Question
I endurance-ride a seasoned, 13-year-old Arabian gelding. Because of work commitments, I only train him on weekends, about 12.5 miles (20 km) a day. With this minimal training, he has done beautifully in 25-mile (40-km) rides. Although he has completed a 50-mile (80-km) ride in the past with his previous owner, I have not. Am I doing enough training for a 50-miler? I don’t want to overdo or sour him.
Answer
Arabians hold their fitness amazingly well, particularly if they have 24-hour turnout. Working two days per week is usually adequate training for an endurance horse, as this schedule allows for plenty of time for the body to repair itself between the workouts, thus promoting soundness.
If the horse has done 50-mile races before and you are keeping him is steady work, he should have no problem with stepping up from a 25-mile to 50-mile rides, even if you are only doing shorter training sessions. Unlike most other sports where an athlete would train at the distance expected for a competition the actual competition, with endurance it is too hard mentally on individuals and an unnecessary stress on their bodies. The first 50-mile competition will therefore be the training, so to speak, as it will prepare the endurance of the horse for the next time it is challenged at that distance.
The key to finishing the 50-mile ride will be to maintain a pace equal to his fitness. Further, what may make the difference in whether the horse finishes the ride or not will be how he conducts himself the first 12 miles of the competition. A smart rider will help him keep a level head and not let him overexert himself.
KER offers a free smartphone app, KER ClockIt Sport, that makes it easy to see the horse’s heart rate in real time and monitor a horse’s increasing level of fitness. Learn more.
Signs of overtraining include a change in attitude, reluctance to work, difficulty maintaining weight, depressed appetite, and unsoundness. As long as you don’t overtrain on a weekly basis and allow enough recovery time between competitions, I imagine you and your horse could have many more years of pleasurable trail riding.
