What qualities make a great racehorse? Speed? Stamina? Power? Thoroughbred breeders try to breed for the best traits to make the best racehorses in the industry, and those decisions, if successful, can help horses go on to such incredible second careers.

However, you don’t hear a lot about ex-racehorses having a second career in endurance riding. Riders struggle with maintaining their feet and controlling the “race brain,” but I have had success in this sport because I start off slowly and accept what my horses can do without pushing them over their limit – also known as Thoroughbred “race brain”!

How do I start prepping a horse for an endurance ride? Endurance riding allows riders to get to know their equines on a whole other level. You must know a horse’s personality to know when it is feeling bad or good, and know it’s eating style to determine if it has the slightest stomach ache. You must know how the horse’s body functions with different types of weather and how the heart rate changes at different speeds … the list goes on!

Riding on the beach at Assateague. (Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich )

From all my past experience in endurance, walking, and lots of it, is the number one step for conditioning for endurance. Many people look over this and think they need to ride fast for long miles. In my training, that step comes absolutely last. Why? There is so much prep work in the beginning to get a horse prepared for endurance that any vital step that is missed could cause your horse to go lame, have metabolic issues, and not be able to complete the ride. Therefore, there really is no point to riding fast for long miles early on.

Another good step to practice at home is spending time in an electric fence or corral area, as that is how horses are “stabled” at endurance events. You need to determine what type of fence your horse respects outside of his normal stall or pasture. Drafted had several practice sessions and easily respected one line of electric fence – sometimes when it was not even on!

After some practicing at home, Drafted and I had an opportunity to go camping at Assateague Island and ride at the beach with the wild ponies!

I prepared my trailer for all horse camping essentials and then some extras, just in case anything happened with Drafted’s first camping experience. I brought electric fence and metal corral panels as I had heard that the wild ponies like to push through and steal all your food. I also attached a collar and tracker on Drafted, just to guard against the very slim chance he could escape and decide to run to the wild!

Within the first few minutes of arriving at camp, the wild ponies knew we were there. They were curious and polite and checked out our setup and said “Hello,” to Drafted. Drafted gave a few neighs but remained his mellow self. The next step was to take a walk on the beach, because who would think a Thoroughbred off the track has seen the ocean before? Drafted had a few little hesitating steps with the splashing waves but enjoyed the cool water on his feet. The best thing he enjoyed was rolling in the sand!

Wild ponies checking out Drafted at camp. (Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich )

The first night camping, I got little to no sleep as I wasn’t sure how Drafted was going to do. With a few nightly checks throughout, I woke up to Drafted still in his pen ready for breakfast! We tacked up and began our fourth ride together on the beach! In the evening we had an opportunity to do a sunset photoshoot and Drafted looked like the gorgeous, famous boy he is. The last day of our camping trip, groups of Boy Scouts surrounded our campsite. Since we were the only people horse camping there, Drafted was a rising star with the crowds! He handled all the fame and attention like the celebrity he is and enjoyed every minute of it!

I felt confident that Drafted has the personality and background for large events because not much seems to faze him. So I was ready for the next step and entered him into the Winter Ride In The Pines Intro Endurance Ride in South Carolina. I was able to match up with a riding partner that matched my goals for Drafted first ride – safety first and ride slow.

Endurance horses are known for “race brain” and it’s the hardest thing to untrain. So for Drafted’s first ride, I wanted to ensure he knew this was a relaxing ride and not a race. The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) offers introductory rides for new horses or riders to get more exposure to the sport, and they are a perfect opportunity. The night before the ride, you get checked by a veterinarian to ensure your horse is sound for the event and Drafted passed with all “A” scores! Early the next morning we went off on our trail and completed our first endurance intro ride like a breeze!

After the first endurance ride went so well, Drafted and I entered the Lizard Run Intro Endurance Ride. My goal was to ride over two days to cover 25 miles instead of entering a one-day limited distance ride of 25 miles. Was he fit enough for a 25-mile ride? Probably yes, but Drafted was still new to Endurance and I did not want to rush him into it. For this ride, I had to prepare for adaptability because in Virginia it was 30 degrees and the second we hit the Carolinas, the temps got warm!

The morning of the ride, I wanted to try to warm him up a little bit, but I was in for a surprise. I tacked up, got into the saddle, and set out on the road to the starting line … until here came the 50-mile riders cantering down the trail at full speed. This was not what I was expecting! The second Drafted saw this, I could feel him shift his whole mentality. His heart was racing and he was amped to run – which is the one thing I did not want him to learn!

With quick thinking, I was able to turn him around and ride to the horse camp toward horses in a pen where I could safety dismount and get out of the way. He was ready to run a race, and my mind was second guessing if I should even start! Even though my nerves were blasting and I was worried how I was going to ride this ex-racehorse in an endurance race, I came up with a plan as I want to ensure the best outcome for Drafted. First, I walked a mile to the start of the ride to allow Drafted to mellow out. I met my riding partner and explained what happened and we both agreed to let all the other participants go ahead of us and we would stay behind. I composed myself and told myself, “I can do this,” and got back into the saddle and was ready to go.

The most memorable moment was the look of my non-horsey husband who had watched all of this unfold. His facial expression of “You are crazy and you’re going to die,” was priceless, but off Drafted and I went on our second endurance ride! Drafted was a little up for the first few miles but settled right in.

Courtesy of Katie Tarasevich

This endurance ride is known for swamps, but little did I know what was coming! Since it had rained earlier in the week, the water crossings turned into long black chest-high swamps. There is only one way to the finish and Drafted had no issues, walking straight into the black water – and this was a time when I was glad I have a tall horse! We completed our second endurance ride and vetted in with all “A” grades. I opted to not ride the second day and return home as a nasty thunderstorm and rain was expected all day and night.

I signed up for our third endurance ride, but this one was unique as it hosted multiple organizations in one weekend including American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), Federation Equestrian International Endurance, The North American Trail Ride Conference (NATRC), Ride & Tie, and Equathon. Drafted and I competed on Friday in the AERC 14-mile ride – and this was our first heat ride of 90 degrees! A few miles from the finish, we ended up getting stuck in a thunderstorm with rain. He passed the vet check with flying colors and was able to earn his completion.

I wanted to try to compete a second day, and this time we entered our first-ever NATRC ride. This is an endurance ride combined with obstacles along the way with judging on horsemanship and equitation. To our surprise, Drafted and I earned first place in our division! During this weekend, there was so much going on for the big event, and Drafted truly shined with his calm, relaxed attitude. The best part about all of these rides is sharing information about Drafted’s background, such as where he has raced, and promoting the Thoroughbred breed.

For most Thoroughbreds, the effects on their feet from living off the track get the best of them. A Thoroughbred’s feet are used to stall footing or track footing and are not used to outdoor elements or mud. So their feet take some time adjusting to the new horse life on a farm. Unfortunately, Widget Factory went through this phase with a bad abscess last month, but he is on the mend! Stay tuned for next month’s progress.

The Jockey Club supports many aftercare initiatives including the Thoroughbred Aftercare Alliance, the only accrediting body in aftercare, and Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.), which encourages the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers. View all of the initiatives supported by The Jockey Club.