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The first endurance ride was held as a consequence of an argument in the magazine "Landbou Weekblad" about which horse breed has the best endurance ability. In 1964 Landbou Weekblad organised a race to settle the issue. An endurance ride was held from Hanover to De Aar to Richmond and back to Hanover. In those years there were no veterinary surgeons to check the horses, as is compulsory today. The ride was a huge success, with the Arabian breed emerging victorious. In 1965 disaster struck when, after the ride, most of the horses appeared to have been poisoned by persons who were opposed to the competition. Approximately sixty of the participating horses died. The first ride after 1965 was in 1973 in Fauresmith. The area and temperature lends it to endurance riding. During the 1973 race seventeen riders competed. The number has since grown to between 250 and 300 entries each year. After every 25 km has been completed, the riders have 20 minutes to cool down their horses. They are then checked by veterinary surgeons. Heart rate and muscles are checked, and all overstrained horses are disqualified. The cameraderie and sportmanship between riders were probably best illustrated in 2003 when Laura Woods, then a Junior Springbok rider stopped halfway through the race to assist another competitor that fell. The Fauresmith International Endurance Ride is considered one of the toughest in the world. It is not the toughest because of the distance, but because riders must complete long distances over three consecutive days. Riders have been known to get up every hour during the freezing nights to check on their horses. Veteran riders such as Ami de Wet, Claire Amm and Chris Thiel returns year after year to compete in this gruelling race.
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