Less than ten minutes and not very fast; they won't make more than a mile or two - if that much - and the horse will quite likely be permanently crippled, if not dead.
Here is a simple experiment you can try at home: first run a half-mile as fast as you can, and time your pace. The next day, put on a 75-lb. pack and run the same course. Are you as fast? How are your lungs, feet, knees and ankles? Suppose you take a fall while carrying all that weight? A horse can't run at its normal pace while carrying half its own weight either.
Note that 1000 lbs. is average for a horse, so a 200-lb. man stark naked would already be 20% of its weight. A modern soldier's kit and weaponry weighs about 70 lbs, and does not include armor. You're asking this poor horse to canter with 600 lbs. on its back? This old equestrienne is crying already
( ... )
"it's basically a case of "Unexpected high-stress confrontation, Character A swings Character B up onto the horse with him, they hightail it out of town while the antagonists run off to saddle their own horses and pursue the heroes."
This can't be done for similar reasons to why Batman can't really catch himself and another person by grabbing a rope while falling.
"the mountains that they are going to have to traverse to reach the border are not the kind of place you want to be walking around without weapons. They are indeed going to ditch some of their armor when they set off on foot"Are they ditching their helms and swords? Helms are expensive, and essential in battle (regardless of what assorted film-makers may think) but they're quite heavy. The logistics of carrying water are a little different without modern materials; in any case the water is still as heavy as ever
( ... )
Yes, I know what I wrote. I was trying to say it quickly (namely because it's not actually relevant to the question I asked), rather than write out the entire scene as it appears in the story. I'm aware that it can't be done, which is why I have no intention of writing it that way
( ... )
I'm aware this is at a slight tangent to your actual question (which I don't know the answer to), but if your protaginists know the local area and their pursuers do not, potentially their best chance of survival is to ditch the horse as soon as they are out of sight and strike out cross-country using the natural terrain features for cover. The underlying geology will be relevant to this but if the terrain they are in is a "featureless" moorland, there is the option for cover from the undergrowth (long grasses, heather etc). If the ground is rocky, it is also likely to include crevices, kinks and dips. If the ground is boggy/wet, not knowing the safe routes across will make it a nightmare to try and follow someone.
Fundamentally, it comes down to if your protaginists know the terrain and their pursuers don't, that would potentially give them a massive advantage and make their best chance of survival being to use that, which they may well be aware of. Food for thought, maybe?
None of them know the local terrain exceptionally well, but one of the protagonists is more familiar with it than the antagonists are, and they're banking on that - together with the fact that the mountains are inhibited by a hostile group that would happily kill protagonists and antagonists alike, and my characters are hoping their pursuers won't want to risk it. So definitely food for thought!
Trying this again, without links. Feel free to ask me any questions over on tumblr at lonerofthepack (I have a Bachelor's in Equine Facility Management, so
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Thanks! That’s all really helpful. I can probably get them to dump some of their gear at the outset, but unfortunately the armor will probably stay on initially, and that’s a considerable chunk of the burden on the poor horse. Is it feasible for them to get half a mile or so down the road before the horse is injured and/or refuses to carry them any further? They don’t need to completely escape on horseback, just put a little bit of distance between themselves and their pursuers (who are initially on foot, though they have access to horses). If that’s unrealistic, I can change the way the scene plays out.
For a big, fit horse used to being asked silly things, which a well-trained battle horse lilely would be, half a mile is pretty feasible, if its more like a road and less like a mountain-side goat trail, even with that burden. Its only ~800 yards, and a 16 hand high horse is going to cover two or three yards with every stride of canter. The smoother the trail, the easier the horse will have it. The canter is almost certainly the better fast gait for this, a trot would be nearly impossible due to its mechanics. A super rocky trail would create a situation that would force their pursuit to slow, but could seriously damage the horse and possibly send them flying if the horse trips while cantering.
Some things to consider -- if they're willing to injure the horse to do this, someone's likely going to end up using either a crop (short whip) or spurs. These are standard equipment, but usually arent used to the point of damage (frowned upon).
Comments 39
Here is a simple experiment you can try at home: first run a half-mile as fast as you can, and time your pace. The next day, put on a 75-lb. pack and run the same course. Are you as fast? How are your lungs, feet, knees and ankles? Suppose you take a fall while carrying all that weight? A horse can't run at its normal pace while carrying half its own weight either.
Somewhere, An Equestrian Is Crying
How Much Weight Can a Horse Carry?
Note that 1000 lbs. is average for a horse, so a 200-lb. man stark naked would already be 20% of its weight. A modern soldier's kit and weaponry weighs about 70 lbs, and does not include armor. You're asking this poor horse to canter with 600 lbs. on its back? This old equestrienne is crying already ( ... )
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"it's basically a case of "Unexpected high-stress confrontation, Character A swings Character B up onto the horse with him, they hightail it out of town while the antagonists run off to saddle their own horses and pursue the heroes."
This can't be done for similar reasons to why Batman can't really catch himself and another person by grabbing a rope while falling.
"the mountains that they are going to have to traverse to reach the border are not the kind of place you want to be walking around without weapons. They are indeed going to ditch some of their armor when they set off on foot"Are they ditching their helms and swords? Helms are expensive, and essential in battle (regardless of what assorted film-makers may think) but they're quite heavy. The logistics of carrying water are a little different without modern materials; in any case the water is still as heavy as ever ( ... )
Reply
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I'm aware this is at a slight tangent to your actual question (which I don't know the answer to), but if your protaginists know the local area and their pursuers do not, potentially their best chance of survival is to ditch the horse as soon as they are out of sight and strike out cross-country using the natural terrain features for cover. The underlying geology will be relevant to this but if the terrain they are in is a "featureless" moorland, there is the option for cover from the undergrowth (long grasses, heather etc). If the ground is rocky, it is also likely to include crevices, kinks and dips. If the ground is boggy/wet, not knowing the safe routes across will make it a nightmare to try and follow someone.
Fundamentally, it comes down to if your protaginists know the terrain and their pursuers don't, that would potentially give them a massive advantage and make their best chance of survival being to use that, which they may well be aware of. Food for thought, maybe?
Reply
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For a big, fit horse used to being asked silly things, which a well-trained battle horse lilely would be, half a mile is pretty feasible, if its more like a road and less like a mountain-side goat trail, even with that burden. Its only ~800 yards, and a 16 hand high horse is going to cover two or three yards with every stride of canter. The smoother the trail, the easier the horse will have it. The canter is almost certainly the better fast gait for this, a trot would be nearly impossible due to its mechanics. A super rocky trail would create a situation that would force their pursuit to slow, but could seriously damage the horse and possibly send them flying if the horse trips while cantering.
Some things to consider -- if they're willing to injure the horse to do this, someone's likely going to end up using either a crop (short whip) or spurs. These are standard equipment, but usually arent used to the point of damage (frowned upon).
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