Horses are Skyrim’s answer to long walks across the tundra. Every one in the province is a sturdy draft breed native to Skyrim: not especially fast, but tough and enduring, as the loading screens point out. Most players buy one early at a city stable, and a few unique horses can be won through quests.
Variants
Ordinary horses come in five colours. They only differ in appearance; performance is identical. Each costs 1000 gold, and your Speech skill has no effect on the price.
| Horse | Hold | Where to get it | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | Whiterun Hold | Whiterun Stables | 1000 |
| Bay | Eastmarch | Windhelm Stables | 1000 |
| Dapple Grey | The Rift | Riften Stables | 1000 |
| Piebald | The Reach | Markarth Stables | 1000 |
| Palomino | Haafingar | Katla’s Farm (Solitude) | 1000 |
| Frost | The Rift | Quest Promises to Keep | – |
| Shadowmere | Falkreath | Dark Brotherhood questline | – |
| Arvak | Soul Cairn | Dawnguard questline | – |
Shadowmere has a fancier saddle, breast collar and bridle, the same speed as other horses but far greater toughness. It can still die from heavy combat or falls, but returns after 10 in-game days. Frost, a palomino stallion from Riften, requires passing a Speech check; he gallops as long as Shadowmere but otherwise has normal palomino stats. Arvak is an undead horse with a purple flaming mane and tail, summoned with the Summon Arvak spell after Find Arvak’s Skull; if killed he simply goes back to the Soul Cairn.
Where to find them
Besides the five stables, Hearthfire lets you build a stable at your manor (Lakeview Manor, Windstad Manor or Heljarchen Hall) and buy a horse from your steward. Horses also stand around military camps of the Imperial Legion and Stormcloaks, forts and civil war encounters.
Owning, borrowing and stealing
A bought horse is yours, marked “Player’s horse”, and lives at the stable where you bought it. You can own several; the one you last rode or fast travelled with follows you, the others go home. Mounting a horse labelled “Steal horse” is a crime that adds 50 gold of bounty each time – unless nobody, the horse included, sees you. At Katla’s Farm you can borrow a horse after selling Katla one piece of produce, and horses left by slain faction-dressed bandits or cart guards in the civil war can be ridden too; borrowed horses wander off once you dismount.
Riding
Mounted, you walk, run and gallop at your own walking, running and sprinting speeds, but with extra Stamina and carry capacity – enough to fast travel while overburdened. Horses can jump, swim (slightly slower than you) and charge over obstacles, but falls kill them easily. They can’t go through doors, though Orc Strongholds are fine. Mounted combat arrived with patch 1.6.
