Quick fact—the average horse and the average person can travel about the same distance per day.

And I know you’re thinking, ‘Okay, great, but how is that relevant to writers?’

Well, our characters move around. A lot. And for those of us who write fantasy, much of said movement will happen on horseback. We don’t want to bore readers (or ourselves) by documenting every single step of the journey, so we gloss over the boring bits and jump back to battle and glory. Which is totally fine, right?

*chirping crickets*

Unfortunately, no. Slapping our protagonists on the backs of supersonic horses can only create weird timelines and plot issues that need to be fixed later. Except, of course, if supersonic horses happen to be a part of the plot. 🤣

So today, we’ll chat about writing realistic travel sequences involving horses.

How Far can a Character Travel on Foot?

Our first character, Standard Sam, is aged in their thirties, has an average body mass, and has no immediate health issues. They don’t exercise much and are neither fit nor unfit.

Sam can walk 20-30 km (10-20 miles) per day, at a maintainable walking speed of roughly 5 km/hour (3 miles/h) across even terrain.

Our second character is nineteen-year-old Knightly. They have been training for the tournament all their life and have been lucky (scoff, skilled) enough to avoid any injury.

Knightly (or any super fit, super healthy character) can walk up to 50 km (30 miles) per day, at a maintainable pace of roughly 9 km/h (6 miles/h) across even terrain.

In typical fantasy novels, the vast majority of characters will fall into these two brackets. Just look at our staple tropes, after all!

But we write inclusive books with characters who represent all age groups, fitness groups, body types, and health conditions, right?

Factors that Influence Walking Capability:

• Elderly or very young characters could likely walk 20 km (10 miles) per day, but are unlikely to exceed a walking speed of 3km/h (2 miles/h) and will need frequent pauses.
• If a character is injured or has other health concerns, their walking pace could be even slower, if they are able to walk at all.
• If one character has to carry, drag, or support another, they will likely move at a slower pace (even if the carried character is a small child).
• The average person isn’t used to walking for extended periods of time, so could develop blisters on their feet and have chafed skin for a while, which will impact their walking speed. This person will also suffer from muscle pains in their legs, butt and back for about a week before the pain will subside and they’ll be able to walk faster, across greater distances per day. The fitter the person, the less likely that they’ll have stiff muscles, but the blisters could still be a problem.
• Adrenaline can drastically impact any character’s movement speed, strength, mental focus, and ability to ignore pain, and could very well carry characters out of harm’s way. But do keep in mind that the effects of an adrenaline rush will taper, then wear off about an hour after the danger has passed, and the character will likely be physically exhausted once that happens.
• Weather conditions and terrain will also impact travel speed. Any kind of climb/descent, snowy, icy, sandy, or wet terrain will inevitably cause delays. Throw in active weather events and your party might be stuck in a cave, waiting out the snow for weeks. Even the straightest, most well-kept road can seem impossible to follow in a thunderstorm. Extreme heat can cause just as many delays as snow, and travel during cooler nights means navigating the dark. The first few days of swapping day and night routines will probably contribute to grumpy, exhausted companions, which might be another consideration.
• Do your characters have to carry their own supplies? An overnight hiking backpack can weigh anything from 15 to 20 kg (30 to 45 pounds). More experienced hikers can wear heavier packs, but beginners won’t be able to haul the same weight. So, lugging around supplies will likely slow characters around the beginning of the journey, but packs will lighten as the journey progresses.
• Clothing is another important consideration. A rogue in leather armour will make better time than a knight in chainmail or plate. The seasoned knight will probably be able to cross greater distances than the knight recruit who isn’t used to wearing full armour all the time. The duchess in her massive hooped skirt and corset will probably move the slowest of the lot, at least until she inevitably rips off her skirt and continues in her bloomers. 🤣
• Skills change during long journeys. Characters who were super unfit at the onset will likely be able to cover more distance later on in their journey.

How Far can a Character Travel on Horseback?

An average horse, the kind our dashing hero will find at a roadside farm, can travel about 30-50 km (20-30 miles) per day across even terrain. This horse will probably stick to a walking pace all day long, with some breaks in between. Don’t expect the farm horse to gallop all the way to the palace, that’s not happening.

A fit horse, used to travel, can go 80-100 km (50-60 miles) per day, and will be able to trot more often. These horses still need to be rested and walked, but won’t need this as often as average horses. Trained horses will also be able to canter for longer than average horses, but like all athletes who sprint at great speeds, they won’t be able to canter for extended periods of time. As for galloping, they’ll get away from danger but will need to rest once they’re safe.

The bottom line? Supply horses won’t be able to maintain the same speed and ferocity as war horses, while race horses will outrun them both.

How Fast can Horses Travel?

• Horses walk at the same average speed as a human, roughly 5-6 km/h (3-4 miles/h)
• Trotting speed is around 13 km/h (8 miles/h)
• Cantering speed averages at 16-27 km/h (10-17 miles/h)
• Their gallop speed averages at around 40-48 km/h (25-30 miles/h) BUT horses seldom gallop more than 1.5-3 km (1-2 miles) at a time

Factors that Influence Horse-riding:

• As with humans, the speed and distance a horse can travel depend on breed, fitness level and age, and will also be impacted by the weight the horse has to carry. If the horse is Shadowfax, nothing can outrun him. 🙂
• Can our character can sit on horseback all day long? For someone who has never ridden, a couple of hours might already cause muscle aches, which will only worsen as they spend prolonged periods of time learning how to ride. Chafing is likely to occur, and our characters might walk funny until they grow used to this new mode of transportation.
• It is also really important to factor in weather and terrain here. Horses might not fit in all the narrow mountain crawls their human companions can squeeze through, so there is a real chance they might be left behind somewhere along the way.
• If a horse is injured during the journey, travel might come to an abrupt halt.
• Travel with horses means extra supplies. Food, water, blankets, saddles and saddle accessories are just a few extra supplies the party might need to accommodate each horse.
• Horses might become stressed or spooked in high-risk situations. If this horse has been trained to handle that kind of thing, great, we’re all set. If not, this horse might end up running off, throwing a character off their backs, or injuring themselves, which will complicate the journey for the remaining characters.

And that’s about it from me for today. I hope this post has been helpful! I know I’m going to keep referencing it to help me calculate travel times in my upcoming novels!

Until next time.

Yolandie