Endurance riding is a great opportunity to spend time with your horse in some of the nicest places to ride in Australia. If you like camping with friends and being outdoors, endurance could become your favourite equestrian activity. Endurance is a social sport where you can ride with your friends with lots of opportunities to make new friends. Endurance is a family sport, catering for all ages from young kids to grandparents.
Many types of horses participate in endurance. Arabian horses are common, but you will also see Standardbreds, Anglo Arabs, Quarabs, Thoroughbreds, Stock Horses, various pony breeds, Morgans, Appaloosas, Walers, Saddlebreds, Buckskins, Palominos, and Paints.
Endurance riding in Australia began in 1966 when RM Williams, after hearing reports of the 100 mile Tevis Cup in the USA decided to challenge Australian riders to demonstrate if they had the skill and horsemanship of our early pioneers to “ride 100 miles in a day”. RM asked his mate Tom Quilty, a great horsesman and cattleman in the Kimberley of WA to support his venture and Tom donated $1000 to pay for the gold Tom Quilty cup and endurance was born in NSW.
Today, endurance rides are run by volunteers on most weekends throughout the year with a break in the summer. Riders can choose from 20 km social rides, training rides that are usually 40 km and endurance rides that can be from 80 km to 160 km in one day! Also on offer are marathon rides like the ultimate test; Shahzada 400 km over five days, held at St. Albans, near Sydney.
Would you like to learn more about endurance riding? We have a collection of articles and stories to share. See ‘Articles’ in the menu above.
If you would like to see what is involved, read our Getting Started In Endurance Riding guide. Interested in joining our association? Download the Entry Form NSWERA 2014. You do not need to become a member to ride – day membership is available for people new to the sport who would like to give it a go.
One feature of endurance is that you are not required to wear a uniform (an approved helmet is compulsory) but we do have the AERA Rule Book to ensure the safety and welfare of all participants, especially the horses.