Endurance without the membership fee: what a day ticket buys you

The facts

Pleasure rides

10km to 30km, non-competitive, open to non-members of Endurance GB

Graded endurance rides

20km to 80km, usually one day, grade set by speed and heart rate

Competitive rides

Day distances of 80km to 160km, mass start, placings decided at the finish

Day ticket

Up to three foundation novice rides before committing to full membership

Minimum speeds

6km/h on pleasure rides, 8km/h on foundation novice graded rides

Endurance GB runs the sport in three tiers, and the bottom one is closer to a long hack than a race. Pleasure rides cover 10km to 30km, are not competitive, and need only a straightforward trot-up for the vet before you leave and again when you come back. You do not have to be a member to enter one. Graded rides sit above that at 20km to 80km, generally completed in a day, with a full veterinary inspection at each end that includes heart rate as well as trotting up. The grade you receive reflects how fast you rode and how well the horse's heart rate came down. Only at competitive level, with day distances of 80km to 160km, does everyone set off together and race for a placing, subject to passing the final vet check.

The money decision comes when you want to try graded rides. Rather than paying for full membership on a hunch, Heather Giles, who handles PR and communications for Endurance GB, says a day ticket lets you enter up to three foundation novice rides first. That is enough to find out whether you and the horse enjoy it before any annual fee leaves your account.

Speed is regulated at the bottom end rather than the top. There is a minimum of 6km/h on pleasure rides and 8km/h on foundation novice graded rides, set so that riders are not still out on the route after the event has closed down. Routes run over bridleways and private land, with gates, road crossings and varying going, so the practical approach is the same as any hack: walk where you must, trot where you can.

Kit need not be a barrier. Up to 40km, well-fitted tack is the requirement, and a saddle that does not fit will tell you about it over several hours. A heart rate monitor becomes worth the outlay if you move up the levels, both for the vetting and for tracking fitness at home. Any sound, fit horse can do grassroots endurance; breed matters far less at this end than knowing what your own horse needs, such as extra cooling on a warm day.

What this means for you

Hacking owners curious but uncommitted

A pleasure ride needs no membership, and three foundation novice graded rides can be done on day tickets

Anyone nervous about vetting

Graded rides mean a full inspection with heart rate at both ends, so practise handling and heart rate recovery at home first

Owners of cobs, Shires and other non-Arabs

Grassroots entry is open to all breeds; the job is managing the horse you have rather than buying a different one

Riders watching their spend

Below 40km the honest requirement is tack that fits, not new kit; a heart rate monitor is a later purchase

What to do

1. Check your saddle fit before entering anything over about 20km. Hours in the saddle will find any problem you have been ignoring.

   Before you enter

2. Practise taking your horse's heart rate at home and time how quickly it settles after work, so the vetting holds no surprises.

3. Download the route map and find your bib number from the event page, which is available roughly seven to ten days beforehand, and take a paper copy with you.

   About a week before your ride

4. Ask the organiser at entry how long after finishing you must present to the vet, then plan a slower final stretch so the heart rate is down in time.

5. Ask whether you can be paired with a buddy if it is your first ride or you are going alone, and consider volunteering at a local ride to see the format first.