Endurance Riding - Domestic and International Competition

Domestic and International Competition

Endurance became a recognized FEI discipline in 1982, and the international organization has since set down rules with the welfare of the horse as top priority. In the United States, endurance rides are sanctioned by the FEI, the AERC, or both but never the FEI alone. When both the FEI and AERC sanction a ride, the FEI rules prevail.

Two well-known American 100-mile (160 km) endurance rides are The Western States Trail Ride, commonly known as the Tevis Cup, held in California, and the Old Dominion ride, held in Virginia. Additionally, the top riders and horses compete at the World Equestrian Games, the Endurance World Championships, and the European Endurance Championships.

One-day international competitions are 40–160 km. Multi-day competitions are longer but have daily distance limits. Those that are FEI recognized and are broken into the following categories:

• CEI * (one star): minimum average distance each day is 40–79 km
• CEI **: 80–119 km minimum average distance each day
• CEI ***: 120+ km minimum average distance each day
• CEI ****: usually 160 km, with the winners completing in 10–12 hours

Note: CEI is the notation that the competition is an FEI-approved international competition.

When first recognized by the FEI, there were only four international competitions. This grew to an average of 18 rides per year by 1998, when the first World Championships were held in the United Arab Emirates. The World Championships provided a huge boost to the sport, and, by 2005, there were 353 international competitions, second to only eventing and show jumping. Due to the huge increase in international competition, endurance is growing quite rapidly worldwide.