Endurance

Endurance is a long-distance race over 160 km, a one-day “marathon” completed by a horse and rider. This passionate sport takes place in the middle of the countryside, on a course that contains less than 10% hard-surface roads.

It is a veritable achievement that is only possible if the horse and rider are in complete harmony. The rider must ensure that the horse is in perfect physical condition. Compulsory veterinary checks are carried out throughout the course and, if there is any doubt about the horse’s health (exhaustion, lameness, dehydration, etc.), the pair is disqualified.

Spectators should not miss the galloping mass start, the 50 km/h sprint finish or the end-of-ride grooming, a 10-minute wind-down session during which the teams rub down, unsaddle and refresh the horse in order to reduce its heart rate before the final veterinary examination. Another must-see is the loop that runs along the stunningly beautiful Bay of Mont Saint Michel.