I know nothing about horses

[klofft]

So...if the party acquired 2 horses each, one for riding, and one as an unladen "spare" (a spare mare, if you will - sorry, awful horse humor), would that actually speed up their overland progress by switching horses as they travel? Or is the extra weight of a rider and gear negligible compared to the horse's fatigue from overland movement alone?

 

[Cathix]

There's a great book you should check out:

http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=588&

 

[klofft]

Thank you.

But I was wondering if I could an answer to my question that wouldn't cost me $8.

 

[Goddess FallenAngel]

Game terms = I don't know how the rules do it.

Real Life = It would probably speed up their movement some, as a rider's weight does tire a horse significantly more than one who is unladen traveling the same distance at the same speed. Personally, I would rule that they could go 1.5x normal overland movement. I would probably toss a DC 15 Ride check (or Handle Animal check) in there too, just so they could determine when during the day it would be best to switch off between mounts.

 

[klofft]

That'll work. Thanks.

 

[mmadsen]

If you know nothing about horses, and most people don't, I recommend reading Horse Sense, from the Pyramid archives.

 

[Andor]

It's worth noting here that historical Knights didn't ride their warhorses from place to place as a general rule. They would be on another, lighter, mount.

As for switching mounts, yes you can make better time that way. That was the general idea behind the pony express.

 

[Driddle]

Fortunately, horses don't know that much about you, either. So don't sweat it.

 

[Stalker0]

In strict game terms, encumbrance and fatigue are two seperate entries, but there is one hard and fast way to make this work in game.

If you + the stuff you have puts your horse into medium encumberance, then spreading the gear between two horses so they are at light encumberance will definately speed you up. Basically you have your horse and a pack horse.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Good point!

Unless you're gaming with a horse or someone who knows about them, don't wear yourself out over this.