The speed of carriages is usually between 15 and 25 kilometers per hour, depending on the horse breed, road conditions and load.
Key factors affecting carriage speed
Horse breed: Thoroughbred horses (such as thoroughbreds) can sprint up to 60 kilometers per hour, but the actual speed is significantly reduced when pulling a carriage continuously due to weight and fatigue. Endurance horses such as Mongolian horses are more suitable for long-distance transportation, but their speed is relatively slow.
Road conditions: Ancient official roads or flat roads can maintain higher speeds, while rugged mountain roads or muddy roads in rainy days will greatly reduce efficiency. Load type: The speed of light carriages carrying people is higher than that of heavy freight vehicles, and chariots have the lowest speed due to the weight of armor and weapons.
Historical records and typical data
Experimental data: Simulation tests of ancient Chinese chariots show that the maximum speed after acceleration is 21.6 kilometers per hour.
Records in the literature: The record limit of the day and night galloping by changing horses at the post station is 1,000 kilometers per day (about 41.6 kilometers per hour), but this is an exception.
Regular journey: In ancient times, it took 45 days for a horse carriage to travel from Guangzhou to Beijing (2,000 kilometers), with an average daily speed of about 45 kilometers, equivalent to a speed of less than 20 kilometers per hour.
