Horses: What's the point?

[OckhamsFolly]

Ah, well, you see... This Orc doesn't do magic. It's okay, Wolfsbane is a fine horse with the spirit of a warrior. I'll just have to make sure he doesn't get himself killed.

 

[Eleidon]

Aesthetic appeal, perhaps? It would be nice if my horse didn't attack everyone I did. That annoys me to no end. I wish Bethesda would've added the option to tell your horse to wait or at least tie them up to a stall or tree.

Tell me about it. The rare times I do use a horse, usually Shadowmere, (as when I fast travel on foot, he will be there on my arrival) I'll dismount him at a distance and when I begin to attack, he rolls in with a hellish fury. I usually have bows out and work in until I'm decently close, and he always gets in the way of my shots.

 

[Zaan]

I honestly feel trolled every time I see the loading screen message with the horse: 'The horses of Skyrim are strong, what they lack in speed they make up with in endurance' or some such spiel.

It's almost hilarious.

 

[Clau]

I came across this funny skit. I can ride a dragon / comics dragon Skyrim games horse dorkly / funny pictures & best jokes: comics, images, video, humor, gif animation - i lol'd

On a serious note, I no longer bother with horses as I keep losing them in just a matter of hours. Troll attacks, dragon attacks and random encounters with bandit groups always ends up fatal for any of my horses.

I have been playing the civil war part trying to be a Cavalier, but a confined space like a fort lacks maneuverability. My horse keeps getting killed and I always fall face first into the ground.

But it was fun when it lasted.

 

[Chadonraz]

I've come to appreciate the faster travel horses offer. When I get attacked by wolves, bears or other animals while on horseback, I hightail it out of there.

I ride bareback, because I'm cool like that.

 

[SnarkTheFirst]

I actually find my stable-bought nag incredibly useful -- bowlegged, saddle-cankers, all that jazz. I bought her just as I had a little extra coin, to save on time and calories (as I'm running 'Imp's More Complex Needs'), and because, "hey, this might be cool".

And then -- in the middle of the wilderness -- I suddenly remembered about mounted combat.
And felt like a n00b. And almost hilariously overpowered.

Suddenly I was galloping across the rolling plains of Whiterun Hold, neck-and-neck with elk, feathering them with arrows. Riding down bandits. Dancing around wolves and saber-cats. Killing mammoths to absorb my stocks of iron arrows.

I even killed Krosis after I found him by accident. (At lvl.13, without first getting the Dragonstone. Oops.) He seemed to be confused that I hardly ever stopped, as he only launched off a dozen fireballs in the fifteen minutes it took to bring him down.

 

[Iveri Sarothil]

I couldn't live without my Shadowmere. Yeah, she likes to charge off and destroy anything that she thinks must immediately perish, but she's stayed with me when the others wouldn't and I love my little red-eyed demon horse.

That said, I hate how stolen horses just calmly turn and start trotting back to wherever you stole them from. Makes it really hard to play a bandit. And how do the horses remember where they live if you stole them from Whiterun and traveled to Riften?

 

[Mr Forz]

Horses would have been an option if there wasn't fast travel and if.... If they actually had a decent amount of endurance if not unlimited.

 

[Made in China]

I want my follower to be able to get on the horse with me, and use their bow at the bandits while I'm riding away in a mysterious fog...

 

[ArcaneAuthority]

The only horse i can ever put up with is Shadowmere, purely because it's a good sponge, faster stamina.. and when the pesky thing charges in to help you it can actually make a difference in a fight, unlike the other horses in-game.
But i think they were more or less just added in as an aesthetic feature..
You can't beat roaming through the mountains on foot looking for those alchemy ingredients though!

 

[Perkless in Skyrim]

I mostly agree with how horses aren't worth having, with the exception of Shadowmere and now apparently, Arvak. Recently though, I've started role-playing a bit more with my character and not running everywhere. It takes a lot longer and I can now appreciate how having a horse would be more worthwhile. I haven't had the opportunity to try out mounted combat either so it's possible my opinion of them might yet rise even higher. I also hadn't considered how useful they can be when I'm loaded down with enough loot to make the incredible hulk stagger.

Regarding their uncanny ability to die ... well, if nothing else they'd be a decent money sink and give me something to spend all this gold on.

 

[Ru;indil]

''Horses. All day long. Do you know how dull horses are?''

Seriously. Horses in Oblivion were 100 times better.

In Oblivion - ''Horses. All day long. Do you know how fast horses are?''
Tis' ain't sarcastic .

 

[Nocte Aeterna]

Horses. All day long. Do you have any idea how dull horses are?

 

[Ru;indil]

Horses. All day long. Do you have any idea how dull horses are?

Maybe you didn't notice my post above yours? Or did you do it purposely ?

 

[Nocte Aeterna]

Yes, it was on purpose. It needed emphasis.

 

[Reaper0021]

I never buy a horse. I always use one such as Shadowmere, etc. I'm perfectly content with running and exploring on foot as a solitary Assassin always in the shadows and always on the move. Paranoid of being followed...all too aware of my surroundings.

 

[Cylos]

Because they're so pretty!!!
In all seriousness... I haven't a clue

 

[Karen]

To break the fall.

I misjudged the height of a cliff while riding horseback once; on impact, horse dies, I ragdoll off and I'm assuming death for me as well... except my character just gets back up like nothing happened and keeps walking.

 

[Nocte Aeterna]

Shadowmere is about the only useful horse, I think.

 

[Hunfar]

I stopped using horses when I realized there's no 1st person view like in Oblivion. Riding and combat would be much better in first-person, imo.