Arabian Horses and Endurance

Let’s say you had the ability to “build” the perfect horse for endurance competitions. You could take the best parts of any breed’s unique anatomy and combine them together into one horse that had the stamina, the speed, and the spirit to finish ahead of the pack in a grueling endurance ride. What would your creation look like? Simple! The Arabian Horse!

Purebred Arabians and Arabian-crosses dominate endurance races, almost always leaving other breeds in their trail dust. Due to its long desert heritage, the breed developed several physical attributes that provide it with the necessary functions to excel in the discipline.

First of all, the Arabian is a lot of horse in a small to average-size package. They stand only 14.1-15.1 hands tall. While they may look refined and fragile, these looks are deceiving. Arabians have denser bone than many other breeds, and they possess unusually strong backs. Most Arabs have only 5 lumbar vertebrae instead of the 6 of other breeds, and while other horses have 18 pairs of ribs, the typical Arab has only 17. This means Arabians can carry even a heavier rider with ease.

The Arabian has large eyes that add to its visual performance, and a slight bulge in their foreheads. Their Bedouin masters referred to this as a “jibbah” and believed the bulge was where Allah blessed the horse. The jibbah gives the Arab increased sinus capacity, and this, along with its large windpipe, aids the horse with breathing. Even their nostrils help – they’re large and help the Arab “drink the wind.” They have excellent lung capacity, too.

The Arab’s dark skin keeps them from getting burned by the harsh rays of the sun. They have good hooves with thick hoof walls, and they’re surefooted, which is extremely important for trail riding. They also have wonderful intelligence and are unusually alert to their rider’s cues.

In addition to the Arab’s superior physical makeup, it has a temperament that enhances endurance riding. Because of its close bond with humans, the horse works with its rider as a partner. Horse and rider become a team, helping each other attain success.

Most endurance rides are either 100 miles long or 50 miles long, and they’re divided into “legs.” At the end of each leg, horses must be checked by a veterinarian who checks the animal’s heart rate, respiration rate, and its hydration level. The horse must pass the inspection to be allowed to continue on the race. The winner is the first horse to complete the entire course satisfactorily. Amazingly, some winners accomplish this goal in just 10 hours for a 100-mile race.

One of the most famous endurance competitions is the Tevis Cup, where participants must navigate a 100-mile course through the Sierra Nevada Mountains within a 24-hour period. The trek is extremely challenging, with horses having to negotiate the rugged California terrain. In 2007, 8 of the first 10 horses to complete the ride successfully were Arabians. This gives you an idea of how the breed fares in endurance riding.