How far can you travel on horseback while pushing the horse to the brink?

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Wanting to keep my writing realistic, I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range.



The current setting is thus:



  • Medieval style world, roads available, they are travelling north, climate like Germany/Holland/Scandinavia


  • A group of mostly military (only one not-experienced rider among them) horsemen travelling as fast as they can because their life depends on it need to cross a windswept plain. About 12-15 persons plus horses.


  • They ride light (light armour) but heavily armed (everyone carries either one or two swords or a bow with full quiver and a shortsword, and an occasional axe or warhammer present).


  • They have pack-horses for supplies and enough mounts. Rations are simple dry rations for the men and oats for the horses. Water is available on the plain.


  • The not-experienced rider is a thin woman, but she is a magic healer (magic does come at a cost in the form of energy drains).


  • They are being followed and they know that. The windswept plain houses many nasties and you don’t want to be there for much longer than you need.


How far could they have traveled in two days and three nights, taking minimal breaks and only one longer rest due to extreme fatigue?










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  • 3




    In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
    – Neil
    2 days ago







  • 1




    @MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    2 days ago






  • 3




    "...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
    – Aaron
    2 days ago






  • 4




    “the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago






  • 4




    How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
    – cybernard
    2 days ago















up vote
26
down vote

favorite
3












Wanting to keep my writing realistic, I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range.



The current setting is thus:



  • Medieval style world, roads available, they are travelling north, climate like Germany/Holland/Scandinavia


  • A group of mostly military (only one not-experienced rider among them) horsemen travelling as fast as they can because their life depends on it need to cross a windswept plain. About 12-15 persons plus horses.


  • They ride light (light armour) but heavily armed (everyone carries either one or two swords or a bow with full quiver and a shortsword, and an occasional axe or warhammer present).


  • They have pack-horses for supplies and enough mounts. Rations are simple dry rations for the men and oats for the horses. Water is available on the plain.


  • The not-experienced rider is a thin woman, but she is a magic healer (magic does come at a cost in the form of energy drains).


  • They are being followed and they know that. The windswept plain houses many nasties and you don’t want to be there for much longer than you need.


How far could they have traveled in two days and three nights, taking minimal breaks and only one longer rest due to extreme fatigue?










share|improve this question









New contributor




MissMerivana is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 3




    In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
    – Neil
    2 days ago







  • 1




    @MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    2 days ago






  • 3




    "...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
    – Aaron
    2 days ago






  • 4




    “the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago






  • 4




    How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
    – cybernard
    2 days ago













up vote
26
down vote

favorite
3









up vote
26
down vote

favorite
3






3





Wanting to keep my writing realistic, I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range.



The current setting is thus:



  • Medieval style world, roads available, they are travelling north, climate like Germany/Holland/Scandinavia


  • A group of mostly military (only one not-experienced rider among them) horsemen travelling as fast as they can because their life depends on it need to cross a windswept plain. About 12-15 persons plus horses.


  • They ride light (light armour) but heavily armed (everyone carries either one or two swords or a bow with full quiver and a shortsword, and an occasional axe or warhammer present).


  • They have pack-horses for supplies and enough mounts. Rations are simple dry rations for the men and oats for the horses. Water is available on the plain.


  • The not-experienced rider is a thin woman, but she is a magic healer (magic does come at a cost in the form of energy drains).


  • They are being followed and they know that. The windswept plain houses many nasties and you don’t want to be there for much longer than you need.


How far could they have traveled in two days and three nights, taking minimal breaks and only one longer rest due to extreme fatigue?










share|improve this question









New contributor




MissMerivana is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.











Wanting to keep my writing realistic, I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range.



The current setting is thus:



  • Medieval style world, roads available, they are travelling north, climate like Germany/Holland/Scandinavia


  • A group of mostly military (only one not-experienced rider among them) horsemen travelling as fast as they can because their life depends on it need to cross a windswept plain. About 12-15 persons plus horses.


  • They ride light (light armour) but heavily armed (everyone carries either one or two swords or a bow with full quiver and a shortsword, and an occasional axe or warhammer present).


  • They have pack-horses for supplies and enough mounts. Rations are simple dry rations for the men and oats for the horses. Water is available on the plain.


  • The not-experienced rider is a thin woman, but she is a magic healer (magic does come at a cost in the form of energy drains).


  • They are being followed and they know that. The windswept plain houses many nasties and you don’t want to be there for much longer than you need.


How far could they have traveled in two days and three nights, taking minimal breaks and only one longer rest due to extreme fatigue?







reality-check travel horses






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edited 2 days ago









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Check out our Code of Conduct.







  • 3




    In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
    – Neil
    2 days ago







  • 1




    @MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    2 days ago






  • 3




    "...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
    – Aaron
    2 days ago






  • 4




    “the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago






  • 4




    How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
    – cybernard
    2 days ago













  • 3




    In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
    – Neil
    2 days ago







  • 1




    @MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
    – Patricia Shanahan
    2 days ago






  • 3




    "...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
    – Aaron
    2 days ago






  • 4




    “the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago






  • 4




    How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
    – cybernard
    2 days ago








3




3




In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
– Neil
2 days ago





In the Kingkiller Chronicles, Kvothe drives a horse 60 miles in half a day. Of course that's fiction, but I'd like to think it has some backing on reality. Consider also that that horse was a war horse and very sturdy (in the book, Kvothe has to actually slow the horse down towards the beginning of the journey in order to pace it, because it was eager to gallop).
– Neil
2 days ago





1




1




@MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
– Patricia Shanahan
2 days ago




@MissMerivana That looks like less than two horses per person, so I would expect travel slower than e.g. Mongol army scouts, who had a string of horses for each person.
– Patricia Shanahan
2 days ago




3




3




"...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
– Aaron
2 days ago




"...pushing the horses to the brink", and then "I try to keep distances traveled in the humanely possible range." That is a funny typo. Normally I don't bother to point them out, but this one had a comedic effect in how it actually changes the meaning to counter the title. You probably meant "humanly possible"... which is still funny since it's horses and not humans. Fun all around. Maybe "physically possible".
– Aaron
2 days ago




4




4




“the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
– can-ned_food
2 days ago




“the brink” of what, exactly? If you mean that the horse can recover afterward with no permanent damage caused by injury or malnutrition, then you should stipulate that in your question as one of the criteria.
– can-ned_food
2 days ago




4




4




How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
– cybernard
2 days ago





How much healing can the healer do to horses? Can she do health potions in advance or just healing spells? If we drive the horses to near death every 2 hours can she heal them 100% every 2 hours? Assuming we strap the healer on so she can't fall off, and then drain her dry like the desert sands how many heals can we get?
– cybernard
2 days ago











3 Answers
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up vote
39
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accepted










The answer to this depends on the rider's preference: do they want to travel "AS FAST" as they can or do they need to travel "AS FAR" as they can.



Riding a horse in medieval times didn't meant that the rider was constantly on the horse.



Going as fast as you can meant that you could travel 80-100 km with the horse cantering but that also meant that after two hours of constant effort the horse would just drop dead.



Going as far as you can (or going as far as you can in the shortest time) would mean that you are constantly on the move. Riders don't ride the horses all the time but they are walking with them.



A horse is an unusual animal in that after 4 hours of constant moving they will stop. It don't matter how fast or how overladen they were, they just need to rest.



A few examples:




  • James Mowat - 350 km in 36 hours. Edit based on info from a Canadian site - Mowat did in fact change horses during his trip and it took him 3 days. (I assume it's because he started late on the first one and finished on third day)


  • Ashgabat – Moscow horse ride by Turkish horsemen in 1935 - 4128 km (of which around 900 were through a desert) in 84 days.

Traveling at night, without lights (to not attract nasties) would require riders to walk beside horses. Maximum speed of 4 km/h.



So I would say that 400 kilometres is a safe distance to assume. Maybe 600 if you don't want to keep the horses and can ride them to their death at the end.



Horse distance trivia: Crusaders in Prussia built castles separated by a distance that a rider could travel in one day (from dawn till dusk). As you can see from this picture Crusaders' castles in Prussia the distance was different depending on roads, geography and ease of travel (barbarians, big forests and so forth).






share|improve this answer






















  • Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
    – mjt
    2 days ago










  • jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
    – SZCZERZO KŁY
    2 days ago






  • 3




    +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
    – Jonas Bezzubovas
    2 days ago






  • 4




    In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
    – JonSG
    2 days ago










  • On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago

















up vote
21
down vote














How far can you travel on horseback [...]



traveling as fast as they can




At full speed (gallop): about 2-3 km. Horse gallops at about 40 km/h so that would be about 5 minutes.



Maximizing distance: about 50-60 km per day.



40km is the largest distance that separated Pony Express stations. At the station the rider would change to a fresh horse. A single rider, weighting max 57kg with 9kg of mail, rode about 120 km per day - that's only relevant in showing that such figure is impossible with one horse instead of 5.



Middle Ages horses were not as good, their saddles were not up to par and your riders are much heavier. Wikipedia says about Middle Ages horse riding that "Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles (50km) a day."



Both horses and men needs rest. Riding at night on dangerous plains is simply not practical, the best you can hope for is horse breaking a leg and leaving your stranded there.






share|improve this answer
















  • 1




    It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
    – jamesqf
    2 days ago






  • 2




    @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
    – JonSG
    2 days ago










  • I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago







  • 1




    @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
    – jamesqf
    yesterday










  • @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
    – Martin Bonner
    yesterday

















up vote
2
down vote













https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_riding




Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions
recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance
rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a
one-day competition.



There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail
riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this
article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line
while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the
animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon
running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's
personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a
proper vet completion record to be a "win".



In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles
(160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are
organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained.
However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which
more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also
longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. In the USA, the American
Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK,
Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete
100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.1



Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top
levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.




Readded as a quote.



SO if 160km in 14 to 15 hours in race conditions I would say the horse wouldn't be able to be used that night and little the next day.



So if you wanted to keep your horses I would say it would be around the 300km mark. If you didn't want to keep the horses then you could probably get this up to 450km but that would mean a hard ride at the end and your riders would arrive very tired.






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    3 Answers
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    3 Answers
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    up vote
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    down vote



    accepted










    The answer to this depends on the rider's preference: do they want to travel "AS FAST" as they can or do they need to travel "AS FAR" as they can.



    Riding a horse in medieval times didn't meant that the rider was constantly on the horse.



    Going as fast as you can meant that you could travel 80-100 km with the horse cantering but that also meant that after two hours of constant effort the horse would just drop dead.



    Going as far as you can (or going as far as you can in the shortest time) would mean that you are constantly on the move. Riders don't ride the horses all the time but they are walking with them.



    A horse is an unusual animal in that after 4 hours of constant moving they will stop. It don't matter how fast or how overladen they were, they just need to rest.



    A few examples:




    • James Mowat - 350 km in 36 hours. Edit based on info from a Canadian site - Mowat did in fact change horses during his trip and it took him 3 days. (I assume it's because he started late on the first one and finished on third day)


    • Ashgabat – Moscow horse ride by Turkish horsemen in 1935 - 4128 km (of which around 900 were through a desert) in 84 days.

    Traveling at night, without lights (to not attract nasties) would require riders to walk beside horses. Maximum speed of 4 km/h.



    So I would say that 400 kilometres is a safe distance to assume. Maybe 600 if you don't want to keep the horses and can ride them to their death at the end.



    Horse distance trivia: Crusaders in Prussia built castles separated by a distance that a rider could travel in one day (from dawn till dusk). As you can see from this picture Crusaders' castles in Prussia the distance was different depending on roads, geography and ease of travel (barbarians, big forests and so forth).






    share|improve this answer






















    • Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
      – mjt
      2 days ago










    • jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
      – SZCZERZO KŁY
      2 days ago






    • 3




      +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
      – Jonas Bezzubovas
      2 days ago






    • 4




      In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago














    up vote
    39
    down vote



    accepted










    The answer to this depends on the rider's preference: do they want to travel "AS FAST" as they can or do they need to travel "AS FAR" as they can.



    Riding a horse in medieval times didn't meant that the rider was constantly on the horse.



    Going as fast as you can meant that you could travel 80-100 km with the horse cantering but that also meant that after two hours of constant effort the horse would just drop dead.



    Going as far as you can (or going as far as you can in the shortest time) would mean that you are constantly on the move. Riders don't ride the horses all the time but they are walking with them.



    A horse is an unusual animal in that after 4 hours of constant moving they will stop. It don't matter how fast or how overladen they were, they just need to rest.



    A few examples:




    • James Mowat - 350 km in 36 hours. Edit based on info from a Canadian site - Mowat did in fact change horses during his trip and it took him 3 days. (I assume it's because he started late on the first one and finished on third day)


    • Ashgabat – Moscow horse ride by Turkish horsemen in 1935 - 4128 km (of which around 900 were through a desert) in 84 days.

    Traveling at night, without lights (to not attract nasties) would require riders to walk beside horses. Maximum speed of 4 km/h.



    So I would say that 400 kilometres is a safe distance to assume. Maybe 600 if you don't want to keep the horses and can ride them to their death at the end.



    Horse distance trivia: Crusaders in Prussia built castles separated by a distance that a rider could travel in one day (from dawn till dusk). As you can see from this picture Crusaders' castles in Prussia the distance was different depending on roads, geography and ease of travel (barbarians, big forests and so forth).






    share|improve this answer






















    • Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
      – mjt
      2 days ago










    • jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
      – SZCZERZO KŁY
      2 days ago






    • 3




      +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
      – Jonas Bezzubovas
      2 days ago






    • 4




      In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago












    up vote
    39
    down vote



    accepted







    up vote
    39
    down vote



    accepted






    The answer to this depends on the rider's preference: do they want to travel "AS FAST" as they can or do they need to travel "AS FAR" as they can.



    Riding a horse in medieval times didn't meant that the rider was constantly on the horse.



    Going as fast as you can meant that you could travel 80-100 km with the horse cantering but that also meant that after two hours of constant effort the horse would just drop dead.



    Going as far as you can (or going as far as you can in the shortest time) would mean that you are constantly on the move. Riders don't ride the horses all the time but they are walking with them.



    A horse is an unusual animal in that after 4 hours of constant moving they will stop. It don't matter how fast or how overladen they were, they just need to rest.



    A few examples:




    • James Mowat - 350 km in 36 hours. Edit based on info from a Canadian site - Mowat did in fact change horses during his trip and it took him 3 days. (I assume it's because he started late on the first one and finished on third day)


    • Ashgabat – Moscow horse ride by Turkish horsemen in 1935 - 4128 km (of which around 900 were through a desert) in 84 days.

    Traveling at night, without lights (to not attract nasties) would require riders to walk beside horses. Maximum speed of 4 km/h.



    So I would say that 400 kilometres is a safe distance to assume. Maybe 600 if you don't want to keep the horses and can ride them to their death at the end.



    Horse distance trivia: Crusaders in Prussia built castles separated by a distance that a rider could travel in one day (from dawn till dusk). As you can see from this picture Crusaders' castles in Prussia the distance was different depending on roads, geography and ease of travel (barbarians, big forests and so forth).






    share|improve this answer














    The answer to this depends on the rider's preference: do they want to travel "AS FAST" as they can or do they need to travel "AS FAR" as they can.



    Riding a horse in medieval times didn't meant that the rider was constantly on the horse.



    Going as fast as you can meant that you could travel 80-100 km with the horse cantering but that also meant that after two hours of constant effort the horse would just drop dead.



    Going as far as you can (or going as far as you can in the shortest time) would mean that you are constantly on the move. Riders don't ride the horses all the time but they are walking with them.



    A horse is an unusual animal in that after 4 hours of constant moving they will stop. It don't matter how fast or how overladen they were, they just need to rest.



    A few examples:




    • James Mowat - 350 km in 36 hours. Edit based on info from a Canadian site - Mowat did in fact change horses during his trip and it took him 3 days. (I assume it's because he started late on the first one and finished on third day)


    • Ashgabat – Moscow horse ride by Turkish horsemen in 1935 - 4128 km (of which around 900 were through a desert) in 84 days.

    Traveling at night, without lights (to not attract nasties) would require riders to walk beside horses. Maximum speed of 4 km/h.



    So I would say that 400 kilometres is a safe distance to assume. Maybe 600 if you don't want to keep the horses and can ride them to their death at the end.



    Horse distance trivia: Crusaders in Prussia built castles separated by a distance that a rider could travel in one day (from dawn till dusk). As you can see from this picture Crusaders' castles in Prussia the distance was different depending on roads, geography and ease of travel (barbarians, big forests and so forth).







    share|improve this answer














    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer








    edited 2 days ago









    jdunlop

    5,3261934




    5,3261934










    answered 2 days ago









    SZCZERZO KŁY

    14k22042




    14k22042











    • Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
      – mjt
      2 days ago










    • jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
      – SZCZERZO KŁY
      2 days ago






    • 3




      +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
      – Jonas Bezzubovas
      2 days ago






    • 4




      In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago
















    • Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
      – mjt
      2 days ago










    • jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
      – SZCZERZO KŁY
      2 days ago






    • 3




      +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
      – Jonas Bezzubovas
      2 days ago






    • 4




      In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago















    Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
    – mjt
    2 days ago




    Got a link for James Mowat? I can't find much on Google.
    – mjt
    2 days ago












    jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
    – SZCZERZO KŁY
    2 days ago




    jamesmowat.ca/about/history-of-james-mowat
    – SZCZERZO KŁY
    2 days ago




    3




    3




    +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
    – Jonas Bezzubovas
    2 days ago




    +1 For the Prussian Cavalry
    – Jonas Bezzubovas
    2 days ago




    4




    4




    In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
    – JonSG
    2 days ago




    In my opinion, this answer is overestimated by 200km. With the requirements including an INEXPERIENCE RIDER and leading pack animals, the group will not be trotting or cantering. Long term progress will be at a walk.
    – JonSG
    2 days ago












    On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago




    On this website, you should choose another adjective than to say that the horse “is a magic animal”
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago










    up vote
    21
    down vote














    How far can you travel on horseback [...]



    traveling as fast as they can




    At full speed (gallop): about 2-3 km. Horse gallops at about 40 km/h so that would be about 5 minutes.



    Maximizing distance: about 50-60 km per day.



    40km is the largest distance that separated Pony Express stations. At the station the rider would change to a fresh horse. A single rider, weighting max 57kg with 9kg of mail, rode about 120 km per day - that's only relevant in showing that such figure is impossible with one horse instead of 5.



    Middle Ages horses were not as good, their saddles were not up to par and your riders are much heavier. Wikipedia says about Middle Ages horse riding that "Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles (50km) a day."



    Both horses and men needs rest. Riding at night on dangerous plains is simply not practical, the best you can hope for is horse breaking a leg and leaving your stranded there.






    share|improve this answer
















    • 1




      It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
      – jamesqf
      2 days ago






    • 2




      @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago







    • 1




      @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
      – jamesqf
      yesterday










    • @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
      – Martin Bonner
      yesterday














    up vote
    21
    down vote














    How far can you travel on horseback [...]



    traveling as fast as they can




    At full speed (gallop): about 2-3 km. Horse gallops at about 40 km/h so that would be about 5 minutes.



    Maximizing distance: about 50-60 km per day.



    40km is the largest distance that separated Pony Express stations. At the station the rider would change to a fresh horse. A single rider, weighting max 57kg with 9kg of mail, rode about 120 km per day - that's only relevant in showing that such figure is impossible with one horse instead of 5.



    Middle Ages horses were not as good, their saddles were not up to par and your riders are much heavier. Wikipedia says about Middle Ages horse riding that "Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles (50km) a day."



    Both horses and men needs rest. Riding at night on dangerous plains is simply not practical, the best you can hope for is horse breaking a leg and leaving your stranded there.






    share|improve this answer
















    • 1




      It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
      – jamesqf
      2 days ago






    • 2




      @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago







    • 1




      @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
      – jamesqf
      yesterday










    • @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
      – Martin Bonner
      yesterday












    up vote
    21
    down vote










    up vote
    21
    down vote










    How far can you travel on horseback [...]



    traveling as fast as they can




    At full speed (gallop): about 2-3 km. Horse gallops at about 40 km/h so that would be about 5 minutes.



    Maximizing distance: about 50-60 km per day.



    40km is the largest distance that separated Pony Express stations. At the station the rider would change to a fresh horse. A single rider, weighting max 57kg with 9kg of mail, rode about 120 km per day - that's only relevant in showing that such figure is impossible with one horse instead of 5.



    Middle Ages horses were not as good, their saddles were not up to par and your riders are much heavier. Wikipedia says about Middle Ages horse riding that "Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles (50km) a day."



    Both horses and men needs rest. Riding at night on dangerous plains is simply not practical, the best you can hope for is horse breaking a leg and leaving your stranded there.






    share|improve this answer













    How far can you travel on horseback [...]



    traveling as fast as they can




    At full speed (gallop): about 2-3 km. Horse gallops at about 40 km/h so that would be about 5 minutes.



    Maximizing distance: about 50-60 km per day.



    40km is the largest distance that separated Pony Express stations. At the station the rider would change to a fresh horse. A single rider, weighting max 57kg with 9kg of mail, rode about 120 km per day - that's only relevant in showing that such figure is impossible with one horse instead of 5.



    Middle Ages horses were not as good, their saddles were not up to par and your riders are much heavier. Wikipedia says about Middle Ages horse riding that "Small mounted companies might travel 30 miles (50km) a day."



    Both horses and men needs rest. Riding at night on dangerous plains is simply not practical, the best you can hope for is horse breaking a leg and leaving your stranded there.







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 2 days ago









    Agent_L

    2,245713




    2,245713







    • 1




      It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
      – jamesqf
      2 days ago






    • 2




      @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago







    • 1




      @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
      – jamesqf
      yesterday










    • @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
      – Martin Bonner
      yesterday












    • 1




      It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
      – jamesqf
      2 days ago






    • 2




      @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
      – JonSG
      2 days ago










    • I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
      – can-ned_food
      2 days ago







    • 1




      @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
      – jamesqf
      yesterday










    • @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
      – Martin Bonner
      yesterday







    1




    1




    It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
    – jamesqf
    2 days ago




    It is certainly possible to ride a single horse more than 120 km in a day. 100 mile/160 km endurance races are fairly common. Of course you use specially selected and well-conditioned horses for this, and don't do it day after day.
    – jamesqf
    2 days ago




    2




    2




    @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
    – JonSG
    2 days ago




    @jamesqf Can you do it as a novice, inexperienced rider, while leading a second horse and perhaps also a pack horse?
    – JonSG
    2 days ago












    I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago





    I like this answer, though there are a few differences between the topical question and the Pony Express. For one, though they did pride themselves on speedy delivery of messages and parcels, the riders were rarely in danger of capture and whatever else like in the situation of the question. On average, though, I think it shows a certain optimum which the horses and rider in that situation would be hopeful to achieve.
    – can-ned_food
    2 days ago





    1




    1




    @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
    – jamesqf
    yesterday




    @JonSG: Probably not, but I was contesting the claim that a horse simply can't be ridden more than 120 km/day. Fit horses with experienced riders can travel a good deal further: unfit horses with inexperienced riders might make 12 km if they're lucky. It's the same as comparing an ultramarathon runner with your garden variety couch potato :-)
    – jamesqf
    yesterday












    @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
    – Martin Bonner
    yesterday




    @JonSG You are over-egging it. The inexperienced rider will not be leading a second horse or a pack horse - that will be handled by the more experienced riders. It's also not clear how inexperienced the mage is - there's quite a difference between "never been on a horse before" and "rides a couple of times of month" - both of which are not "has spent several hours a day riding for the last 10 years"/
    – Martin Bonner
    yesterday










    up vote
    2
    down vote













    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_riding




    Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions
    recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance
    rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a
    one-day competition.



    There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail
    riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this
    article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line
    while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the
    animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon
    running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's
    personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a
    proper vet completion record to be a "win".



    In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles
    (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are
    organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained.
    However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which
    more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also
    longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. In the USA, the American
    Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK,
    Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete
    100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.1



    Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top
    levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.




    Readded as a quote.



    SO if 160km in 14 to 15 hours in race conditions I would say the horse wouldn't be able to be used that night and little the next day.



    So if you wanted to keep your horses I would say it would be around the 300km mark. If you didn't want to keep the horses then you could probably get this up to 450km but that would mean a hard ride at the end and your riders would arrive very tired.






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    Clive Trewhitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.





















      up vote
      2
      down vote













      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_riding




      Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions
      recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance
      rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a
      one-day competition.



      There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail
      riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this
      article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line
      while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the
      animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon
      running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's
      personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a
      proper vet completion record to be a "win".



      In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles
      (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are
      organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained.
      However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which
      more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also
      longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. In the USA, the American
      Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK,
      Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete
      100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.1



      Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top
      levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.




      Readded as a quote.



      SO if 160km in 14 to 15 hours in race conditions I would say the horse wouldn't be able to be used that night and little the next day.



      So if you wanted to keep your horses I would say it would be around the 300km mark. If you didn't want to keep the horses then you could probably get this up to 450km but that would mean a hard ride at the end and your riders would arrive very tired.






      share|improve this answer










      New contributor




      Clive Trewhitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
      Check out our Code of Conduct.



















        up vote
        2
        down vote










        up vote
        2
        down vote









        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_riding




        Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions
        recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance
        rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a
        one-day competition.



        There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail
        riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this
        article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line
        while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the
        animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon
        running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's
        personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a
        proper vet completion record to be a "win".



        In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles
        (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are
        organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained.
        However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which
        more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also
        longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. In the USA, the American
        Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK,
        Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete
        100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.1



        Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top
        levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.




        Readded as a quote.



        SO if 160km in 14 to 15 hours in race conditions I would say the horse wouldn't be able to be used that night and little the next day.



        So if you wanted to keep your horses I would say it would be around the 300km mark. If you didn't want to keep the horses then you could probably get this up to 450km but that would mean a hard ride at the end and your riders would arrive very tired.






        share|improve this answer










        New contributor




        Clive Trewhitt is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
        Check out our Code of Conduct.









        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endurance_riding




        Endurance riding is an equestrian sport based on controlled long-distance races. It is one of the international competitions
        recognized by the FEI. There are endurance rides worldwide. Endurance
        rides can be any distance, though they are rarely over 160 km for a
        one-day competition.



        There are two main types of long-distance riding, competitive trail
        riding and endurance rides. In an endurance ride, discussed in this
        article, the winning horse is the first one to cross the finish line
        while stopping periodically to pass a veterinary check that deems the
        animal in good health and fit to continue. As with human marathon
        running, many riders will participate to improve their horse's
        personal best performance and consider finishing the distance with a
        proper vet completion record to be a "win".



        In the United States, most endurance rides are either 50 or 100 miles
        (160 km) long. Shorter rides, called Limited Distance rides (LD), are
        organized for new riders to the sport or young horses being trained.
        However, LD's have evolved into a competition of their own, in which
        more experienced riders and horses also participate. There are also
        longer, usually multi-day, rides as well. In the USA, the American
        Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) sanctions endurance rides. In the UK,
        Endurance GB is the governing body. Winning riders can complete
        100-mile (160 km) rides in 14 to 15 hours.1



        Any breed can compete, but the Arabian generally dominates the top
        levels because of the breed's stamina and natural endurance abilities.




        Readded as a quote.



        SO if 160km in 14 to 15 hours in race conditions I would say the horse wouldn't be able to be used that night and little the next day.



        So if you wanted to keep your horses I would say it would be around the 300km mark. If you didn't want to keep the horses then you could probably get this up to 450km but that would mean a hard ride at the end and your riders would arrive very tired.







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