What is Endurance Riding?
Endurance horse riding is a marathon sport, where you select a distance to suit you and your horse, whether it be a 5km ‘fun run’ or a challenging 160km championship. There are also several special multi-day marathon events held each year, such as the 400km Shahzada held in St Albans, Sydney.
The Motto of endurance riding in Australia is ‘to complete is to win’. Meaning that you ride at a distance and pace that challenges you, with the goal of finishing safely with a horse that has been passed by the vet team as ‘fit to continue’.
Qualified riders and horses compete at speed for prizes, and for State and National pointscore awards, but must still be passed by the vet team as ‘fit to continue’ at all vet checks, including at the finish.
If you are over 4 years of age, you can enter a ride! But there’s also plenty of fun to be had without riding – we cherish our volunteers, strappers and officials, and they are as much a part of the endurance family as the riders. There are volunteer opportunities for everyone!
