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Endurance Riding

Endurance riding is a horse racing sport of the equestrian discipline, where riders and horses compete in races over very long distances. Competitors are allowed to compete with horses of any breed, but most riders compete with the Arabian breed, as its well known for its natural endurance.

long-distance horse races in Mongolia

Endurance races are conducted over various distances, typically between 50 to 100 miles. The most commonly used distance is, the single day 50 mile race. Single day races of distances of 75 and 100 miles, and a 2-day 100-mile race where a rider completes 50 miles each day for two consecutive days, are some of the other race formats. Races over distances longer than 100 miles are very rarely used in competitions.

There are two variants of endurance riding, endurance races and competitive trail races. Endurance races are conducted on a regular plain course, whereas trail race courses have various terrains and natural obstacles.

In all the races, the health of the horses are also taken into account to decide the winner. After a rider completes the race, the horse is examined by a vet to check if the horse is "fit to continue". The rider first cross the finish line with their horse in a healthy condition is declared the winner.

Related Sports

• Cross-Country Equestrian — horse riders are required to jump over 30 to 40 obstacles within a fixed time, incurring penalties for exceeding the allocated time or if a horse refuses to clear an obstacle.
• Horse racing — sport that involves jockeys riding horses or being pulled along by horses
• Steeplechase — a horse racing sport in which competitors on horsebacks race on a long-distance course that has several types of obstacles.

Related Pages

• About Equestrian Sports
• List of all sports involving horses
• Man vs. Horse Marathon - an event where runners and horse riders compete against each other over a long distance.
• Complete list of sports
• The Encyclopedia of Sports

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