Endurance Riding

So I'm really getting into endurance riding, and my trainer is going to train me and my friend for a 25 mile ride in November. We'll be going up to the local forest/trails to school about twice a week.
What I'd like to know is if you have any tips and extra excercises you know of to get your horse to it's highest level of fitness. Particularly excercises you can do in the arena.

I would imagine it would be best just to build his stamina by either riding or lunging. Just increasing the amount of time you trot consistently, starting at like 3 minutes, and going up to 5, then 7, then 10, then 15, or something along those lines.

Nearly any horse can do a 25. It is not that hard and just getting out and riding a couple of times a week will do it.. Unless the horse is really overweight or has some special problems you will have no problems.

They allow 4 year olds to do 25's but you must have a 5 year old for 50's

I cross trained in dressage. My horses are very balanced and collected.

Of course nearly any horse can do it. But nearly any person could run a few miles, unless they are really overweight or has a special circumstance. Heck, I could do it, but that doesn't mean it wouldn't practically kill me. The problem isn't if they can or can't do it. It's getting them in shape so they are comfortable doing it. So they can still walk the next day, and they don't pass out from exhaustion. Horses still need to be conditioned, you can't just decide, hey, I ride for about 45 minutes 5 days a week, let's do a 25 mile endurance ride this weekend. My horse is in great shape, I could go out and ride for a few hours, some walking, some galloping. That doesn't mean she could go out and comfortably do a 25 mile endurance ride.

Have you ever tried it?? I have with at least 8 or 10 different horses. Done the 50's and 65's as well.
Again I don't find 25 that hard and most horses with very little conditioning can do them.
And still survive the next day

3 of us started endurance riding in the late 80's. My first horse was my big jumper. The locals held a race and we got talked into it. She won best condition that day and I promply sold her and bought an arab. I was hooked on the sport.
We had a great training route. The 3 of use liked to eat so we picked 2 restarants that served breakfast, had places to eat outside and were approximately 12 or 13 miles away one way. That made a 25 mile round trip.
We went every Saturday and every Sunday for breakfast. We didn't spare the horses since they only had a 12 mile run and then a good break so we raced, we jumped, we just had fun. When we got there we ground tied my horse and the other 2 ladies tied onto the saddle, one on each side and then they went in for our breakfastes while I baby sat the horses.
Our breakfast eaten we raced home.
Tuesday and Thursday was Dairy queen night. 6 miles each way for a total of 12 miles.
That added up to about 74 miles a week of fun. We did that for years and when we raced our guys were good, covering either a 25 at the head of any pack or slowing down and running the 50's.
Pick a place to go, a destintion, food is a good motivator and just go there and have fun.
The conditioning takes care of itself.
It worked for us and one of the ladies had a big heavy quarter horse and she won best quarter horse nearly every year and got her 1000 mile pin on him before his untimely death.
Quarter horses with their muscle mass are at a disadvantage so if you have a sleek arab you are well ahead of the game.
Good luck

It still isn't a safe way to go about things. You need to start small, baby steps and all that.

I have to agree that most horses can do a training ride on a general fitness level and not have any adverse effects.

I did a 40km training ride, which I think is about the same as 25 miles, with only our normal riding routine beforehand. We did it in three hours and could have done it again; He was hardly breathing heavy.

My idea of a great endurance prospect.
My young son Rio