Characteristics of Endurance Competitions and Risk Factors for Elimination in New Zealand during Six Seasons of Competition (2010/11-2015/16).
Authors: Legg Kylie A, Weston Jenny F, Gee Erica K, Bolwell Charlotte F, Bridges Janis P, Rogers Chris W
Journal: Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
Summary
# Editorial Summary New Zealand's national endurance competitions provide a valuable dataset for understanding welfare outcomes at the grassroots level of the sport, where the majority of horses and riders gain experience before pursuing FEI-level competition. Legg and colleagues analysed elimination data from 6,885 competition starts across 775 horses over six seasons (2010/11–2015/16), examining which factors predicted withdrawal from races ranging from 40 km to 160 km in distance. Lameness dominated eliminations at 64%, with withdrawal rates escalating sharply with ride distance—from 7% at 40 km to 53% at 160 km—whilst metabolic causes accounted for 11% of eliminations; both lameness and metabolic eliminations showed significantly increased odds associated with greater ride distances, geographical location, seasonal timing, and in metabolic cases, older horse age. The declining median accumulated distance per horse over the study period (from 240 km to 180 km annually) suggests the sport may already be self-regulating towards more conservative conditioning, though the steep elimination gradient at longer distances warrants closer attention to preparation protocols and fitness assessment before horses progress beyond 80 km competitions. These findings provide practitioners with concrete risk indicators—particularly the amplified vulnerability at distances beyond 80 km—to inform conditioning strategies, entry planning, and pre-competition veterinary assessment tailored to individual horse and seasonal variables.
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Practical Takeaways
- •Lameness is the dominant welfare concern in endurance competitions; veterinary screening and pre-competition assessment of soundness should be prioritized
- •Metabolic elimination risk increases with horse age and ride distance; riders should adjust training and nutrition strategies accordingly, particularly for older horses attempting longer rides
- •Risk factors vary by location and season; event organizers and competitors should tailor conditioning and management practices to local and temporal conditions
Key Findings
- •Elimination rates increased substantially with ride distance, from 7% at 40 km to 53% at 160 km distances
- •Lameness accounted for 64% of all eliminations in New Zealand endurance competitions over six seasons
- •Metabolic reasons caused 11% of eliminations, with increased odds associated with older horses, longer distances, and specific locations/seasons
- •Accumulated ride distance per horse decreased from median 240 km/season (2010/11) to 180 km/season (2015/16)