A Debate : Othor Games

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:19 pm

I'm in a bit of a debate here bout how fast a camel can run compared to a horse. Everything I've found source wise points to them being about equal in average speed, and even as far as putting a racing camel ahead of a thouroughbred racing horse, though I was wondering does if anyone else had any opinions / evidence against my conclusion.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:44 am

Wait, what is this even for?

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:57 pm

I've actually fought with a friend about this before. Unfortunately we never reached a conclusion.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:16 am

As far as I'm aware, they're both capable of similar speeds but the horse is more adept at moving quickly for short periods of time while the camel has more stamina and manages to endure for longer. The setting may be the key factor. In a race across a huge plain or desert, the camel would eventually win due to its stamina. In a short race track where the goal is to cross a nearby finish line quickly, the horse would win. Horses are faster, camels are more enduring (and smarter).

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:07 am

The argument is moot.

It doesn't matter to me which runs faster, it's the spiritual kinship with man that wins. Horses have contributed far more to modern civilization than the fugly camel.

Ever meet one of these things before? I have... disgusting creatures.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:29 pm

The camel would win if it were equipped with a jet pack.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:38 am

The camel would win if it were equipped with a jet pack.

But what If the horse was equipped with a jet pack? Would they be evenly matched?

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 3:25 am

The shark!

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 7:47 am

everything I found points to similar speeds, the camel having great speed forbshort bursts but then dies.down to a slower but maintainable speed for.long periods of time where as the horse tires out.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:48 am

It doesn't matter to me which runs faster, it's the spiritual kinship with man that wins. Horses have contributed far more to modern civilization than the fugly camel.

Camels were/are vital to trade routes, and hence the spread of goods, ideas, and civilization.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:51 am

But what If the horse was equipped with a jet pack? Would they be evenly matched?

Hmm. The horse may be more aerodynamic, but the camel could store nitromethane in its hump.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:11 am

Hmm. The horse may be more aerodynamic, but the camel could store nitromethane in its hump.

But the nitro in the camel's hump might be bad for its health, not to mention there nothing stopping the horse from packing some nitro of its own. I would say they are evenly matched with the nitro as well if both case is true.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:55 pm

But the nitro in the camel's hump might be bad for its health, not to mention there nothing stopping the horse from packing some nitro of its own. I would say they are evenly matched with the nitro as well if both case is true.

Nitromethane burns faster than regular fuel. The horse would only be able to carry enough for a short race. It all comes down to an endurance race or sprint.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:55 pm

But what If the horse was equipped with a jet pack? Would they be evenly matched?

And this comment, ladies and gentlemen, is the epitome of BGSF

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:43 am

The shark!

The camel shark! :laugh:

Camels were/are vital to trade routes, and hence the spread of goods, ideas, and civilization.

But... Where are the poems? :wink_smile:

Just for the record;

I have spent a good bit of time in the Middle East (on the ground and in class), so I'm very aware of the camel's contribution as well. My response is meant to be tongue-in-cheek and not dogmatic or argumentative.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 2:46 pm

That horse better not try to go into any deserts...

Seriously though from what I understand it's roughly the difference between cats(representing horse) and dogs(representing camel). A cheetah can run at incredibly fast speeds for a living land-based creature, but only in short bursts whereas a wolf can sprint for 12 miles without slowing down.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 5:04 pm

Alright.

1.) There are over three hundred breeds of horses that can be found virtually anywhere in the world where as apposed to camels, who have only six different types with the Dromedary and the Bactrian being your typical mounts that can be used for more than just pack animals. These are the only two true camels, the others being smaller breeds located in and around South America. The Dromedary and Bactrian camels are localized to the Middle East, North Africa and some parts of India and Austrailia. The MAIN reason horses became the preferred mount for military use was not because the camel was too slow, but for the sake of convenience, availability and flexibility. Horses are by far a more flexible military unit than camels, available to preform a large variety of roles to an army than the camel can based on the need of the army. Their speed has little to no consequence as to why they were chosen as the preferred mounted unit.

Scott Garret, My History of the Middle East and Arab Studies professor was charged by the Library of Congress and after the First Gulf War with the preservation of all historic documents from Saudi Arabia to Iraq. At one point he came across ancient ruins left over from a jewish tribe in Saudi where the Muslim's were destroying them and took what was left back to the states for preservation. He would tell you that the camels role is seriously under represented in the role Muslim conquest, them having played a key role in the devlopment of Islam. Course, If you wanna speak to him maybe I could get his number for you, since I'm sure my word isn't enough.

2.) Camel's CAN run just as fast as horses. Camels can obtain speeds of up to forty (40) miles an hour in varied bursts and then can sustain a constant speed of twenty five (25) miles an hours after the fact, where as a thoroughbred racing horse can obtain a top speed (at a full galop) of forty to forty five (40-45) miles an hour (like the camel, for only short bursts of time.) before slowing down considerably, the average canter of a horse being 30 (miles) an hours. The stickler comes in the fact that once a horse run's at its hardest, it MUST be cooled down and walked, and cannot run at its full potential (pushing the limits at 45) and maintain a steady chase without risking serious injury or even death. A camel is not so. If you were to give chase, the camel could initially push itself to forty and then maintain a normal speed of about twenty five miles an hour where as your horses, had they been pushed to chase, would have been left pretty far behind trying to catch up. The speeds are very close, they are just about even on average speed with the camel being able to maintain a constant speed far longer than a horse, to say that camel's can't run as fast as horse is preposterous.

Camel's travel at a walking pace of five miles an hour, can regulate their body temperature, how much they sweat, and can forgo water up to two weeks and food for a month. A Camel's travel range far exceeds that of a horse, though typically they only travel about twenty five miles a day walking at a speed of five miles an hour, where as the Mongolians used one horse per thirty to forty miles (assuming they were moving faster than a walking pace) and that is banking on a good day . National Georaphic puts the Dromedary's range at 100 miles a day.

Now, if you wanna get even more technical, you can look at the strength of both animal. An average camel can lift over a thousand pounds with the use of its legs only, where as a horse can only carry certain percent of their weight, usually about 1/3rd though more weight its a considerable strain on the horse. Getting specific to the region, Hammerfell is a hot, dry place, everywhere. Camel's can control how much they sweat as well as their body temperature to deflect the amount of exhaustion taken on by the environment. Horses cannot, and when you start factoring in the climate a horse is not going to be able to maintain high speeds for long without exhausting themselves, especially with a rider. I don't know where the heck you keep getting this info about a rider and armor not having an effect on a horse, its pure poppycock, as the amount of weight of the rider and the equipment must be proportioned to the horses weight and their center of gravity otherwise you will throw the horse of balance.

Female camels are superior to horses in speed and have a greater capability to carry weights. I will not here describe the form of the camel, because the Greeks for whom I write are already acquainted with it. Yet I shall tell something that is not commonly known: the camel has two thighs in the hind legs and two knees, and its organs of generation are between the hind legs, turned towards the tail.
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus_Histories, Histories 3.102-103]

--- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus

side note: My mothers father, her and my uncle have raised horses since she was a little girl. My Stepmothers brother raises horses for show and derby, I know just a tad bit about horses from association as well.
Sources:

Scott Garret
http://camelfarm.com/camels/camels_about.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camel
http://www.animalcorner.co.uk/wildlife/camels/camels_about.html
http://www.thmsadaqagroup.org/Camels.pdf
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/dromedary-camel/
http://books.google.com/books/about/Camel.html?id=m_D7QQAACAAJ <-- Found this one at my local library, which it talks about just how important they were to early Arabic and Muslims. As even my professor said, Camel's were essential to the rise of Islam.
http://www.livius.org/caa-can/camel/camel.html <--- Virtues of the camel in warfare
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herodotus_Histories\

I can go on and on and on, but I think these ten here are ok. If you want more, I'll be glad to get you more I can find many more, these are just a few that even coincide with what is represented in a the simple search.

end argument presented. I think its pretty clear that horses and camels are pretty equal in the speed category.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 11:32 am

To go along with the Herodotus argument, Camels are always throwing horses into confusion. They win.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:33 pm

Camels in the sand? Can they run faster then?

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:12 am

It was much more of I said "Camel's are just as fast as horses" and then the other guys saying "no your wrong." rather than who's better.

Edit: Camel's have a natural advantage in the sand because of the way their feet are designed.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 1:05 pm

everything I found points to similar speeds, the camel having great speed forbshort bursts but then dies.down to a slower but maintainable speed for.long periods of time where as the horse tires out.

I misread that as the camel dying :lmao:

But seriously, camels can run as fast as horses?! Does this account the 'storage' of water they have?

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 12:31 pm

Llamas > both.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 10:36 am

Unless all the sources I have are wrong, I do believe yes, Camel's can run just as fast as horses and can even out run a horse in the long run. Even Hertodotus states it.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 4:00 am

The argument is moot.

It doesn't matter to me which runs faster, it's the spiritual kinship with man that wins. Horses have contributed far more to modern civilization than the fugly camel.

Ever meet one of these things before? I have... disgusting creatures.

^

I've only seen a few horses in my lifetime however they are indeed magnificent creatures while camels are...less than desirable. Camels aren't "fugly" as you might put it however the person that though "hey lets use this thing as a mode of transportation" must have been completely nuts.

» Thu Dec 08, 2011 9:39 am

Honestly camel's are more facinating to me than horses. Camel's have higher endurance, can go without food for a month and water for up to two weeks and can eat anything from leather to bones.