Riding Vs. Racing in American Endurance
In the United States and Canada, the governing and sanctioning organization for endurance
riding as an equestrian sport is the American Endurance Ride Conference, also referred to as
AERC. The motto of AERC is “To Finish Is To Win” and the governing principle for completion is
“fit to continue.” Since I regularly get questions about the sport and typically reference both of
these phrases, I thought I’d explain them a bit more in the blog. If you’re curious about the
sport and what it means to finish and to win, read on.
First, let’s cover some of the basics that may clear up any confusion about equestrian
endurance sports in general. Aside from endurance riding, there are also a few other long-
distance equestrian sports, including Competitive Trail Riding, Mounted Orienteering, and Ride-
and-Tie. While I do have some limited experience with these other sports, I’ve chosen to focus
on endurance riding for this post. I don’t consider any one endeavor more relevant, more
challenging, or more important than the others, I just happen to have the most experience with
endurance riding and want to focus on the “To Finish Is To Win” motto and “fit to continue”
principle.
As sanctioned through AERC, and somewhat similarly on the international level (through the
Fédération Equestre Internationale or FEI), endurance riding is broken down into two divisions:
Endurance, which involves courses of 50 or more miles at a time, and Limited Distance, which
involves courses of between 25 and 35 miles at a time. Horse and rider teams for any distance
must pass an initial pre-ride veterinary exam to be allowed to start the competition, then must
pass one or more scheduled veterinary exams during the competition. Finally, the teams must
pass another comprehensive veterinary exam at the end of the competition to be allowed to
complete, or finish, the ride. While no one wants to find themselves in this position, it is
entirely possible to pass all earlier veterinary exams, complete the designated course of 25, 50,
or even 100 miles, and then be pulled/disqualified at the finish line because your horse does
not pass the final exam. Here is where the “fit to continue” principle becomes most evident: if
your horse is not deemed by the control judges/veterinarians to be fit, sound, and otherwise
safely ready to continue down the trail comfortably, you will be pulled from the competition,
no matter how many miles you’ve covered.
So that’s the focus of “fit to continue,” but what about the AERC motto “To Finish Is To Win?”
When I return from endurance competitions, I’m often asked questions like “Did you win?” My
stock answer is something along the lines of “Yes, but….” You see, I rarely finish in first place in
my competitions. It simply isn’t my goal to go fast and finish first. In fact I can’t even
remember the last time I finished in first place. Some people assume that means I’m not very
good at this sport, but I counter this by suggesting that it is hard enough to even *finish* an
endurance ride (considering what it takes to prepare yourself and your horse(s) for this type of
athletic endeavor, the veterinary criteria, the uncontrollable variables such as weather, etc.)
and also that, according to our motto, finishing IS, in fact, winning.
Finishing an endurance ride (I’ll discuss “ride” versus “race” in another post) with a horse
deemed fit to continue is a pretty big deal. You and your horse must be properly conditioned
to work for hours on end in variable terrain and conditions, your horse must have a solid
physiological foundation supporting their tendons, ligaments, and bones (this can take years of
focused work), you and your horse must function well as a team and have a basic
communication system that allows you to effectively agree on things like speed, how to
approach obstacles, and how to ride with (or without) other horses, you (the rider) must have
enough experience and good judgement to know how to read your horse and each situation as
it arises (Is the horse moving smoothly and freely? Is the horse using his/her body effectively or
getting tired? Is the horse nervous, and if so, how is that affecting his/her focus on the rider
and the trail? etc.), and then you need a dose of luck, as well. Even the best-prepared and most
experienced horse and rider teams occasionally meet bad luck, like pulling a muscle on a cold
day or stepping on a rock wrong and getting a stone bruise, and are pulled from a competition.
No one likes to find themselves in that situation, but it is an important element of the vetting
system that first and foremost supports the welfare of the horse.
Do some riders both finish and come in in first place regularly? Yes, a very, very few. Most
veteran, long-time endurance riders do not finish in first place very often, though. In fact it is
unusual to see high-mileage riders (those with many thousands of miles in competition) that
regularly finish in first place. Those very few that do dedicate their lives as professionals to
selecting, training, conditioning, and competing on horses that are carefully prepared for the
highest level of effort, and those horses are ridden on extremely thoughtfully considered
schedules. The vast majority of competitors, however, aim for (and are rightly proud of) their
finishes, which are ALSO their wins.
In a nutshell, this is why “To Finish Is To Win.” Completing each competition with a sound and
happy horse that is ready to continue down the trail after hours and hours and miles and miles
is a pretty big deal, and it is the goal for those who are new to the sport and for veteran
endurance riders alike.
If you’re thinking that you might like to try endurance riding, check out the AERC website here. There you can find a wealth of information about what the sport entails, where
and when competitions are held, how you can find a formal mentor, and what goes into
preparing yourself and your horse for this amazing sport. And remember, winning in
endurance is about finishing strong, not necessarily coming in first!
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