By Elizabeth Rusti Quinto, MD and Caren Stauffer, South Eastern Distance Riders Association 

Submitted by South Eastern Distance Riders Association

What Is Distance Riding?

Distance Trail Riding is a specific and organized sport where horse and their riders compete in planned and judged events that involve trail rides 25-100 miles long. It is different than ”Pleasure” trail riding, where groups gather “just” to tide the trails and no special place or distance is set and no judging us done. It is also different from Trail Horse classes offered at Horse Shows, where horse and rider must travel short course of typical; trail obstacles. The two most common distance riding events are Competitive Trail Rides that involve horse/rider & driving teams and Endurance Rides.

Click here to download the current SEDRA Ride Calendar.

Is Distance Riding For You?

Don’t let the word “Distance” scare you. Remember that in the days before automobiles, horses routinely traveled distances of 25 miles or more. It was a necessity; it was the only way to travel. Horses are not fragile or wimpy creatures and any good horse, healthy and in good condition, should be able to go the distance in stride.

The catch is that the horse and rider must be properly conditioned to do the job. A horse that is ridden only a few miles a couple times a week would be badly stressed and injured if it was pushed to go 25 miles in 4 hours! And an unconditioned rider attempting that distance would be so sore he would never want to see a saddle again!

Preparing a horse and rider team for distance events requires an intelligent battle plan" and a serious commitment to follow it through. A successful distance rider must be bright enough and sensitive enough to be always aware of how his horse is doing. Over the course of training, the rider gets to know his horse as well as he knows himself. For horse-lovers, this can be a very rich and rewarding experience.

Compared to other horse sports, distance riding is not expensive. Tack and equipment must be good quality and in good condition, but nothing fancy is required. But distance riding does cost a lot of time. Distance horses must be in superb condition and it takes a lot of hours and a lot of miles to reach this level of conditioning and maintain it. Distance horses must be ridden often and far to keep their athletic edge and time and energy must he allowed for the tasks of cooling out, checking for soreness and lameness, measuring pulse and respiration rate recovery times, in addition to all the care routines that an average horse requires. Parents of junior riders and families of adult riders must be prepared to allow this time commitment.

Distance riding can be a lonely sport too. Not all riders will be lucky enough to find a partner to train with them. It might be easy to find friends willing to ride with you for pleasure rides, but unless they share your passion for distance riding, they might not want to go along for 15 miles or more. You may have to train alone. You will also need a place to ride, especially if you will be riding alone. Safety becomes an important consideration. Once the ride decides to take the plunge, the next thing to think about is whether or not the horse is suitable

Can Your Horse Do It?

Distance horses need to be strong and healthy. They don't need to be beautiful, but they must have a conformation free from major faults that might lead to injury or lameness when stressed. Because the sport is stressful, horses must be at least 4 years old to ride in Competitive Trail Rides and at least 5 years old for Endurance. Nursing mares are not allowed, and mares that are pregnant are often prohibited. Horses of all breeds have been successful in distance riding as long as they are well conditioned and sound. Some breeds, however do seem to have a special “edge" on the competition: they cool out faster and recover more quickly to resting pulse and respiration levels. For this reason, the top contenders in most major distance events seem to be the Arabians and Half Arabians and, out west, the Mustangs. But remember, in Competitive Trail Riding, it is not speed that counts, and any breed can win.

There are other things to consider about your horse besides health and conditioning. The horse needs manners, and the ability to behave and be controlled around other horses. He must be able to stand quietly during vet checks and PR stops, where he will be touched and handled by strangers. You must be able to lead him at a trot ~in hand" and, of course, he must be willing to load in a trailer. If your horse is a rookie trail horse, it might be a good idea to have him checked by your veterinarian to see if he is suitable for the sport. You will also need to be up to date on vaccinations, worming and have a current Coggins Test to be sure he is in the best of health

What is Endurance?

An endurance ride is a test of horse condition and stamina, rider intelligence and horsemanship, and the team effort of both over cross country trails and under veterinary supervision. The horse completing the course in the shortest time wins; however, it must be "fit to continue" at the end of the ride or be disqualified. Most endurance rides are a minimum of 50 miles in length, although quite often there are also one day - 100 mile endurance rides, as well as two day - 100 mile endurance rides on the SEDRA ride calendar. Limited distance endurance rides of 25-35 miles are often held in conjunction with these longer distances.  SEDRA co-sanctions many AERC sanctioned endurance rides in the SE region. Click here to download the current SEDRA Ride Calendar.

What is Competitive Trail?

Competitive trail rides are usually shorter in distance and are ridden in a set minimum and maximum ride time period, with speeds of approximately 5.5 to 7 miles per hour, depending on the terrain and weather conditions.  Most competitive trail rides are 25-40 miles in length, although the annual Florida Horsemen's three day 100 mile ride is one of the highpoints of the ride season.  Horses are scored by lay (trail) and veterinarian judges and the horses are judged 100% on condition. Included in the judging are metabolics, soundness, fatigue and degree of lameness. "Fit to Continue" is also a major criteria. The horse with the highest final score is declared the winner. In addition to these two judges, another special awards judge observes and scores on individual horsemanship. This is not a factor in the actual scoring system of SEDRA rides, but is referred to as "the icing on the cake" and offers many additional and prestigious awards for skill and accomplishments in horsemanship and sportsmanship.

 

What is Competitive Driving?

Competitive drives are often held in conjunction with a competitive trail ride and currently range from 25 to 35 miles in distance. Competitive driving is conducted under the same rules as competitive trail riding with some exceptions. SEDRA provides safety guidelines for competitive driving competitions

 

What is SEDRA?

South Eastern Distance Riders Association- SEDRA is a non-profit organization dedicated to the distance sports of endurance, competitive trail and competitive driving and to the owners of equine athletes.  Its purpose is to encourage the growth and popularity of distance related equine sports throughout Florida and the southeastern U.S. SEDRA is a sanctioning body that fosters the establishment of well-managed distance events conducted and judged under standard rules and guidelines provided by SEDRA. We maintain records relating to these events for the benefit of its members and for the purpose of recognizing annual high point athletes and lifetime mileage accrual awards for riders and horses.

SEDRA dedicates funds and volunteer hours to encourage the establishment, improvement and maintenance of equestrian trails; promote environmental responsibility of trail users and encourage good community relations with both public and private land managers; strive to educate the general public and equine enthusiasts on the importance of equestrian trails, etiquette, and safety.

If you are looking for a club that shares your same interests, not only in riding long distances, recreational or competitive, but learning all aspects of the sport, sharing your knowledge while making new and maintaining friendships, visit www.DistanceRiding.org to see what SEDRA has to offer!

Competition is open to all Breeds of Horses, Mules and Ponies.