CTR or Endurance Riding??

[ruckus]

Hi all,#ed_op#br#ed_cl#I'm new here and I've been visiting the boards for some
time now and everyone here seems pretty nice so I figured I'm pretty
safe asking away #ed_op#img src="richedit/smileys/Teasing/5.gif"#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl#I'm
relatively new to riding and have had a horse for the past year
now.We've come a fair way together but I had no idea for the longest
time what I wanted to do with him. I started looking into CTR and
endurance riding and they seem like they might be fun to try. I was
just wondering if there was anyone on this board that was into either
of those two activities and whether they enjoyed it or not. #ed_op#br#ed_cl#I'm
also asking because I'm not entirely sure if my horse would be suitable
for that type of riding activity. He's going to be 17 next month, is an
Andalusian/ Arab cross (more Andalusian than Arab) and is in okay
shape. He does have a thyroid condition (hypo-thyroid) but it's very
mild and under control with meds. He's at a good weight but could stand
to build up some endurance and muscle tone. I wouldn't be doing a ride
this year but maybe plan for next year as I understand that you need to
train a fair bit for this sort of thing.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#Anyhoo, if anyone out there has any suggestions or input on their experiences I'd love to hear about it. Cheers!#ed_op#br#ed_cl##ed_op#br#ed_cl#

[Eileen]

#ed_op#TABLE id=HB_Mail_Container height="100%" cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0 UNSELECTABLE="on"#ed_cl##ed_op#TBODY#ed_cl##ed_op#TR height="100%" UNSELECTABLE="on" width="100%"#ed_cl##ed_op#TD id=HB_Focus_Element vAlign=top width="100%" background="" height=250 UNSELECTABLE="off"#ed_cl##ed_op#P#ed_cl#Welcome to the board Ruckus...feel free anytime to post...give us your views on things or ask a question we are all pretty chatty people as you have probably already firgured out...lol #ed_op#/P#ed_cl##ed_op#P#ed_cl#I know Chrystal is into that sort of riding, I am not sure if I have seen her post recently....hmmmm I wonder where she is....#ed_op#/P#ed_cl##ed_op#P#ed_cl#I had a very good friend that had tried the CTR as well as the Endurance Riding and did very well in both areas.  She had a young Arab and she rode every day winter or summer fair weather or rain...she kept the guy in shape....she on the other hand was probably in her 40's maybe or very close to it when she started on this venture.....her doctor is the one that advised her to give it up....she was suffering from arthritus and her knees and ankles still bother her, she got off her horse quite often to get an edge on the competition...and have her horse in shape when she came to a vet check...it is very physically demanding of both horse and rider if you are serious about the competition.    I know that a lot of the top horses that win most of the races are Arabs....they say they are very tough...now there are other breeds spread in there as well....Your horse is up there in years and is not in the best of shape you say...that will be a draw back for sure but if you are just out there to have some fun and dont drive the guy too hard...well what can I say....go for it...#ed_op#/P#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/TD#ed_cl##ed_op#/TR#ed_cl##ed_op#TR UNSELECTABLE="on" hb_tag="1"#ed_cl##ed_op#TD style="FONT-SIZE: 1pt" height=1 UNSELECTABLE="on"#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV id=hotbar_promo#ed_cl##ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#/TD#ed_cl##ed_op#/TR#ed_cl##ed_op#/TBODY#ed_cl##ed_op#/TABLE#ed_cl#

[Kobau]

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#I did CTR, loved it. I rode a lil Morgan mare, we had a blast, it was relaxing but you still had your time frame to work in and health checks etc.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#If i had more time i'd likely get into it again, but alas college does seem to limit the amount of things one can do.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#if you want to maybe get into that, then i'd slowly work on building your guys endurance, with slightly longer rides, don't have to push for more than mainly good walk with some trotting. at least on the rides i did you never really needed to go faster than a medium trot, and you really only did that in order to give yourself extra time to work with when you were on hills and wanted to give your horse a breather.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#

[rubberman]

Hi Ruckus and welcome to the BB. I am a member of the Ontario Competitive Trail Riding Association (OCTRA) and I compete and train for the CTRs. An endurance ride is usually a two day 50 mile ride per day race (ie. to place you must complete the race in under 5 hours). Needless to say that to compete in endurance both rider and horse must be in very, very good shape and neither my horses or I are able to train sufficiently well to compete at this level. As Kobau indicated, a Competitive Trail Ride (CTR) is based on a more consistent regular pace over the full length of the ride (ie. you are penalized for going too fast or too slow) at an average speed of 6 to 7 miles and most rides vary in length from 25 to 35 miles. For novice competitors they have now introduced a 12 mile ride for those who are interested in trying out the sport. A well conditioned 17 year old should not have any problem completing a CTR but more important than the horse's age is his character. It is best if your guy is not too high strung since you are penalized based the horse's pulse and respiration (P&R) level above the base line of 40 per minute. You are also penalized based on such things as fatigue and dehydration so it is best if your horse is willing to drink and consume electrolytes while on the ride. Other areas of penalty are scratches, marks or checks on the horse that may be caused by poorly fitting equipment or rubbing branches. At the begining, mid-point and end of the ride you will be asked to trot your horse out or canter him on a lunge line and he must not resist so it is important to train your horse to do these things. His manner during the vetting is also assessed.

You may have guessed and you would be correct that the emphasis in CTR is based good horsemanship and having your horse in top physical condition. In my experience the riders who do CTRs are perhaps some of the nicest riders you could hope to meet up with, they are usually willing to lend a hand and generous with their advice. As with most sports CTR is not for everyone (4 to 5 hours of troting is hard on the knees and ankles of the rider and probably a horse too ) but for my money it is great fun.

[ruckus]

Thanks for the input guys! I guess it would be CTR that I'm more interested in.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
My guy is very laid back and nothing really bothers him. He was very, #ed_op#span style="font-style: italic;"#ed_cl#very#ed_op#/span#ed_cl# well trained before I got him and we've been doing a fair bit of work together so he can get used to my cues.#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
I guess my next question then would be what kind of things can I do to
get him (and myself) in better physical condition? We have plenty of
opportunity to practice/ work as I have him at home with me and I live
on 200 acres with trails. There are also lots of country roads around
us that offer up a change in terrain (my property is pretty flat). What
types of exercises and what type of duration should I be working
towards?#ed_op#br#ed_cl#
Again, any input and/or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Cheers!#ed_op#br#ed_cl#

[KBOC]

I asked that question myself of my trainer, and she tells me that working trots help build muscle mass, whereas canters tend to decrease it.

I don't know how true this is, I think I'll need a few more years of observation to really see it myself.

[rubberman]

KBOC, for CTR you do not necessarily want muscle mass because the more muscle mass that your horse has the harder it is to cool them down and bring their pulse & respirations back down to the baseline of 40 per minute . Interestingly I was told that when training your horse you should trot uphill to develop muscle and strength as well as endurance rather than allow him to canter up the hill. The most common pace for a CTR is the working trot so there may be some truth to what your trainer is saying.

Ruckus, when trainig for a CTR you start with a short ride with mostly walk, some trot and a little canter work over varied terrain. As your horse becomes more fit you extend the length of the ride with more extended periods of trot and canter. The best place to find a training schedule for CTR ride training is at the OCTRA website: WWW.OCTRA.ON.CA which is the competitive trail riding association for Ontario.