I am at least 165 hours into Skyrim. I don't have a horse. Don't want one. Why? Because of the stupidity of not being able to defend yourself while mounted! By the time that you dismount and draw your weapon, whatever is attacking you has just taken half your health while you were doing that. So, I don't bother with horses. It was the same problem in Oblivion.....and Morrowind, as I recall.

Morrowind didn't have mounts.

There have been a number of "we want mounted combat" threads, yes.


(Personally, I'm not one of them. I don't see what the attraction is. But, then, I don't use a horse because 1. Oblivion horses were so horrible - camera angle, animations, controls - that the trauma of it put me off ever using a horse in TES again; and 2. I pick up everything - ore, plants, loot from monsters, etc. I'd be mounting and dismounting every five seconds. I'd rather walk, thanks. )

"Morrowind didn't have mounts"

Well, it's been a LONG time since I played it.

Kiralyn......yes, good reasons, too. I think you would miss so much using a horse....

And the fact that the horses want to get killed by whatever is attacking you. But that is why i don't to fight while riding, i just outrun them. Of course to do that i use a mod to make the horses run like they had four legs, but still

I don't use horses or followers- one of the appeals of Elder Scrolls games to me is the complete control I have over my character, and having to rely on AI for things svcks. Horses are hard to steer and maneuver for me.

I can't see the attraction to be honest.
I'll admit they are better implemented than in Oblivion but we don't get on with them.
The only time Niamh ended up on a horse she got it killed...

[EDIT] - that said, we would miss them if they weren't there.

I don't use them often but for role-playing reasons I have tried a couple times. The problems I have are:

1) Force third person. Sorry but I just don't like it.
2) Can't do anything while riding. Dismounting all the time.
3) Horses are not essential and die way too easily.
4) You can't use them as pack animals (like a follower).

Their only real useful purpose is being able to ride them while encumbered, but if they get killed that is kind of moot.

If Bethesda could make them like a follower, essential (unless you kill them yourself) and can carry items, then they would be very useful. As of now however, it's just a role-play gimmick.

At the very least you should be able to cast defensive spells and buffs on horseback.

I normally avoid horses because of this and several other issues. Most importantly, the game is less stable (X360) when I'm riding a horse. Nearly all my hard freezes have happened while on horseback. As a result, I save very often when I'm climbing that impossible slope on a horse (one of the few good uses for the mount). I also hate the aggressiveness of horses in combat, and I just don't want them around during the hairy fights.

I don't avoid horses because of the lack of mounted combat.

I avoid horses because of the awkwardness of the controls and the inability to interact with the world at all while riding.

In Oblivion, while you were on horseback you could still initiate conversations with people. You could also pick up ingredients within your reach.

In Skyrim, you can't talk to anyone on horseback, which leads to the ridiculous situation where you're riding along and see a thief waiting by the roadside, weapons drawn. If you were just walking, he would run up to you and try to shake you down. But since you're riding, he can't figure it out.

In Oblivion, even though I couldn't fight on horseback I still got a lot of enjoyment just from hitting the autowalk key and being able to use my mouse to look around at the scenery as I rode. And I could do it in first person.

In Skyrim, once you mount up you're forced into 3rd person. I would assume that forced 3rd person view would be for the purpose of showcasing some excellent animations or visuals. But in Skyrim, 3rd person view means that for some bizarre reason, your mouse changes your direction, not your view. So instead of being able to look up at the towering mountain vistas, I'm basically stuck looking at my horse's rear end while I'm riding. Great!

The horse riding mechanics are awful, and I am not prone to running away from enemies and I sure have no desire to add an extra 2-3 seconds on to the already dull combat I am forced into taking part in. Horses make exploring slower as far as I can tell, and never use them.

My character owns a horse for role-playing reasons, and because I no longer use fast travel. It's also nice to have a horse with you when you come out of a dungeon and are carrying so much loot that you can barely stand.
I use a mod that makes horses essential and allows them to trample hostile creatures and people when sprinting though, so I don't have to dismount to attack.

The reason i rarely use horsesis that when i arrive insolitude i suddenly realize i left my horse in riften,
Facepalmmomrnts

Oh! Ahaha! I had no idea they had screwed that up to such an extent on the PC. I have to once again bring up Red Dead Redemption as an example of how to do things right. There, you can choose to make the controls horse-relative or view-relative.

I also dislike that it is restrictive if you want to dismount & fight. If i have an Alchemy based character it's even more restrictive.

Overall i dont mind them, i just use them occasionly, no rule says you have to use them.


If i want to check out the scenery i use the WASD keys, hold down W then use the mouse i think it is, or A or D.

I don't use horses because they always charge into combat when I dismount. I consider horses in Skyrim to be manifestations of Leroy Jenkins.

I dont use them because followers cant use them, and it feels stupid and cruel to let Lydia run behinnd me all over Skyrim as i ride comfortably. Not to mention she would die all the time from running desperately behind me and running into mobs while I ride ahead.

I would like the option to cast a spell or shoot my bow while sitting on my horse

The terrain of Skyrim doesn't seem beneficial to horses. Unless you're in the central plains, it's much faster to just run around on foot because you have greater maneuverability. I made a thread a few months ago asking if people used horses and most people voted no.

I only use a horse if I plan to over encumber myself. Other than that, I don't like them.

I have a regular horse

Only after I made the horse jump down a waterfall I could say that it wasn't invincible.

I sure see why people want to have mounted combat, I want it too, but I certainly don't see the lack of it to be breaking the mounted experience.


I would also like to be able to name my horse!

I don't use one becaus the butterflies are always watching......................ALWAYS.....................and BAM they kidnap your horse

In Oblivion, you could collect things from horseback. I have not tested this in Skyrim. I never understood why you could not cast spells. or shoot a bow...at least from a still position.

The lack of 1P camera is another sad note. I am favored to 3P, for the most part, but 1P is the only way I could operate from horseback, in Oblivion.

Then we have the MAIN reason that I am turned off from horses, is the AI and the way they are forced into combat. Watch ANY footage of war, hunting or conflict involving horses and tell me how many times you seen the horses engage in combat.

...major turn off.

EDIT : However, I do like the idea of certain characters of mine having a mount. My current one is a good example. BUT...I need to explore the mod options for this to become an actual usable feature.

I dont use a horse because they're useless...if i was pc i would mod a saber cat follower pet that doubles as a mount, they would be able to follow you everywhere and would be alot cooler then horses imo. I'd feed it manflesh

I agree, we should have an option of 1st person view.

Personally, I think the horse aiding in combat would be acceptable if there was many different kind of horses in the game, and that the Skyrim type of horse was the slower but tougher one who would aid in combat (while the other horses avoided it).