Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on long-distance rides on different types of paths of 30 to 160km in length, depending on the category.
Every 30-35km, veterinary inspections are carried out to assess the heart rate, dehydration, mucous membrane colour, gastrointestinal sounds, breathing, injuries and pace, i.e. the metabolic and mechanical parameters that make it possible to assess whether the horse is fit to continue. If one or more parameters are abnormal, the horse is eliminated from the race.
Endurance tests were first conducted in 1954 in California (United States of America) along the Western States Trail, a route that followed the one used by the Pony Express between 1860 and 1861. These competitions soon became well rooted in Europe, in particular France and Spain.
As they awakened the interest of the Arabian Sheikhs around the end of the 1990s, in particular the Al-Maktoum and Al-Nahjan royal families of the Emirate of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, this sport witnessed a significant and sudden growth.