Assist...
Traveling by horse is alot of FUN....... because it's highly unpredictable.

And that's what this game is all about. It puts the
'Wild'... in the Wild West.
You will ALWAYS encounter various side missions that pop-up on your radar... or wild animals that will dash right in front of your path... or (enthusiastic) bounty hunters & lawmen... or rival gangs who might try to rob you... or you might hear people screaming in the distance... or hear gunshots being fired... or see people being chased (or robbed) on the side of the road... or see prisoners attempting a jail break... or you will hear dangerous predators (like wolves, bears & mountain lions) growling in the distance... or there might be a 'change of weather' that will slow down your current travel pace.
On horseback, it's very, very easy to get distracted (or caught up

) in some WILD-ASS event (or chase, or gun battle)... that will lead you far away from your 'intended' destination.
It's always a
'mixed bag'... of different DYNAMIC events... that will occur while you ride from one territory to the next. But in my opinion, that amount of
'randomness' is what makes it sooooo enjoyable.

Because you can (literally) ride horseback for HOURS.... and not have the exact same thing happen 2X twice (or in a row).
You don't need to 'fast travel' all the time

, unless you really want to AVOID any mishaps / or risky encounters while you are on your way to go do something else.