Horse (Skyrim)

Horses are mammals that ease the burden of travel in. There is only one breed of horse in Skyrim. All horses are a type of draft horse, possibly a Clydesdale or Shire, though horses can be obtained in five colors. Horses can be rented from stables outside of each major city. (Rented means only that the horses live in the stable from which they were purchased. The horse belongs to the player after its purchase.) Special horses are available by completing quests.

All horses have the ability to rear and jump, and except for the quest-obtained horses Shadowmere, Arvak, and Frost. These horses still have the same base health and stamina as all horses. Patch 1.6 introduced mounted combat.

Purchasing
With the exception of the three unique horses Shadowmere, Arvak (Dawnguard), and Frost, horses are available for purchase at any of the stables listed below for 1000 regardless of one's Speechcraft skill.

Once purchased, the horse is considered owned and can be identified by the "Player's horse" label on the HUD. One can own multiple types of horses and multiple horses of the same type. The horse last ridden or fast traveled with is the one that accompanies the Dragonborn. Any other owned horses return to the stable where they were purchased.

Shadowmere
Shadowmere, who makes a reappearance in the game during the Dark Brotherhood questline, is a unique horse. Shadowmere has a breastcollar and fancier saddle than the other horses, as well as a different bridle. It appears to be the same speed and build as the other horses, but is extremely tough and can hold its own against Skyrim's hardiest foes, but please note Shadowmere can be killed in extreme cases of combat or during falls.

Frost
Another unique horse is a palomino stallion called Frost, obtained during the Riften quest Promises to Keep, if the Dragonborn is 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.

Arvak
Arvak is added with. Arvak can be summoned with the Summon Arvak spell unlocked after completing the quest Find Arvak's Skull. Arvak is an undead horse, with purple flames as tail and manes.

Borrowing and stealing
Stealing horses is considered theft and is a crime against the owner. Mounting a horse that is labeled "Steal horse" is a crime and generates a bounty. Common places to find horses to steal include military camps, (both Stormcloak and Imperial), or forts, as well as being located within war encounters. Each time a stolen horse is mounted, 50 gold is added to the player's bounty, making horse theft an expensive crime. However, it is possible to mount a stolen horse and not incur a bounty if not witnessed by anyone, including the horse, as in previous games. Even if ridden away right in front of the stable/camp guards, there will be no bounty.

Occasionally, the opportunity to borrow a horse is given. A horse that is available to borrow is indicated in the HUD by the simultaneous lack of the "Steal horse" label and the "Player's horse" label. Arguably, the easiest horse to borrow is from the Riften Stables. After completing the quest for the stable hand Shadr, or defeating Hofgrir Horse-Crusher in a brawl, he will allow a horse to be borrowed from the stables. However, this horse will walk away after dismounting, as stolen horses do.

Bandits dressed as a faction may be encountered. They say that this is none of the Dragonborn's business and will attack. Once they are dead one will find a horse that can be ridden. This doesn't count as stolen but it will leave when dismounted as stolen horses do.

During the Civil war quests you have the opportunity to attack a broken down cart with weapons and gold, after the guards are dispatched you are able to ride the horse that would have been attached to the cart. It has no saddle so you'll be riding it bareback and once you dismount it will wander off. Fast traveling puts the horse back at your position and you can remount it.

Riding and mounting
One can walk, (by toggling run off), canter, (run), and gallop, (sprint), at one's unmounted walk, run and sprint speeds, and will possess greater stamina and strength while mounted that allows for greater load capacity and sprint time. This increased load capacity while mounted allows for fast traveling while overburdened. In addition to their increased strength and stamina, horses can also charge through and leap over obstacles with similar restrictions as the unmounted player character. As with unmounted navigation, larger obstacles will pose similar problems. If a player presses the jump button while the horse is walking or standing still, the horse will rear and neigh. This has no effect except to slide the horse backwards a little. Horses can also swim, although they are slightly slower than the player. Horses can easily die from fall damage, so one should be careful when riding in mountainous terrain.

Horses cannot be ridden inside houses, tombs, or other marked locations that require going through a door. They can be ridden into Orc Strongholds. When approaching the gate, the player must simply press the button to open the door, though no prompt will appear, and the gate will open for the horse. If a player fast travels into a city, the horse will be found at the stable outside the city. For cities without stables, the player will remain on the horse and will be able to ride it around the area.

Horses are usually non-aggressive and will often flee when dismounted in combat situations. However, horses have been regularly observed attacking aggressors or even defending the player character which can lead to their untimely and expensive death. Horses often pursue the target and are sometimes hard to find after doing so. It is not advised to let a horse to go anywhere near a Dragon as even the weakest Dragon will be able to kill the strongest horse in one gust of breath. * This is not true with Shadowmere and Frost, but care should be taken nonetheless.

Followers cannot ride horseback and will quickly fall behind a mounted player. To compensate for this discrepancy in traveling speed the player can utilize the "wait" feature to allow for the follower(s) to catch up.

Mounted combat
As of patch 1.6, mounted combat is available. When wielding a melee weapon a player can swing either side of the horse using either the primary or secondary attack buttons. Note that since the attack buttons are used to decide the direction the swing is unleashed, it is impossible to block or attack with a secondary weapon although power attacks are still possible. Some two-handed weapons (e.g. Warhammer) can be wielded with one hand.

The Dragonborn may also utilize a ranged weapon when mounted, however, as the camera is locked to 3rd person whilst riding, it may be difficult to hit a target accurately. It helps if the player has the Archery perks Eagle Eye and Steady Hand.

Spells and shouts (e.g. Aura Whisper) cannot be initiated from horseback, but you can dismount, cast your spell, remount and the effect will be sustained for its normal duration. Similarly, spells that normally can be toggled on or off (e.g. Night-Eye) cannot be used while the player is mounted.

Loot

 * Horse Meat
 * Horse Hide

Appearances


Лошадь (Skyrim) Pferd (Skyrim)