Horse endurance training?

Question

i want to give it a shot, my horse is an Arabian, so i have the right horse. Now i need to learn everything i can about endurance. Can you help me?

Answer 1

I used to take care of a Marwari horse in India (indian breed based on old arabian stock) and we did a 250km trip in 7 days. As training for that I rode for about two hours 6 days a week and in the last two weeks before we left I pushed myself to doing around 20 kms every few days. The trick to covering long distances is to keep in trot, it's the most energy efficient pace. However it is harder for you so keep your stirrups long so you don't have as far to rise out of the saddle. Another thing to remember is to rest BEFORE you feel tired, not when! A five minute stop can do wonders for energy levels.