Locating Your Steed: A Comprehensive Guide to Finding Your Horse in Skyrim

Losing your horse in the vast world of Skyrim can be both frustrating and time-consuming. However, with a little know-how and some helpful strategies, you can find your trusty companion and be back in the saddle in no time. In this guide, we will walk you through several methods to help you locate your horse.

1. Retrieving a Purchased Horse

If you've bought a horse from one of the stables in Skyrim, you're in luck: finding a purchased horse is generally easier than tracking down an unowned or wild one. Purchased horses are loyal and will remain in the vicinity of where you dismount. To find your purchased horse, simply retrace your steps and look around the area where you last left it.

If you fast-traveled to a city, your horse should be waiting just outside the city gates or near the stables. In case you own multiple horses, only the most recently used horse will accompany you when fast-traveling. The other purchased horses will return to their respective stables, where you can reclaim them without paying an additional fee.

2. Finding Special or Earned Horses

Some horses in Skyrim must be earned through quests or purchased as part of a DLC. Examples of these horses include Shadowmere from the Dark Brotherhood questline and the wild horses from the Creation Club's Wild Horses DLC. Locating these special horses can be trickier since they don't have a designated stable to call home.

If you leave a special horse behind and ride a different one, the special horse will stay put in the location where you dismounted. To find your special horse, try to remember where you left it and return to that area. If you can't recall the exact location, it's best to leave your special horse near frequently visited towns or landmarks, making it easier to locate in the future.

3. Searching for Stolen or Wild Horses

Stolen or wild horses can be the most challenging to find, as they tend to wander off after you dismount. They typically return to their original locations, such as the place you stole them from or found them in the wild. To track down a stolen or wild horse, revisit the area where you first encountered it and hope it has returned.

Alternatively, you can always steal or tame another wild horse, although this might not be the most ethical choice in the world of Skyrim.

4. Using the Console Commands (PC Only)

If you're playing Skyrim on a PC, you can use console commands to teleport your horse directly to your location, saving you the hassle of searching for it. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Press the tilde (~) key to open the console window.
2. Type "help 4" (without quotation marks) to find the horse's reference ID. Replace with the name of your horse, such as Shadowmere or Frost.
3. Take note of the reference ID displayed in the console. It should look something like this: XX000CA6.
4. Type "player.moveto " (without quotation marks) and replace it with the ID you found in step 3.
5. Press Enter, and your horse should teleport to your location.

Keep in mind that using console commands can sometimes cause unexpected issues or glitches, so use this method with caution. It's best to save your game before executing any console commands.

5. Summoning a Horse with the Dawnguard DLC

If you have the Dawnguard DLC installed, you can obtain the Aetherial Crown, which grants the power to summon a horse called Arvak. By equipping the crown and using its summoning spell, Arvak will appear at your side, making it easy to call a ride whenever you need one. To acquire the Aetherial Crown, you'll need to complete the "Lost to the Ages" quest.

In summary, finding your lost horse in Skyrim might require a bit of detective work and memory recall, but with these strategies under your belt, you'll be back on the trail with your trusty companion in no time. Happy riding, Dragonborn!