So, I'm on my action packed quest to catch some butter flies or some thing and I come a across a horse with his owner. BUT..... the owner is dead on the ground and the horse is just standing there.

So, the game allows me to take the horse since the owner will obviously not need it. (Note I'm not stealing it.) So I go off to continue my quest, until moments later I got to get off the horse to do some thing only to turn around and the horse is trying to go back to its original owner.

This horse keeps wandering off. I've already paid for a horse and it some how got lost or died some where.

Ever have this happen to you?

You need to fast travel to a location after you get the horse, your old horse will show up if you have one or in the case of the dead hunter's horse... it becomes yours. At least thats how it worked for me anyway.

Horses in Skyrim have notoriously weak legs, although they are great climbers, and die easily from not-so-high falls.

Or, sometimes, your horse just wanders off to fight some random monster... and create its own legend never to be heard from again. I tracked one down using detect life once in the area where I last remembered seeing it, but I've lost a dozen or so after that on a couple of characters.

Having multiple horses doesn't really work, most of the time you get neither or one shows up randomly.

Really svcks when you have quest related horses, best advice?

Keep an eye on your horse, closely.