98198a1a   
   From: sgrimm@dimensional.com   
      
   "Linda Terrell"  wrote in message news:e   
   xRkhlUwRo0-pn2-lpOQX1P8Tdtd@user-2iveion.dialup.mindspring.com...   
   > dunno about cowboys, but a "forced march"   
   > for Cavalry was about 30-35 miles a day.   
   >   
   > Regular march was abou 20-25 miles a day   
   > after riders and horses were broken in to it.   
   >   
   > You can't push horses too far all in one day   
   > and expect to do anything the next day.   
   >   
   > Army posts were about 20 miles apart --   
   > a good day's ride then.   
   >   
   > LT   
      
      
   Your numbers are closer to what I was thinking.  A walking horse travels about   
   3-4 MPH and a running walk is about 7-8 MPH.  To   
   travel 75 miles in one day means your horse is doing a running walk for about   
   10 hours.  While I am sure there are horses which   
   could do a running walk for 10 hours total (with rest periods), the next day   
   would be a tough one for the horse.   
      
   Pony Express stations were 25 miles apart initially, but the distance was   
   reduced to 10-15 miles so the riders could push the horse   
   to a full gallop between stations.  The distance for an average pony express   
   rider was 35 miles (one-way) and then that person   
   waited for the carrier from the other direction and headed back.   
      
   If a wagon train traveled 15 miles in one day, they made good time.  Some   
   wagon were pulled by horses though this was not a good   
   idea (oxen being a better method).  The horses pulling a wagon rarely made all   
   the way along the Oregon trail - they usually died.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)