Besides a few bugs in Skyrim (CTD, purple textures), I'm really loving the game and finding myself enjoying the character I created a little more each time I load a save game. I wish the same can be said about my horse.

Actually it's not just one horse - I've had probably 10+ and the stable owner in Whiterun must get a chuckle when he takes another 1000 gold to replace the last idiotic animal that I had the pleasure to lose in my travels through Skyrim.

Horse I hate you - let me count the ways:

1. While we were riding to Riften, a fox was playing at your feet. I stopped to collect some ingredients and without a second's notice, you bolted after said fox and disappeared into the wilderness.

2. Upon completing a grueling and well-fought dungeon, I emerged to find no trace of you. You apparently thought you had waited long enough, and returned to the stables where I bought you. Unfortunately for me, the walk from (close to) Solitude to Whiterun is a long one when you're completely weighed down with loot.

3. Remember that time when we were at an enemy encampment close to a cliff? Being an assassin, stealth is kind of my 'bread and butter'. So, shortly after I turned invisible (thank you stealth perks), you managed to have the whole camp attack you and then you proceeded to gallop of the cliff, in what could only be described as the funniest moment I've ever witnessed in a video game.

4. The many other countless times you've chased trolls (fatally), ran away from combat to an undisclosed location (typically in the last place I'd look) and the agonizingly frustrating times you'd get in my way as I attacked a cave bear only to see yourself killed at my hands.

Phew - it needed to be said. That's a relief off of my shoulders.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish my walk from Dawnstar to Whiterun to see a man about getting a horse.

I hate horses too, that's why I'm more of a wanderer. I'm not even running that often, lol.

I chuckled : ).

I also went through a few horses before deciding never to buy another! But, there's at least one horse in this game that should be able to assist you without death and I won't spoil it for you. Just know there's hope on the horizon!

You are not alone. Many adventurers like you decide to do the same after their loyal companion died. It is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed about!

Wait.. You did say "I ATE my horse"... right? RIGHT? :rolleyes:

Like Oblivion thou, there are some quests my knight archetype won't do, and won't receive the prize of a useful horse.

I was quite surprised that horses have not been improved since Oblivion. They are still the Altmer of the animal world (in that most other races of animal feel the innate need to murder them, and they have ridiculous amounts of aggression that defy common sense).

A horse is a part of my character that feels right, so I started using them, I feel much more like a knight trotting on a horse than I do sprinting in full metal plate armour, but they are extremely frustrating... yet I can't make up my mind whether having a "horse whistle" to call your horse back to you would be silly or not.. but oh so useful... them horses like to hide in bushes.

Its a real shame they haven't come on a single bit since oblivion thou.

Horses haven't improved much since Oblivion. In fact, they haven't improved at all.

Hopefully, mods will fix it. Someday. I think every horse should just be marked semi-essential and completely passive (i.e. it would flee if attacked, but otherwise would not participate in any combat). And there needs to be some kind of horse lo-jack... I think both mods were implemented in Oblivion.

I still have the first horse I ever bought, and the first companion I ever got... Xeno, Jenassa, and good ol sha neigh neigh... We make a good squad

I love my Shadowmere. :stare:

If you play on PC:

Essential horses - Makes horses essential so they don't keep getting killed in battle. http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1248

Cowardly horses - This mod should make all horses in Skyrim cowardly so that if you dismount them while being attacked they will flee to a safe distance. http://www.skyrimnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1522

I have the first horse i bought still (lvl 35 now) and Lydia, neither of them have died and the horse once got slightly lost when a battle happened. i've realised that the horse will try to find cover (behind a rock/hill/mountain/building, even in a broken ship, shady areas, dense wood/bushes.
I agree that the horse should never get involved unless it's attacked and that when it realises that you are in a fight or being attacked it should back off.

About the horse running off cliffs, dont go mountain climbing with a horse.
remember a horse is only a horse, it's not meant to be that intelligent and know what to do at all times.

the horses' asses are too big. and the legs look weird. they should've made the horses like red dead.

get shadowmere

I stopped buying horses. I just walk. Honestly the difference in speeds between "running" and using a horse doesn't seem like much.

Plus I fast travel most the time. If I have a heavy load of loot, then I pop a STR pot and fast travel. It wears off a the whiterun gate and then i go to my bank house and drop off what I plan on keeping, selling the rest.

I usually do not have a horse in these games, they just don't fit with my style of play. However, somehow I ended up with a horse. I just finished a battle at a fort and there was a horse that I could ride without stealing it, so I hopped on and tried it out. After a few minutes I rode it back to the fort and got off. The horse wandered back into the fort and I figured that was where it's home is.

Well, now whenever I fast travel, there is that horse right next to me. So, I guess I have a horse now.

Now, if I could only find Lydia, she got tired of waiting for me somewhere and took off. She has not come home yet. I wonder if she transmuted into the horse?

Well, being a horse has it's andvantages... for example she can carry your burdens more easily now

I can't handle the constant dismount/remount for fights and resource gathering. It's tedious and not fun at all. Horses are cool in concept, but a waste in practice.

Then the other details you mention... ugh I don't know how you do it. Masochist?

Respite.
Whirlwind Sprint.
Sprinting as a Werewolf.

What horse?

Horses never really interested me, but with all these tales of suicidal horses, flying horses, horses that can scale practically vertical mountains and of course Boris the Badass (http://gamingbolt.com/skyrim-the-epic-tales-of-boris-the-invincible-horse) I think I might give it a go tonight after work. :lmao:

I've come across horses standing over deceased bandits that aren't considered stolen when I mount them as well, maybe its because I own a horse but.. those things run off so many times and i don't fast travel so once its lost its lost haha...

The horses aggression is odd, I've bought horses that attack like a hornet whose nest is being invaded but other times I get horses that run for the hills when attacked.

I also had a funny moment where I just bought this nice vanilla looking horse, rode it out toward markarth and decided to stop off at a dungeon just off the road.
Well turns out this dungeon has a tower at the end to which I began climbing only to see my brand new 1,000 gold horse take off down the river... I was sitting there with my dad staring blankly. Never found that horse again, not even at the stables I purchased it; though I have to wonder.. was it running or chasing?

I did a series of quests and ended up with a horse that I thought I could return to its rightful owner. Needless to say that horse stuck with me until my most recent trip to Riften (fitting). When an ancient dragon attacked as I was walking away it attacked a bear that jumped me, so I took care of the bear and the dragon drifted toward town and attacked the docks, and guys on the shore and by the time I was done killing it, it had killed a named NPC I hadn't met before, 2 guards, my horse, and who knows what on the docks... I didn't go back after looting the dragon.

I stopped being surprised at my 4-legged friend's antics after I saw it trying to 'tank' a dragon.

I like the way the horses look and handle in this game (they're actually fun to ride), but in terms of utility have come to the conclusion I'd be better off without it. Having to dismount every time I see something I want to harvest or every time there's a fight is irritating, but having to hunt for said disappearing beastie on a regular basis is maddening. Not to mention that having your companion running after you on foot while mounted just feels wrong.

Can't bring myself to deliberately get my horse killed, but am starting to want to leave it behind every time I go adventuring now.

Yes, the horses are fairly primitive and way too aggressive but I still enjoy them. I just learned to park far away from battles. Thankfully they can swim, it turns them into a boat which is kinda fun. Also, you can mount them when youre overloaded and still ride fast. I do wish you could shoot arrows or at least a 1h sword or something while on them, and I wish the mount animations we're much quicker, it's almost a deal breaker. I tried jumping off a fort wall onto my horse, but the dang mount anim gets in the way.