteria
as determined by a
veterinary staff.
Some rides are longer than 100
miles but are completed over a
period of several days with the
horses typically covering 50 miles
per day.
Most endurance rides also have
a shorter novice ride of about
25 miles. These rides are not
considered endurance rides by
AERC but are referred to as limited
distance rides.
Although endurance rides
are technically “races,” many (if
not most) riders participate for
completion rather than placing.
To these riders, the satisfaction of
completing 50 or 100 miles on a
sound horse is the prize.
The motto of endurance riding
is: “To finish is to win.”
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