How to Get a Horse in Skyrim
The easiest way to get a horse in Skyrim is to purchase one from a stable. There are eight horses available to buy, at eight different horse stables around the world. Each one will cost you 1000 gold, and the details of these buyable horses are listed below:
Heljarchen Hall — Black Lakeview Manor — Dun Markarth — Piebald Riften — Dapple Grey Solitude — Palomino Whiterun — Black Windhelm — Bay Windstad Manor — Dapple Grey
Alternatively, you can steal a horse. Horses can be seen around the world in various places, such as forts or camps, and mounting one that’s labeled “steal horse” will increase your bounty.
Every stolen horse you mount increases your bounty by 50 gold, unless you can pull it off unseen.
On top of all of the above-listed horses, there are three unique types you can earn. The purchasable horses differ only in appearance, but these unique horse types actually come packed with their own abilities. The three horses are Shadowmere, Frost, and Arvak.
How to Get Skyrim’s Unique Horses
Shadowmere
Shadowmere is obtained during the Dark Brotherhood questline, upon completion of the “The Cure for Madness” quest, and is one of the best steeds in all of gaming.
In terms of build and agility, Shadowmere doesn’t differ much at all from the regular horses, except that he can gallop longer. He is, however, significantly tougher, and much less likely to die in combat. He’s also much more aggressive against enemies and regenerates much faster.
If this horse dies, he will respawn after 10 in-game days, either at the pool where you first got him, or at the place of his death.
Frost
To get Frost, you will need to complete the Speech check during the “Promises to Keep” quest. This quest is initiated by interacting with Louis Letrush at the Bee and Barb.
To get him, you will need to pass the Speech check, convincing Letrush to give Frost up. If you’re worried you won’t be able to convince him, killing him will also do the trick. Frost can gallop roughly as long as Shadowmere, but is not nearly as strong.
Arvak
Arvak was added with the Dawnguard Skyrim DLC, and can be obtained with help from the Summon Arvak spell.
To unlock this spell, you will need to complete the “Find Arvak’s Skull” quest, after which you will be able to summon this undead horse. This quest is initiated by entering the Soul Cairn, where you will find a man screaming Arvak’s name.
Speak with him to get the quest. If Arvak is every killed, he can simply be resummoned.
How to Call Your Horse
Unfortunately, you technically can’t call your horse in vanilla Skyrim, but you can “call” them with a little help from fast travel. If you happen to lose your beloved horse, simply fast travel to an area of your choosing, and the horse will spawn in right beside you. If you are traveling into a city, the horse will spawn just outside of it, or at its stables.
If you aren’t opposed to installing a mod, the Convenient Horses mod will add a horse-calling feature to the game. With this mod, you can use a whistle to call your horse from a short distance away, or you can use a horn to call them from anywhere in the world.
That’s all you should need to know about landing yourself a horse in Skyrim. Purchasing one is definitely a good way to start, though you should definitely consider upgrading to a unique type when you get the chance. If you are interested in learning more about one of this generation’s greatest games, do consider checking out our guides hub!
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