What is Endurance?
Endurance riding is a chance to ride over open country, along a specified route, over a set distance with specific speed requirements. You will be issued with the route a few days before your competition which you will need to study carefully, so that you can plan your ride pace to ensure you finish in the required time. There will be checkpoints along the route at which stewards will record your competitor number, and most competitive rides require your horse/pony to be ‘vetted’ before and after the ride to check soundness and heart rate. Final scores are based on speed of completion as well as fitness of horse/pony calculated by heart rate. Highest score wins!
Pony Club works closely with the three governing bodies for Endurance (EGB, SERC & ILDRA) to provide members with plenty of opportunities to take part in the sport, as well as running some of their own events.
There are four main levels of endurance within the Pony Club; Grassroots, Novice, Intermediate and Open. Some rides may also put on additional rides over shorter distances for younger, or lead rein riders.
Members can simply enjoy taking part in organised endurance rides or can aim for Championships! Riders wanting to take part in The Pony Club Endurance Championships must complete a minimum of two rides at the correct level before entering. More details about this can be found in the Rulebook.
