National horse racing event galloping into Prince Albert

The races are a test of both the horse and the rider’s shared endurance. For the 50 mile race, riders will be given 12 hours to complete the entire course, and 24 hours to complete the 100 mile race.

Within that time limit though, there are mandatory breaks that horses and their riders have to take part in. Erb said that endurance racing for horses is highly regulated, and that’s why they have four veterinarians ready to check on each horse after every 25 miles.

“The horse’s heart rate has to come down to 64 beats a minute or lower, and then they proceed to the vet check. There’s basically like a report card for this horse, so they’re checking for gut sounds, hydration and lameness, anything like that. So if your horse is not fit to continue, meaning they’re not hydrated enough, they don’t have gut sounds and they’re going to become metabolic or colicky, or they’re starting to become lame, your horse will get pulled from the race.”

Each mandatory check comes with a 45 minute rest time to feed and rest the horse. So if a rider is taking part in the 100 mile race, they’ll have to account for three separate 45 minute breaks in their 24 hour time limit.

Taking place out at Lily Plain, there is one spot on the trail that saw some damage from the earlier wildfire that started near MacDowall and threatened to cross the North Saskatchewan River towards Lily Plain. Erb said that the Long Riders have been hard at work making sure the trails are in the best condition they can be ahead of the competition.

“As soon as everything got under control, we went out there and we assessed, and riders will only be riding through about five miles of the really burned heavy stuff. But even now, like everything has grown back beautifully. There’s beautiful wildflowers, so we can expect the riders to really have some gorgeous views down trail.”

In total, 36 riders have qualified for the national championships. Endurance riding isn’t the most popular sport and the athletes in it are aware. It’s part of why they have so much pride in what they do, and why having this championship coming to the Prince Albert area is such a big moment.

“The sport of endurance has been around a long time, but at the same time, it is a dying sport. So it’s one of those things where we’re trying to advocate and bring back awareness to it and get more people involved. So one of our goals is that this championship will encourage grassroots within the provincial club people to start getting involved, and those who are already involved to step up and become more competitive in the sport and wanting to compete on the national stage. So we’re really, really proud of the athletes who have worked hard and conditioned their horses, met qualification criteria.”

The trail conditions are nearly flawless according to Erb, and she’s hopeful to see some record times set. With racers starting at 5:00 a.m., some of the earliest runners are expected to finish the 100 mile race between midnight and 3:00 a.m.

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nick.nielsen@pattisonmedia.com

by Nick Nielsen

National horse racing event galloping into Prince Albert

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