No horse arrives ready for a 100-mile ride. Not even the most resilient Arabian with the finest pedigree goes straight from the pasture to a FEI CEI* without preparation. Endurance training is a long, progressive, and deliberate process — and understanding how it works is what separates riders who finish their events from those who return home with injured or eliminated horses.

The word that defines endurance training is “progressiveness.” Each phase builds the foundation for the next. Skipping steps does not accelerate results — it guarantees injuries.

Where Does Endurance Training Begin?

The first question new endurance riders typically ask is about speed. What pace should I train at? How much cantering? The answer frustrates those expecting precise numbers: it depends on the horse, the terrain, and the stage of conditioning.

What does not depend on those variables is the fundamental principle: endurance training starts slow.

Months 1 to 3 — Building the aerobic base:

In this phase, the horse does not need to be fast. It needs to learn to work for extended periods at an aerobic pace — using oxygen efficiently, without entering anaerobic metabolism. Typical activities:

  • Long walks on varied terrain: 1.5 to 2 hours per session
  • Moderate-pace trotting: 15 to 20 continuous minutes per session
  • Terrain with gentle climbs to develop hindquarter musculature

Heart rate is the guide: keeping the horse below 150 bpm for most of the session means it is working aerobically. Above 170 bpm for extended periods, it is using anaerobic metabolism — consuming glycogen rapidly, which does not serve the goals of this phase.

Months 3 to 6 — Building distance:

With the aerobic base established, training increases the distance covered per session. The recommended increase is 10–15% per week — no more. Progressing faster raises the risk of tendinitis and ligament injuries.

In this phase, the rider begins training on more varied terrain: rock, mud, steeper inclines. The horse learns to manage the ground without wasting energy.

Months 6 to 12 — Speed and quality:

With a solid aerobic base and distance developed, training begins introducing higher-speed work for shorter intervals. Interval sessions — periods of canter followed by trot and recovery — develop the cardiac capacity to adapt to intensity changes.

In this phase, the rider also begins monitoring the horse’s recovery heart rate at the end of workouts, learning the individual animal’s specific recovery pattern.

What Training Tools Are Used in Endurance?

Modern endurance training uses technology that did not exist 20 years ago — and which has profoundly changed how riders monitor their horses’ conditioning.

Heart rate monitor: the primary training instrument. Equine-specific monitors are placed under the saddle or on the girth and transmit heart rate data in real time to the rider’s watch. With a monitor, the rider sees exactly when the horse is working aerobically, when it enters anaerobiosis, and how quickly it recovers.

GPS with elevation tracking: records speed, distance covered, and altitude gain during the workout. Combined with heart rate data, it allows calculation of the horse’s cardiovascular efficiency on different terrain types — climbs, flat sections, descents.

Periodic blood panels: blood sampling at intervals during the training cycle allows monitoring of parameters such as serum lactate, electrolytes, hematocrit, and muscle enzymes. Changes in these metrics indicate overload or adaptation — before any clinical symptom appears.

A trusted veterinarian: not a tool — a partnership. Serious endurance riders have a veterinarian who knows the horse, follows the evolution of the training program, and conducts the periodic evaluations the sport demands.

How Does Rest Factor Into the Training Program?

Rest is as important as training. Endurance horses cannot train at high intensity every day — the body does not adapt during effort, but during recovery.

3–4 training days per week: in standard training weeks, most riders work their horses three to four days, with active rest on the others (turnout, light walking).

Deload week: every three to four weeks of progressive training, a week with reduced volume. That week allows consolidation of adaptations before a new loading cycle begins.

Post-competition recovery: after an 80 km (50-mile) event, the horse needs at least two to four weeks of rest and gradual return. After 160 km (100 miles), some riders allow up to six to eight weeks before returning to normal training.

Ignoring rest is the most common cause of tendon and muscle injuries in endurance horses that had the potential for long careers.

What Is Strength Work in Endurance Training?

Endurance is often seen as a purely aerobic sport — and that view is partially correct. But endurance horses traverse terrain with climbs that demand significant muscular power. That power needs to be trained.

Hill work: incorporating moderate climbs into training — not merely as terrain to cover, but as specific strength exercises — develops the gluteal, hamstring, and back muscles that support the horse during intense efforts.

Sand walking: some trainers use deep sand to build muscular strength with lower joint impact. The horse works harder for each stride — increasing muscular demand without increasing the impact on joints.

Cavaletti work: for horses also introduced to basic jumping, cavaletti exercises improve coordination and spatial awareness of foot placement — which reduces stumbling on irregular terrain during competition.

How to Prepare the Horse in the Week Before a Race?

The week before the event is as important as the training itself. Mistakes in this window can destroy months of preparation.

Days 7 to 4 before the event: last moderate-intensity session. No more long or intense workouts.

Days 3 to 2 before the event: rest only — turnout and light walking. The horse should arrive at the event with glycogen stores replenished and muscles without accumulated fatigue.

Day before the event: arrival at the venue, setup for horse and rider, pre-ride veterinary inspection. The pre-ride inspection is mandatory at FEI events and verifies that the horse is fit to compete.

Hydration and electrolytes: in the preceding week, ensure adequate hydration and, if recommended by the veterinarian, preventive electrolyte supplementation so the horse arrives well-balanced at the start.

Feeding on the day before: maintain the habitual feeding routine. Abrupt dietary changes the day before an event can trigger digestive problems — the worst possible timing.