Horse (Oblivion)

A horse is a mount and type of transportation. A character cannot fight while on a horse and must dismount to do so. Some types of creatures will often choose to ignore you and attack your horse instead if the horse is nearby. Unless one is careful, horses may be lost to such foes on a regular basis. It is also notable that one can climb almost any slope while on a horse, by zigzagging left and right as you go up while jumping. Horses are very poor at swimming. Horses cannot jump while standing still, however they are able to jump while galloping. The last horse you got on will fast travel with you, including the unicorn. Horses tend to fight back if attacked first, except Shadowmere who attacks without waiting to get attacked first. With high enough speed and athletics, it's possible to outrun any horse. It is believed that anyone with over 60 speed is faster than the black horse. There are also thoughts that Shadowmere is faster than even black horses, at ~70 speed. Horses appear in Arena, Daggerfall, Oblivion, and Skyrim, but were absent in Morrowind.

Horses in Oblivion
Horses are the main forms of exploring/traveling in Oblivion. You can purchase horses outside of any major town or you can steal them. They can not be ridden inside of cities unless using mods. Unique horses include Shadowmere and the Unicorn. Bethesda released an official plug-in named Horse Armor, that gave your horse a choice of 2 types of armor: steel, or Elven. The player cannot attack while mounted on a horse, but while riding all fall-damage is inflicted to the horse, instead of the player.

Some NPCs can also use horses. For instance you can see the Imperial legion often patrolling the roads on horseback.

Obtaining a horse
Horses can be purchased at stables outside major cities-except for the Imperial City, which has a stables, but no horses can be purchased there. Also note that if you bring the Amulet of Kings to Weynon Priory as part of the main quest one of the monks there (Prior Maborel) will offer to lend you his horse, free of charge. When you complete the Knights of the Nine questline, and restore the priory, a Chesnut Horse and a Bay Horse become available at the stables.

You are allowed to own only one horse from each stable, so the maximum you can own at any one time is seven plus Shadowmere. If a horse dies it will appear next to the stable you bought it from. if you lost it it applies the same way.

Breeds of horses
There are several breeds, each with differing abilities. Not counting the unicorn, there are five types of horses in Oblivion:


 * Paint Horse – Hardy and a good choice for anyone needing a reliable mount at a reasonable price.
 * Wildeye Stables, Bruma. 500.
 * Five Riders Stables, Leyawiin. 500.
 * You get Prior Maborel's Paint Horse if you proceed in the Main Quest to the point where the Prior is killed at Weynon Priory. You can also get it by talking to him after talking to Jauffre.
 * Bay Horse – Faster and more expensive than the Paint Horse, but has less health than the Paint.
 * Bay Roan Stables, Bravil. 1000.
 * Grateful Pass Stables, Skingrad. 1000.
 * Chestnut Horse – Faster than the Bay and Paint Horses, but has the lowest health of all other horses.
 * North Country Stables, Chorrol. 2500.
 * White Horse – Just as fast as the Chesnut Horse, and far sturdier.
 * Horse Whisperer Stables, Anvil. 4000.
 * Black Horse – Fastest horse in the game, but not as sturdy as the white.
 * Black Waterside Stables, Cheydinhal. 5000.
 * Complete part of the Dark Brotherhood quest line, and you will receive the black horse Shadowmere for free. Shadowmere cannot be killed, only knocked unconscious (just like quest NPCs).

Console commands

 * Horse/Console commands

Horse Armor
Horses are hardy and tough, but can be killed. In early April 2006, Bethesda Softworks released an official mod that allows horses to wear armor. It is $1.99 on the PC and 200 points on the Xbox 360. The Horse Armor pack is incompatible with other horse armor modifications.

Wayshrine Blessings
Horses can be blessed at wayshrines by riding them on top of a wayshrine altar, dismounting, then activating the altar.

Drops

 * Horse Meat

Strengths

 * None

Weaknesses

 * Normal

Damage types

 * Physical

Soul level

 * Lesser (300)

Quest

 * Unknown

Subtypes

 * Bay Horse
 * Black Horse
 * Blossom
 * Chestnut Horse
 * Imperial Legion Horse
 * Paint Horse
 * Prior Maborel's Paint Horse
 * Shadowmere
 * Unicorn
 * Weynon Priory Horse
 * White Horse
 * Wild Bay Horse
 * Wild Chestnut Horse
 * Wild Paint Horse

Horses in Skyrim
E3 showed the first preview of a horse. Your horse can walk, trot, and canter. Holding down the sprint button causes the horse to gallop. The horse can also rear as shown in the picture. This is accomplished by pressing the jump button when the horse is standing still.

When asked about armor, Todd Howard semi-jokingly seemed to indicate that it might also be released as DLC like in Oblivion. There is also no mounted combat in Skyrim. It is possible to steal horses, but dismounting causes them to return to their original location.

All horses in Skyrim have the same speed and hardiness, they are all draft types that resemble a Clydesdale, and all cost 1000 septims. They differ in their colors, each of which can be found in a different stable throughout the game. Horses can only be ridden in third person mode. Unlike Oblivion, not all cities have stables, only cities with city gates have stables located outside the city.

Skyrim's horses, although more willing to engage in combat, are prone to running off attacking an enemy or fleeing, so care must be taken to keep track of their location. They also seem more adept at mountain climbing than Oblivions horses, an activity they will be doing a lot in the game, but they arent as good at climbing down, and are easily hurt by falls. They can jump, and if the jump button is pressed at a stop they will rear. As of right now the physics for the horses are broken. They can also gallop at full speed if the sprint button is held down. They will sometimes flee out of the way of danger, other times they stay in a fight too tough for them, and end up dying. Horses are also tougher than Oblivions horses, and can take a good deal more damage. However, in case your horse does get injured, it does have a life bar and can be healed by casting the Restoration spell, "Healing Hands".

Their location by color is listed, but please note that besides color, all horses are identical in stats and price.


 * Markarth - Pinto/Paint
 * Riften - Dapple Grey
 * Solitude - Palomino
 * Windhelm - Grey with white blaze and socks
 * Whiterun - Black

This is omitting Shadowmere, who makes a reappearance in the game during the Dark Brotherhood questline. Shadowmere has a breastcollar and fancier saddle than the other horses, as well as a different bridle. She appears to be the same speed and build as the other horses, but is extremely tough and can hold her own against Skyrims hardiest foes, but please note she can be killed in extreme cases of combat or during falls.

Another unique horse is a mealy chestnut stallion called Frost, obtained during the Riften quest Promises to Keep, if you are able to pass the Speech check. Frost can gallop for the same length of time as Shadowmere, but lacks Shadowmere's strength, having the same stats as other palominos, making Shadowmere the best horse in the game. Here can be seen how to obtain him.

Carriages are also rentable in each town with a stable, but these cannot be driven. They are simple and are pulled by the bay horse. You can rent one from town to town regardless of whether that town has a stable or if you have ever been there. The price depends on the distance travelled, and you will fast travel to that location as soon as you climb into the back of the carriage.

You have three ways of obtaining a horse: Stealing, finding or buying. As buying is rather expensive, it may be better to take a chance with stealing or trying to look for one. Mountable horses will randomly spawn in the wilderness. Mounting such a horse will not be seen as theft.

Appearances

 * The Elder Scrolls: Arena
 * The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall
 * The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
 * The Elder Scrolls IV: Knights of the Nine
 * The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim