Australia is one of the world's most-established and dedicated endurance riding nations along with other countries from around the world, like the USA, UAE, Italy UK, Europe. Endurance riding in Australia is organized under the Australian Endurance Riders Association (AERA) a federation of state associations. The essential philosophy of the sport is that completing a ride with a sound horse is more important than attempting to "win" by risking the well-being of the horse. This philosophy produces high completion rates, and riders who are highly skilled in bringing on horses which stay sound ride after ride - another factor in the development of quality endurance horses, which are often only reaching their peak in their early teens and after many seasons of solid conditioning. Dixon Smith Equestrian provides many of the products, like Stirrups, Heart Rate Monitors, Health care products from Nature Vet, Marathon Bridles, & Deluxe Breastplates & Jodhpurs to assist both rider & horse achieve at their full potential. Australia's national team has taken part every World Championship and World Equestrian Games since they were formed and has carried off medals in all but one of these events. Most of these Teams have been wearing Dixon Smith Custom made jodhpurs with Australia clearly visible down the outside of the leg. And using Zilco Deluxe bridles breastplates & reins, typically in the Australian colours of green & gold. The Australian Endurance Squad (AES) was formed in February 2003 and its mission - 'To promote and Foster excellence in Equestrian Endurance' has been the vehicle from which the riders and horses of the Australian Team has emerged. Importantly, the sport is also advancing rapidly at the 'grass roots' level - evidenced by the expanding membership lists of the state endurance riding associations. This, in turn, is triggering an endurance riding 'industry' with equestrian suppliers and specialist magazines devoted purely to the sport. Dixon Smith Equestrian is one of these specialist tack suppliers, carrying a large range of products from around the world, including Petzl headlamps, Hought S Hackamores, Addon Deluxe Bridles Beta Biothane reins. Helmets are now made lighter with more ventilation holes and there are many brands. From the Aussie 21 Helmet to the Italian LAS Hitek Helmet worn by many of the worlds top Endurance teams. Endurance riding is also starting to gain media attention with regular reporting in national and state newspapers and items on television and radio. A Magazine now in its 3rd year devoted solely to Endurance Riding is the VinK Published - Endurance Beginners to Advanced, volume 1, 2 & 3 are all available from newsagents or online from Dixon Smith Equestrian. As a result, it is beginning to capture the imagination of the broader community. Endurance riding in Australia is poised on the brink of a new and exciting era. People from many other horse disciplines & even Trail riders are now competing in Endurance Riding. They appreciate the care & knowledge that Endurance Riders Apply to their horses and now there are so many good products to make it all a lot easier, like Stowaway No Bounce Saddle packs & Shearcomfort or Auskin Sheepskin seat covers that make those long hours in the saddle more comfortable. Australia also has a formidable reputation as a breeder of purebred and part-bred Arabian horses, producing star performers with exceptional bloodlines and the bone and attitude. Australia has produced horses such as Crystal Flyer, Provocative, Parlour Mountain Tabitha, Stanpark Ginnis, Ralvon Reflex, Mindari Aenzac, Oaklynn Lassiter, and many others which have found their way to the tracks and stables of the Middle East and Europe. While the modern sport of endurance riding has been popular in Australia for 40 years, long distance riding and testing of the endurance capacity of horses goes back much further. Between the late 18th and early 20th centuries, Australia was a major supplier of mounts for the British cavalry in India, and 100 000 horses went with the Australian Light Horse to the Middle East in the First World War. For many Aussies, endurance riding rekindles the spirit of the old bushmen - the stoicism, bravery, mental toughness, grit and guts of the men and women, who in times gone by, depended on horses for their lives. It gives present generations continuity with their past and exemplifies the 'never surrender' approach to adversity that Australian's admire so much. Though, today the saddlery that the Endurance horse & rider wears has become more sophisticated, with the use of new synthetic materials in the making of the Breastplates, Bridles & Saddles, so that they are extremely tough & need very little care. Products like the Easy Clean Go Between saddle pad which allows the sweat to run off the horses back so that you never need to wash a saddle cloth again, was unheard of in days gone by. The widespread use of electronic tools like the Polar Heart Rate Monitors, digital thermometers & even the Stethoscope all make this sport today, a very modern one. Australian bush legend RM Williams and his then wife Erica were responsible for sowing the seeds of early endurance riding. Through their magazine, Hoofs and Horns, they promoted the first American Tevis Cup endurance ride and canvassed the notion of a similar event in Australia. Out of this was born the world endurance classic, the annual 160 kms Tom Qulity. The Quilty, attracts the very best riders and horses from around the globe. It has been joined by other 'classics' including the 400km Shahzada marathon and The Far A Way 320k Marathon.. Australians are fortunate in having a vast and uncompromising landscape of widely-varying terrain and equally diverse weather conditions in which to ride. Across the country, from the Antarctic-swept wilderness at the southern tip of Tasmania to the searing deserts of the north western Queensland outback, events are held virtually every weekend. Many riders travel tens of thousands of kilometres each year to take part in a sport they describe as an addiction. An estimated 8,500 people are involved in endurance riding in Australia. They are the riders, owners, vets, officials, crew, friends and family, with one Endurance tack supplier, Dixon Smith Equestrian who supplies all the saddlery needs of the Endurance horse and who attends many rides throughout the country each year with a mobile shop & online store. They come are from every corner of the country and from all age groups and social backgrounds. Egalitarianism is another Aussie preoccupation. The frequency of rides as well as the variety of conditions has helped Australia produce some of the best horses in the world, but there are also other circumstances which make the Australian endurance horse a world-beater. A key factor is the unique and valuable bloodlines from which many of the best Australian horses derive. Australia was fortunate to acquire a series of Arabian horses who have proven to be outstanding endurance progenitors. Because of the long tradition of endurance in Australia, breeders have had the advantage of being able to breed from proven endurance performing mares and stallions. For example, the pre-eminent endurance Arabian stallion in Australia today is Chip Chase Sadaqa, who is, himself, a Quilty winner and sire of Quilty winners. An important factor is that Australian horses are bred and raised in large paddocks. Endurance horses are rarely stabled, and have the benefit of growing and living in a natural environment where they get every opportunity to develop bone, muscle, tendon and attitude.