Travel on Horseback. Travelers who did not make their way on foot in the Middle Ages likely rode a horse. The actual speed would depend on the type of horse, the weight the horse was carrying, its feed and forage, and the rest breaks for both man and mount. Sources differ, but it seems that the distance one could cover riding a horse on an extended trip, such as from Venice to Bruges, ranged from 20 to 30 miles a day depending on the weather, with a courier being expected to cover as much as 60 miles every 24 hours. A horse can easily carry a rider 40 miles in a day and even 50 miles without duress, but the lower figure of 20 miles is probably a more realistic average. In the tenth century it is recorded to have taken one week to travel from Algeciras...