Wild Horse taming is a feature in Skyrim that was only available as a Creation Club until its inclusion in Anniversary Edition and is regarded by many fans as one of the more immersive creations available.
When it comes to taming Wild Horses in Skyrim there are a few things to keep in mind: where each is located, what they look like, and the proper taming strategies. Once a wild horse is tamed, it will function just like any other horse and can even be renamed, saddled, or even given Horse Armor which is available as a separate Creation Club addon.
Updated December 17th, 2021 by Russ Boswell: Finding wild horses in Skyrim can be a blessing but players that don't know how to adequately tame them may find themselves more frustrated than anything else. Taming horses in Skyrim can be incredibly useful and players will definitely want to have a horse around if they plan on walking the far reaches of the game's extensive map. In order to give players more information on taming wild horses in Skyrim, the following list has been updated and now includes even more information pertaining to how wild horses in Skyrim behave and other bullet points about horses in general.
Types of Wild Horses in Skyrim
There are seven versions of Wild Horses in the Wild Horses creation, with an additional unique Unicorn available only through a specific questline. Some of these seven wild horses have a similar counterpart in the base Skyrim world, but each is of course found out in the wilderness rather than at a specific Stable. Each is labeled only as "Wild Horse" in-game, but nonetheless, each is distinct.
- Spotted Grey: Ashen grey body with a black mane. Found north of Salvius Farm in the hills above Markarth.
- Dappled Brown: Mix of Dark and Light brown with a light brown mane. Found south of Solitude near a Dragon Mound.
- Chestnut: Warm chestnut-brown body with a black mane. Found in the mountains east of Helgen.
- Red Horse: Sharp red body with a white mane. Found in Whiterun Hold just northeast of Whiterun itself.
- Spotted White: Dalmatian-like black and white spots with a dark mane. Found in Eastmarch Hold near Stony Creek Cave.
- Pale Mare: Off-white coat with a pure white mane. Found northeast of Windhelm near Yngol Barrow.
- Black Horse: Dark black coat with a medium-grey mane. Found northwest of Falkreath near Evergreen Grove.
- The Unicorn: Unique horse with a white body, blonde mane, and a horn on its head. The Creature of Legend quest starts by reading Soran's Journal in the College of Winterhold's Arcanaeum.
In-game, players are able to purchase horse maps from stablehands across Skyrim which help to pinpoint the location of each of these (although there isn't one available for the Unicorn as it is tied to a quest instead). In Survival mode some of these locations are hard to get to, so be sure to prepare for a long and cold hike in the hills.
How To Tame Wild Horses
Taming wild horses in Skyrim is much simpler than it is in real life. While it can take months or even years to win over a horse's obedience in real life, it takes mere minutes in Skyrim. Begin by locating a wild horse with either a purchased horse map or the text description of their locations in the horse taming book.
Then, when you're ready, walk up to the wild horse and mount it. The wild horse will attempt to buck the player off at regular intervals, ragdolling them and causing health damage if the fall was long enough. It's a good idea to take health-increasing potions beforehand to avoid any chance of dying from this. The horse will run away, forcing players to catch up and mount them again. After enough attempts, a notification will pop up indicating that the horse has been successfully tamed and can now be renamed, armored, or saddled as the player sees fit.
More Information On Taming And Riding Horses In Skyrim
Horses have seen some changes over the years as Skyrim has been through a series of patches and upgrades. There are a lot of things that players may not know about horses, how they operate, what they can do with them, or how and when they respawn. Here's a look at some of the key bullet points that players should know about horses in Skyrim and what they're capable of:
- Thanks to patch 1.16, players are able to engage in mounted combat from horseback, although it is somewhat limited in design. For one, players will no longer be able to block attacks via a secondary weapon as the buttons for combat on horseback pertain to what side of the horse a player will swing from. It's possible to use a two-handed weapon in some situations and players can even use heavy attacks with some weapons. It's also possible to use a ranged weapon but players will be locked in a third-person camera view, making it hard to be accurate from horseback.
- Players cannot use a shout while on horseback but they can use a shout before mounting, meaning shouts with prolonged effects will still be active once they hop onto horseback.
- Wild horses that are eliminated will respawn after 10 days worth of in-game time, whereas horses taken from stables will respawn one-to-two days after perishing.
- Unowned horses that are mounted in front of someone is considered a crime and will cause players to obtain a bounty. However, as long as the player is not seen mounting the horse, they won't be given a bounty and are free to ride the horse around without consequence. They can even ride it past NPC in the immediate area without issue. Stolen horses will not "stay with the player" when they dismount them.
- It is possible for the Dragonborn to "borrow" a horse under certain conditions (such as the one at Katla's Farm which becomes available after selling produce to Katla) but borrowed horses will not stay with the player when they dismount them and instead will wander off much like a stolen horse would.