Owning and exercising endurance horses on a farm

Endurance riding is a recognised equestrian sport, but as Dr Mac writes, these horses can also be used to monitor farm fields and fences.

- By Dr Mac

All breeds of horses may compete and full rules are available on the Endurance Ride Association of South Africa website (erasa.co.za).

One of the advantages of hosting or owning endurance horses is that they need regular exercise, and farm paths and roads are ideal as they are not tarred, and there is no danger from passing traffic.

If employees or family members wish to compete, they must keep their horses fit all year round. That means ongoing daily, or at least weekly rides.

In most other equestrian sports, horses are ridden in small paddocks at a local riding school, but this is not ideal for endurance horses as they have to be reliable and steady over long distances with changing scenery.

Many are ridden along country roads, but this can lead to dangerous encounters with drivers and a great deal of dust being inhaled.