> Does anybody have an idea of the maximum sustained daily distance
> that a horse and rider can cover?
Appears to vary widely. Lots of sources say "average" is 25 to 30; but it's
possible to endurance train some horses for as much as 100 miles/day.
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=390855
But I would imagine that's feeding them oats or some other relatively
calorie-dense food, not grass. Modern horses, especially "performance" breeds,
are a creation of man, not especially well suited to living on grass. Their
stomachs are too small.
Francois Aubry supposedly rode (mostly) 832 miles in 5-3/4 days, but not all on
the same horse (and two of the horses died from the effort).
http://www.pelham-saddlery.com/horse_column/horsemen_heroes.html
> I have often heard references to the fact that a man can carry food
> and run longer and farther than a horse (or at least a man on a
> horse). Due to the amount of time herbivores must spend grazing, it
> sounds plausible over the long term, but perhaps also wishful
> thinking. Any supporting/disproving knowledge out there?
You've got to be careful to define conditions here. The very best long-distance
runners can run 100 miles/day, but that sure isn't carrying enough food or water
to support them for any length of time.
The planning information for the 2600 mile Pacific Crest Trail rates horseback
roughly equal to walking at 20 miles/day for each; but notes that it requires a
"high level of physical and mental conditioning" for hikers. It makes no
similar comment for horse-back, so again we're not really comparing apples to
apples.
http://www.pcta.org/planning/before_trip/faqs.asp
Randall
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