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Elder Scrolls
For other uses, see Horse.
White Horse

A horse.

The horse is the only rideable transportation in The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. A character cannot fight from horseback and must dismount. Some types of creatures will often choose to attack a horse instead of the Hero if the horse is nearby. If care is not taken, horses may be lost this way on a regular basis. It is also possible to climb almost any slope while on a horse, by zigzagging the horse left and right while jumping it.

Horses are very poor at swimming. Horses cannot jump while standing still, however they are able to jump while galloping. The last horse the Hero got on will fast travel with them, including the Unicorn. Horses tend to fight back if attacked first, except Shadowmere who attacks immediately. With a high enough Speed and Athletics, it is 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, with a speed of around 70. Horses appear in Arena, Daggerfall, Oblivion, and Skyrim, but were absent in Morrowind.

Unicorn

A unicorn.

Horses are the main forms of exploring/traveling in Oblivion. Horses can be purchased outside of any major town or they can be stolen. The type of horses in Oblivion are light Thoroughbred or Hanoverian types, unlike the heavier types seen in Daggerfall and Skyrim. They cannot be ridden inside of cities. Unique horses include Shadowmere and the unicorn.

Some characters can also use horses. For instance, Imperial Legion soldiers can be seen patrolling, as well as couriers riding black horses.

Obtaining a horse[]

Horses can be purchased at stables outside major cities, except for the Imperial City, which has a stable, but no horses can be purchased there. If the Hero brings the Amulet of Kings to Weynon Priory as part of the main quest one of the monks there (Prior Maborel) will offer to lend them his horse, free of charge. When the Knights of the Nine questline is completed and the priory is restored, a chestnut and a bay horse become available at the stables.

Only one horse can be owned from each stable, so the maximum that can be owned at any one time is seven plus Shadowmere. If a horse dies or is lost, it will appear next to the stable it was purchased from.

Breeds of horses[]

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

Type Description Cost Location
Paint Horse Hardy and a good choice for anyone needing a reliable mount at a reasonable price. 500 Gold Wildeye Stables, Bruma
Five Riders Stables, Leyawiin.
Bay Horse Faster than the paint horse, but with less health. 1,000 Gold Bay Roan Stables, Bravil
Grateful Pass Stables, Skingrad
Chestnut Horse Faster than the bay and paint horses, but has the lowest health of all horses. 2,500 Gold North Country Stables, Chorrol
White Horse Just as fast as the chesnut horse, and far sturdier. 4,000 Gold Horse Whisperer Stables, Anvil
Black Horse Fastest horse in the game, but not as sturdy as the white. 5,000 Gold Black Waterside Stables, Cheydinhal

Console commands[]

Horse Armor[]

Horses are hardy and tough, but can be killed. In early April 2006, Bethesda Softworks released an official plug-in that allows horses to wear armor. There are two typed - Steel and Elven. It is $1.99 on the PC and $2.49 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.

Subtypes[]

Gallery[]

Trivia[]

  • If a horse is lost, fast traveling to any location, especially to the ranch it was bought from, will teleport it there, if it is still alive.
  • While the Hero can own multiple horses, only the one last mounted will teleport in this manner. The rest will remain where they were left.
  • It is possible to fast-travel while mounted on a horse even if over-encumbered.
  • While riding, all fall-damage is inflicted to the horse, instead of the rider.
  • When killed, a horse drops Horse Meat.
  • A horse's soul level is Lesser (300).

Bugs[]

This section contains bugs related to Horse (Oblivion). Before adding a bug to this list, consider the following:

  1. Please reload an old save to confirm if the bug is still happening.
  2. If the bug is still occurring, please post the bug report with the appropriate system template  360  /  XB1  ,  PS3  /  PS4  ,  PC  /  MAC  ,  NX  /  PS5  ,  XS  , depending on which platform(s) the bug has been encountered on.
  3. Be descriptive when listing the bug and fixes, but avoid having conversations in the description and/or using first-person anecdotes: such discussions belong on the appropriate forum board.
  • If a horse is killed with a character still mounted on the horse, they will become invisible (though other AI can still detect them nevertheless). This can also apply to the player for some time.

Appearances[]

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