My Saddlebred, now 31, has 2000 endurance miles and finished Tevis 4 times. Seventeen hands of tough, still gets ridden, and still knows how to buck. Also, a great people horse.
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Man, I do love this breed. Or, at least the one I have. He's a friggen fireball, this horse. He'd probably be more comfortable competing against Thoroughbreds on a mile and a quarter race track, but he does just fine doing his thing, which is a very quick 25. And trust me, I'm pulling back on him almost the entire first loop and part of the second. And, because of this LD/endurance training regimen I have put him on for the last 3 years, this is one powerful horse.
I've retired him from 50's, or if I do enter one, I'll pull after the third loop. I'll go though the vet check, making sure he's ok (my horse, not the vet), then tell Nancy I pull on the grounds of being dirty, smelly, old and thirsty. This horse is worth a whole lot more than a completion, to me, anyway.
Joan, I bet we can count the number of American endurance riders who ride a full blooded (no Arab mixed in) American Saddlebred, on one hand. 50 milers anyway. I think Dance has 3 or 4 50 mile completions under his belt (one for sure didn't get counted; we did the 50 and he almost died on me), and there won't be many more, probably no more, cause I scare easy when it comes to his health.
People laugh at me when they see me climb up on the back tail gate of my truck, the gate is down, and then get on top of DAnce Line, my 17 hand giraffe. But, man, can this horse move out. I'm planning on having some fun with him at the 25's my wife is making me ride. She and I just got a pair of walkie talkies (this should be fun; bet I lose one real quick attached to my saddle) so I can ride up ahead, and let Dance pass all those horses in front (not for long) of him that he loves doing. Then, I'll slow down the last part, hoping she'll catch up. If neither one of us loses one of them, knowing where your partner is on the trail might be fun to try and do. Hey, watch out for that hole that's about 3 miles a head of you. Right next to that pine tree. Her response would be, "Could you be a little more specific since we got millions and millions of those scrawny things down here?"
Even if pure Saddlebreds aren't the best breed for the sport, damn if I won't come out and say, they're the best ride. Nothing else comes close.
cya,
Howard