What is the difference between competitive trail and endurance riding?
COMPETITIVE TRAIL is a timed and judged event. You have a certain amount of time to finish a marked and measured course. You lose points for finishing too fast or too slow, and the horse is judged on his fitness. Penalty points are subtracted from a perfect score of 100 for both time penalties and horse condition. MOTDRA does not do judged obstacles as do some CTR groups. MOTDRA CTRs usually are set at a 5 to 6 mile per hour pace, but this can vary with the condition of the course and weather. The pace is usually in the slower range for limited distance rides (usually 15 miles) and faster with the open rides (usually 30 miles.) Mandatory hold times are added to the ride time. If you have a ride time of 5 hours with a half hour vet check, the total time allowed is 5 1/2 hours. ENDURANCE rides are races, but you can choose to ride for miles/completion instead of speed. There is a maximum time to finish the marked and measured course, but no minimum time. The first horse across the finish
