Tried google, but nothing came up.
How far can a horse walk in a day?
What is the average running speed of a horse? (Google told me that the best horses run about 33 mph or so... I'll have to convert that to KM's to get a better idea)
What kind of stuff do horses eat when they are being used for long travels? I surmise that they would just graze the grass and whatnot, but I want to make sure.
Thanks,
Ronnie
I found a website that has a lot of good information on horses for writers:
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~poindexterfamily/M7HorseSense.html
Most towns before the advent of the steam engine or cars, were about twenty to thirty miles apart. When you consider a person walks at about two and a half miles per hour, a ten hour walk (twenty five miles) is about all a person could be expected to go. Towns were always located about a day apart unless there was a junction or crossing earlier.
From what I have seen, horses walk about the same speed as people, at least, when people were both on foot and on horseback, they traveled about the same speed.
I''m making the assumption that your horse has a rider who will be caring for him. Yes animals need to graze but depending on the era you're writing in there are many transportable feeds that can keep an animal going with out lengthy pauses, the key being high fiber.
Unfortunately in the days of most fantasy novel settings, while there was grain, which is a high energy concentrated ration,(depending on the mix of course) and it will keep your horse healthy and happy all by itself for short periods of time the animal needs roughage.
If your horse and rider were going to race a hundred miles to warn the populace that the British are coming it can be done. If they're going to run a hundred miles a day for three weeks without surcease the animal is going to die.
Water is by far and away the most important ingredsient in keeping an animal going on a long distance chase. Not stopping and drinking their fill on every creek, which would make them ill but a couple of swallows every time it's available to keep them hydrated.
If you're talking about continual travel thirty miles a day is an average if you're not trying to get anywhere fast or if you're in the midst of a wagon train. On average a horse's walking speed = 5-7 miles per hour. running speed varies considerably again depending on the distance you want to cover. Can't come up with any race stats off the top of my head as race horses are not my thing but figure at most 2 and a half minutes per mile and I suspect that's slow, but realize that mile's probably about as much as you're going to get. The gait most commonly used to cover distance because it is easiest for a horse to maintain is the trot.
Hope this answers your questions if not let me know, I'll take another stab at it.
[This message has been edited by spcpthook (edited March 14, 2006).]
There are three issues you have to consider: speed, endurance, and terrain.
On the average, a horse can walk 4mp/h (5-6km/h), trot 6-9 mp/h (10-12 km/h), canter 8-16mp/h (20-24 km/h) and run 40 mp/h.
Most horses can readily handle carrying a rider 25 to 30 miles in one day, but this is not normally done at a run. Most of the distance is at a trot, a gait which is not particularly comfortable for an inexperienced rider. Stallions in the wild are known to travel 40 miles in a day. Endurance horses can run 75-100 miles per day, but it requires special diet and training. Horses and oxen pulling a wagon over the Oregon trail traveled an average of 12-15 miles per day, which gives you an idea of speed plus encumberance. The Pony Express averaged 9mph over 25 miles. In 1886, Frank Hopkins (of Hidalgo movie fame) rode his horse 1800 miles in 31 days (average 58 miles/day). The horse finished in excellent condition, after traveling no more than 10 hours/day.
In contrast, people WALK at about the same speed a horse does. A woman of average size can walk comfortably at brisk speeds of 3.5 to 4 miles an hour, while the average-sized man can walk at 4.5 to 5 miles per hour. The benefit of horses are they can travel that speed encumbered with camping supplies, and they have greater endurance.
Horses: An Information Site
Ultimate Horse Site
Using Horses In Fiction
Do a search on the word "equestrian" if you wish to learn more.
[This message has been edited by Elan (edited March 14, 2006).]
http://www.stand-and-deliver.org.uk/highwaymen/john_nevison.htm
Sadly, his feat is usually ascribed to Dick Turpin. And it's really the horse that deserves the credit.
It's a hard life.
PS: Elan wrote:
quote:
The benefit of horses are they can travel that speed encumbered with camping supplies, and they have greater endurance.
The other benefit (strictly from the point of view of the rider) is that it's a lot less tiring for them. The horse does the work instead of the person.
[This message has been edited by tchernabyelo (edited March 14, 2006).]
[This message has been edited by J (edited March 14, 2006).]
This is the stuff I needed!
You guys rock.
quote:
You guys rock.
If one is crossing a wilderness, one might let the horse graze as it goes, which takes time. Find a field of grasses, hobble it, and let it loose.
If one has to provide food, the riders should either be reasonably wealthy, or in a large enough numbers, or personally look dangerous enough, to "pursuade" farmers to give up food for the horse.