What are the key habits, choices, and beliefs of an elite endurance rider? What could happen if I implement them in my own life?
I doubt I’ll never actually be an elite endurance rider, but that’s not the point.
The point is to behave like a high performer in order to maximize my own run-of-the-mill potential. You remember the old expression: Shoot for the moon. Even if you miss, you’ll still land among the stars.
Let’s take a look at those stars.
What is an Elite Endurance Rider?
If I’m going to live like an elite endurance rider, I first have to identify what I mean by “elite.”
Elite endurance riding is characterized by a record of successful completions (and some wise decisions to pull) with the same horses over many years. Some of these riders win a lot, but their most impressive achievement is high mileage.
I don’t intend to emulate anyone whose priority is winning at all costs. Anyone who willfully overrides their horses ~ for money or status or any other reason ~ is not an elite in my book.
Keeping it Real for an Everyday Endurance Rider
Truly outstanding equestrian endurance riding records tend to reflect entries in a large number of events, often across many regions. I would love to live that elite endurance life!
However, the reality is that I’m neither employed in the horse industry nor independently wealthy. I can’t live up north in summer and go south for winter. I work full time. I have a non-horsey spouse. I don’t have an indoor arena or a EuroXciser. The nearest hilly trails are a 35-minute haul away.
On the bright side, I am blessed with an outdoor arena and ready access to flat, dirt roads. I can usually commit about two hours per weekday and eight hours per weekend day to my horses. The aforementioned non-horsey spouse supports my ambitions. I have all the stuff ~ from tack to trailers ~ needed to play the game. My past includes a good mentor and several successful seasons.
At this point in my life, I’m unlikely to experience the same outcomes as an actual elite endurance rider. The dream of traveling from ride to ride with a pair of fit horses in tow is going to stay exactly that: a dream.
But that needn’t get in the way of improvement. My focus is not on the outcomes of an elite endurance rider, but on the inputs.
Characteristics of an Elite Endurance Rider
What does an elite endurance rider actually do? How does she think, and what actions does she choose?
Consistency
If I could pick just one characteristic of an elite endurance rider, consistency would be it. You just aren’t going to get far in equestrian endurance riding without putting in the time.
This factor (combined with some nasty luck) has been my downfall in recent years. I’ve accommodated a variety of other priorities at the expense of consistent conditioning. Those priorities weren’t bad, but they did mean my horses weren’t fit for many 50s.
Consistency means not only putting in the time and effort, but being willing to pay the opportunity costs of doing so. For me, that’ll mean less recreational travel and fewer scheduling options for non-horsey events.
Instead, I’ll need to prioritize at least four rides per week on each horse with which I plan to compete, plus maintenance and groundwork.
Pro tip: If you’re going to try this, be sure to start with an open-hearted conversation with the people who will be affected. Their buy-in is key. Check out What To Do If Your Partner Doesn’t Support Your Riding Goals.
Training
While there are certainly some successful riders who don’t spend a lot of time on training, I am most impressed by the elite endurance riders who help their horses achieve both mental and physical balance.
The more equestrian endurance riding I do, the more I am convinced of the value of training my horse in addition to conditioning him. It’s not fun to ride a crazy-fit horse that is also crazy-out-of-control. I’d rather train his brain along with his body.
The basic safety benefits of training are obvious, but you also get a horse that is lighter, stronger, less likely to be sour, a better thinker, prepared for other types of competition, and more marketable if you ever need to sell.
Check out How to Live Like an Elite Horse Trainer.
Observing and Responding
Endurance asks a lot of our horses. We can’t get away with ignoring mismatched hoof angles, ruffled hair beneath the saddle, or a puffy fetlock. Elite endurance riders watch their horses for changes in everything from attitude to weight. They don’t panic over every little thing, but they know their horses from head to tail and are open to making adjustments along the way.
The practice of observation and response goes beyond problem solving. It also involves staying on top of tasks that are tempting to skip “just for today.” Treat that bit of thrush. Deworm on schedule. Practice loading with the trailer-shy horse. Seek out the right supplements. Clean your tack. Get that heart rate monitor working (cough *me* cough).
Living like an elite endurance rider means choosing to do what’s important, not necessarily what’s attractive. It means not neglecting the little things, but doing them now. Today, not someday.
Learning
One of my favorite things about the equestrian endurance riding community is that nearly everyone is obsessed with learning. We all want to know more about how best to care for our horses, both in competition and out. This is certainly true of elite riders, who need a large toolkit (in addition to professional support) to guide their observations and responses.
Fortunately, endurance riders are a generous lot, willing to share their knowledge with anyone willing to listen. It can be challenging to make time for reading great books, attending seminars, and initiating conversations to extract information. It takes discipline to put down Wordle and read articles instead. The benefits are worth it.
Maximizing Rider Fitness
Ask most riders who complete hundreds of endurance miles in a year, especially if they’re top-tenning, and you’ll find that they pay serious attention to their own fitness. While there are certainly exceptions, I can’t help but wonder how much better they could do if they picked this low-hanging fruit.
Personally, I believe that we distance riders owe it to our horses to maximize our own fitness. The general activity associated with horse care and conditioning is helpful, but it’s inadequate to build us into the best versions of ourselves.
If we really want to do our best by our horses ~ not to mention ourselves ~ we need to eat clean, strength train, build cardiovascular fitness, improve mobility, and guard our sleep. I wrote about this at length in The Athletic Rider, and I stand by those words.
Check out How to Live Like an Elite Equestrian Athlete.
Embracing the Equestrian Endurance Journey
Sure, its trite. But isn’t it also true?
I’ve seen many a rider still smiling after a rough day that ended in a disappointing pull. Elites with the right mindset know it’s all part of the game. They accept, learn, and move on.
Since the path to our goals is rarely smooth, we might as well relax and get curious when we encounter potholes along the way. Whatever happens, I’ll do my best to try with courage and receive what comes with grace ~ to live like an elite endurance rider, with open hands.
Did you ever wish you could have an endurance riding mentor in your pocket?
You need my Endurance Riding Step-by-Step Quick Reference Guide! Just download it to your phone and use the clickable Table of Contents for speedy access to all the details nobody thought to tell you, so you can embark on your endurance adventure with confidence. You can even gift a copy to a friend! Click to learn more!
Be sure to join The Sweaty Equestrian newsletter for subscriber-only content. It’s like getting two extra blog posts per month, straight to your inbox!
100%
I love this outlook!! Thank you for sharing!! and I hope Tango and I see you on the trail!
Robin R
You are so welcome — I needed to hear it, myself! 😀 Can’t wait to see you guys out there!!
👏👏👏
Great article with lots of good advice. The more miles you do, the more you learn what not to do. Hindsight is 20/20_as they say. I have learned so much from my pulls over the last 30 years. Cross training has been the best thing to help. Also my goals have changed. Completions and miles are what matters, and of course fun with my horse. 100% completion rate for his first 1000 miles. Good luck with your horses.
Awesome! It’s good to hear you’ve had such success with cross training!
Eeeehh with inflation cost of gas and rides disappearing I don’t see the sport sticking around much longer especially if they indoctrinate stand alone LDs