Horseback Riding and Walking the Camino: Qualifying for Compostela

[ShoshTrvls]

I understand that if you ride the Camino on horseback you can get the Compostela if you complete the last 100km, just like walking.

I recently learned that a stable offers one day rides from Sarria to Portomarin, which I would like to do. Does anyone know whether I would still qualify for the Compostela if I rode Sarria to Portomarin and walked from there? That is, must a person do the last 100KM by the same means (either all by horse or all by foot) or can it be split?

 

[oursonpolaire]

Someone who actually knows will be along in a minute to correct me or confirm this, but I believe that horses and bicycles share the distinction that the rider must document 200km immediately before Santiago. While this doesn't answer your question, I would be on the safe side and enjoy the extra 100 kilometres-- it's a lovely walk.

 

[ShoshTrvls]

Someone who actually knows will be along in a minute to correct me or confirm this, but I believe that horses and bicycles share the distinction that the rider must document 200km immediately before Santiago. While this doesn't answer your question, I would be on the safe side and enjoy the extra 100 kilometres-- it's a lovely walk.

I am certain that it is a fine walk, and I do plan to enjoy it. But as a long-time rider, I believe my experience will be enhanced doing some of the distance on horseback and would prefer not to have to double back. (Also, the required distance on horse is 100 km per the office: http://oficinadelperegrino.com/en/pilgrimage/the-compostela/ )

 

[Flog]

It's allowed! Just remember to collect your sellos as normal and no need to complicate things by even mentioning it at the Pilgrims Office..

It will all be fine, enjoy your horse ride!

 

[Kathor1]

Hi @ShoshTrvls, I don’t remember whether anyone ever asked this question (can I mix Camino on horseback and Camino on foot on the last 100 km and receive a Compostela), let alone what the answers were. When you fill in your online application form for a Compostela you will have to pick one mode of travel because a selection of more than one mode is not foreseen by the web designer. You can inform the person at the desk at the Pilgrim Office of your choices when you come to pick up your Compostela.

@Flog and @SioCamino are forum members with experience of writing Compostelas, perhaps they see your question and can shed some authoritive light on it.

And a newsflash: I usually doublecheck a website before I say something about how it works and I saw just now that the webpage for the Compostela has been reworked. The line of options for selecting Bicycle, By horse, Sailing, Walking, or Wheelchair can now be found under the tab labelled Conveyance.

PS: Ah, I see that @Flog has already come to the rescue. Thanks, @Flog!

 

[ShoshTrvls]

It's allowed! Just remember to collect your sellos as normal and no need to complicate things by even mentioning it at the Pilgrims Office..

It will all be fine, enjoy your horse ride!

Thank you!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Someone who actually knows will be along in a minute to correct me or confirm this, but I believe that horses and bicycles share the distinction that the rider must document 200km immediately before Santiago.

That was the case, but this was changed for horseback pilgrims down to 100K.

The Compostela: accreditation of the pilgrimage to Santiago

The “Compostela“, the accreditation of the pilgrimage to the Tomb of St. James.

oficinadelperegrino.com

To get the “Compostela” you must:​

• Make the pilgrimage for religious or spiritual reasons, or at least an attitude of search.
• Do the last 100 km on foot or horseback, or the last 200 km by bicycle. It is understood that the pilgrimage starts at one point and from there you come to visit the Tomb of St. James.
• You must collect the stamps on the “Credencial del Peregrino” from the places you pass through to certify that you have been there. Stamps from churches, hostels, monasteries, cathedrals and all places related to the Way are preferred, but if not they can also be stamped in other institutions: town halls, cafés, etc. You have to stamp the Credencial twice a day at least on the last 100 km (for pilgrims on foot or on horseback) or on the last 200 km (for cyclists pilgrims).

 

[oursonpolaire]

I am updated!!

 

[Kathor1]

I am updated!!

FWIW, I used to assume that riders on horses and riders on bicycles belonged to the same Camino/Compostela category. I don't know how fast and how far Camino riders of both types typically progress but from what I learnt so far riders are much slower than bikers. Especially when the horses are not trained endurance horses and when they are on multi-day journeys, they move at around 6-7 km/h which is presumably close to the speed of a superfit walker.

 

[Mefo Phillips]

I rode my horse from Canterbury to Santiago de Compostela 20 years ago, and can say from lengthy, daily experience that a horse is considerably slower than a bicycle! And sometimes slower than an averagely fit walker as well. Leo became very fit as we progressed, but was never an endurance horse as such. It's fair to say that he strode uphill faster than a walker, but he was slower going downhill (given that he had four feet to look after rather than two), and a lot slower than a bicycle, and I almost always dismounted to walk beside him so that he could just balance himself and not have to worry about his rider. When we got to Santiago we ignored the advice that horses weren't supposed to go right into the city and presented ourselves at the office to get our credential, where he was greeted by everyone!

 

[JabbaPapa]

Especially when the horses are not trained endurance horses and when they are on multi-day journeys, they move at around 6-7 km/h which is presumably close to the speed of a superfit walker.

I used to walk at about that speed -- horses were still faster. Including daily distance-wise.

But that was decades ago ; and the horses of pilgrims at the time were generally sturdier. And those of the very long-distance solo horseback pilgrims today still are.

Also, daily speeds in Ks are as variable for individual horses as they are for individual walkers.

https://www.deephollowranch.com/how-far-can-a-horse-travel-in-a-day/

Always keep in mind that people use horses differently these days than hundreds of years ago. It is unnecessary to rely on these animals for long daily journeys, so they have adjusted to the new circumstances.

Unlike horses trained to complete everyday journeys in the past, modern ones are less capable of doing the same, with rare exceptions. While horses traveled about 35 miles (56.5 km) daily in those times, most of them can travel only 25 miles (40 km) a day nowadays.

However :

https://horseracingsense.com/how-far-can-a-horse-travel-in-a-day/

In the vast expanse of Bogue Chitto State Park, we spent the day navigating winding trails on horseback. The rough terrain and the meandering pathways kept us relatively close to our starting point, despite a day spent in the saddle. This experience sparked an intriguing question: How far can a horse travel in a day?

Elite endurance horses can travel up to 100 miles in a day. However, an average horse in good health, given appropriate rest and water breaks, can manage around 50 miles. The capacity for a horse to travel long distances is not based on physical fitness alone but on a myriad of factors such as breed, age, and level of training.

https://indiesunlimited.com/2020/03/24/getting-it-right-time-and-distance-on-foot-and-horse/

When we consider our four-footed friends, it’s much more complicated.

One Day’s Ride

Twenty to 30 miles (30 to 40 50 km) a day is a sustainable pace for an average horse. To do this, they trot part time, canter part time, walk part time, and take rest breaks.

One source suggests that a fit horse can do 40 to 50 miles (65 to 80 km) a day for 4 or 5 days before it needs a day off.

Endurance riders can do 100 miles (160 km) in 9-12 hrs. They trot and canter whole way

And then there’s those top professional riders, the Pony Express. The mail could travel 250 miles in 24 hours. A new horse every 10 miles, a new rider after 100 miles. Trail and weather conditions allowing, they galloped the full distance. Those guys were tough!

Speed

Walk: 4 miles (6 km) per hour. A horse can do this all day, but so can a man.

Trot: 8 to 12 miles (12 to 19 20 km) per hour. A horse can keep this up for several hours at a stretch. Problem: a trot is difficult to ride to, so the rider wears out first.

Canter: (English) or lope (Western): 12 to 15 miles (19 20 to 24 km) per hour. This is a comfortable travel gait, and eats up the miles.

Gallop: 25 to 30 miles (40 to 50 km) per hour. At a fast gallop, the horse can only do a couple of miles. The Pony Express horses averaged a 10-mile gallop before being replaced.

Bottom line --

The slower horses are significantly faster than the slower foot pilgrims ; and the faster horses are also significantly faster than the faster foot pilgrims.

Only an ultra-fast pilgrim capable of 65K/day or so average could keep up with the pace of a good long-distance horseback one -- but it's possible.

The fastest foot soldiers in Roman and Mediaeval times travelled day to day at about cavalry speeds.

 

[JabbaPapa]

When we got to Santiago we ignored the advice that horses weren't supposed to go right into the city and presented ourselves at the office to get our credential, where he was greeted by everyone!

There's an exception to the rule for pilgrims between something like 8 AM and 2 PM or thereabouts -- cannot remember with precision sorry.

 

[JabbaPapa]

And then there’s those top professional riders, the Pony Express. The mail could travel 250 miles in 24 hours. A new horse every 10 miles, a new rider after 100 miles. Trail and weather conditions allowing, they galloped the full distance. Those guys were tough!

And sorry to quote myself, but --

The Roman Imperial and European Renaissance postal services were even faster !!

But the Pony Express had not the Western European roads, but did those distances on sometimes very poor semi-wilderness terrain.