Any Horse Riders Out There?

[Palustris]

How long would it take for a reasonably good horse to travel about 100 miles over farmland type terrain? The riders are in a great hurry so riding fast. No roads, just countryside.

[tamborine]

Healthy horse can gallop 2.5 miles per day non stop. 100miles would take 40days with rests.

[donny48]

Are you sure of your figures, I can walk further and faster than that.

[kvalidir]

It would depend on terrain etc and if you were being chased and had no account for your animal. I've personally ridden 20 miles + over hills easily in a day on a reasonably gentle ride, mounted cavalry rates were around 40-60 miles per day but it depends on the horse, the terrain, the going under foot and the weather. Can you be more precise

[Palustris]

I was hoping that 5 days would be reasonable. As I indicated fairly gentle countryside, farmland with green lanes, no roads. Riders in a tearing hurry, but not prepared to damage horses. Good weather, good horses.
Thanks.

[kvalidir]

Oh easily, 2-3 days easily if they were in a hurry. By good horses do you mean thoroughbreds / arabs or good farm horses because 2/3 days for TB/ arabs and 3/4 for farm horses, at a guess.

[woofgang]

not a rider now but i used to be. Realistically, even if the ground would allow for it, which it wouldn't, to get a horse to undertake such a long journey you would alternate between walk and trot. You also wouldn't attempt to travel at anything but a walk at night over unlit rough terrain.

[kvalidir]

Yes as Woof says you can't gallop flat out for hours on end, only periodically but you would walk, trot, canter where terrain didn't allow and gallop where it did.

[Palustris]

So alternating between trotting and walking and dismounting and leading, 4 and a half days is reasonable?
Thanks again. I can adjust the timing of other events to meet the time taken to get from Point A to Point B. Riders are lightly armed, good quality riding horses, not race horses. Some pack horses as well and probably daylight riding only. Light nights too.

[kvalidir]

Yes easily. When you consider that these folks cover 100 miles in 6 days pony trekking, with beginners, it should give you an idea, but I think you're in a realistic area with what you've come up with :) https://www.free-rein.co.uk/

[douglas9401]

You have to wonder at the name 'Pony Express' when you see these figures. :-)

[woofgang]

douglas they used lots of changes of horse I believe

[andy-hughes]

Tamborine - // Healthy horse can gallop 2.5 miles per day non stop. 100miles would take 40days with rests. //

You'd better advise the entire horseracing fraternity then - every horse racing in England does more than that on any training day, and certainly more in a race.

As advised, I could walk fifteen miles in a day easily, and would expect a horse to be able to run it in a lot less time than me.

[237SJ]

I've done 125 k in 6 days aroundTuscany - long days in the saddle but with stops for packed lunches, olive oil tasting etc. That was walk, trot and canter

[douglas9401]

Seems you're right, Woofgang.


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

[Palustris]

Thanks folks I can get on with writing the story now. Was trying to avoid the "With a sudden leap" syndrome.

[woofgang]

I often am douglas :)

[tamborine]

#riders in a hurry# = gallop. Ascot has longest track of 2.5miles, divide into 100miles is 40days.

Horses are on legs almost 24/7 but theyre not racing.