Getting Started

Your First Ride

So, you’ve decided to give endurance riding a try. Be warned, though—it’s addictive!

If you’ve never entered an endurance ride before, you can start by participating in an Introductory ride (distances between 10-20km) or an Intermediate ride (distances between 40-60km). These rides are open to Day Members, even if you don’t have a logbook for your horse. However, riders must successfully complete at least two Intermediate rides and become a QERA member before they can participate in longer distance rides of 80km or more.

All endurance events require pre-nomination, which is typically done online via the AERAOnline website. For up-to-date information, visit the QERA Facebook page, where ride organising clubs post details about upcoming events. Take a look at the Facebook group and QERA calendar to find events near you. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the ride organising club—you can find a list of RO contacts here.

Once you nominate for an event, you’ll receive a Horse Health Declaration form through AERAOnline. You can also access copies on the QERA website here. Additionally, you’ll need to maintain a 10-day temperature log.

Remember that helmets are compulsory whenever you’re mounted at an endurance event—even if you’re just checking stirrup length in your camp. Always wear an approved helmet for safety.

Overnight Camping

Whether the ride starts early in the morning or later in the afternoon, camping overnight is a good idea. Endurance riders are a sociable bunch, and we love to relax and unwind around the campfire after a ride.

Here’s what you need to know:

Arrival and Setup:

  • If it’s a Sunday morning ride, all the important activities—nominations, pre-ride vetting, and pre-ride talk—take place on Saturday afternoon.

  • When you arrive at the ride base, a volunteer will check your horse’s health declaration. They’ll direct you to your camping spot.

  • Set up a yard for your horse and your own camp. Some rides offer yards for hire, so check with the club ride secretary.

  • Ensure your horse has plenty of water. Even for a 20km ride, grass hay is sufficient. Keep an eye on your horse to make sure it’s drinking water. Overfed or dehydrated horses often end up in the vet hospital.


Trot-Out
The ideal trot-out. The horse trots willingly beside its handler on a loose lead.
Nominations

Once set up, you may have some time to sit back and relax before the ride secretary is open for nominations.  Nominating means more paperwork.  You will have to fill out a ride entry form with your and the horse's details, pay your entry fee, and receive your ride bib.  You will need to wear your bib when you take your horse to the vet check, and when you ride your horse. 

Pre-Ride Vetting

Something you should practice at home is the trot-out.  Your horse should trot willingly beside you on a loose rein.  Another hint is to trot your horse out once you are at the ride base and get an experienced friend to make sure your horse isn't lame BEFORE you nominate.  Most ride organisers will give you a full refund if you arrive at the base and your horse is lame. 

All horses must pass a pre-ride vet check.  Horse welfare is of the utmost importance in our sport.  Once vetting is open, there will probably be a line up.  The first step is for your horse's ID to be checked by the chief steward.  The CS will also check the horse's teeth to ensure they are old enough to start the ride.  The chief steward is the highest authority at an endurance ride.  Once the CS has checked your horse, you will be asked to go to a TPR bay, where the horse's temperature, pulse and respiration rate will be checked and recorded on your day card or logbook.  You will then be asked to go to one of the vets for the vet check.

A vet will check your horse for obvious cuts and abrasions.  They will check the girth, back and withers for soreness. They will check capillary refill time, jugular refill time, and skin recoil time to determine how well hydrated your horse is.  They will check gut and heart sounds. Finally, you will be asked to trot your horse out so the vet can check for lameness.  Your horse should trot nicely beside you, willingly on a loose rein.  You trot 40m out and 40m back so the vets can observe the hind end and the front end for lameness. 

Pre-Ride Briefing

All Introductory and Intermediate riders must attend pre-ride briefing.  You will be given a quick talk on track conditions, ride safety and start time and procedure.  Most importantly, you will be told the colour of the arrows you are to follow. 

Ride Start

Intro and Intermediate rides always start in daylight.  It is a good idea to get up an hour before ride start so you have time for breakfast, coffee and to saddle up.  You must wear your ride bib on the outside of any clothing so it can be seen by checkpoint personnel. You would have been told in pre-ride briefing where you are to mill around and warm up for ride start.  Once you are in the start area, ride over to the chief steward (red vest) and clearly call your bib number.  They will call your number back to confirm they heard you.  If the CS doesn't repeat your number, they may not have heard you.  Once the clock says it is ride start time, the CS will release the riders.  If it is an afternoon ride, you need to attach a good headlamp to your helmet, as you will probably be finishing the ride in the dark.

The Ride

The goal of an intro ride or intermediate ride is to complete, there are no placings.  They are non competitive and are speed limited.  There will be a minimum time set for the ride, and you must not come in early or you will be disqualified.  You ride at you and your horse's own pace, and plenty of time is allowed for you to complete the ride, even if you decide to walk your horse around the course.  You follow the arrows as specified in the pre-ride briefing.  You will come to at least one checkpoint, once again, call out your bib number and wait for a reply.  Every 5 or 10km, you should find a distance marker that will tell you how far you have come.  Eventually you will come to the finish line.  Once you cross the finish line you aren't quite done.

Vetting

Your horse has to pass the end of ride vet check.  It will be exactly the same as pre-ride vetting, except there will be no ID check, and the temperature won't be taken.  Sometimes respiration rate is not taken either.  The vet will check all parameters, and then ask you to do a trot-out.  If your horse is sound and passes the vet check, congratulations, you have successfully completed your first ride.  Our rule is "Fit to Continue", that is at the end of a ride, your horse should be capable of heading out and doing more distance.  Our vets are always happy to discuss any concerns you or they may have.  

It can be a heartbreaking sport, if you vet out, you will feel down, but most of us understand that bitter taste of vetting out.  It is even worse if you are on the final leg of a 4 day 320k marathon and you fail the last vet check.  If you must leave after you have finished the ride, you must wait for 2 hours, sometimes horses can crash after they have passed the final vet check, this is one of our welfare requirements. If you have a valid reason for leaving before presentations, such as needing to get to tick gates before they close, please discuss with the Ride Secretary when you nominate.  

We always have a team of experienced vets at our events, their primary concern is the welfare your horse.   

Presentations

Almost done, the final official part of the ride is the presentations, where you receive your completion award, and your logbook / day card.  You will be told at pre-ride talk when this will take place.