Horses are your most steadfast companions in Skyrim, and deserve to be treated as such. So while you’re putting together mods for your next playthrough, be sure to give some thought to your hoofed sidekick. Let us help you with this endeavor with our list of the best horse mods for Skyrim.
Unique Horses
Aeonbarr
Download: Nexus
Aeonbarr is a highly customizable unique horse. His appearance, stats, and hotkeys can be customized via his mod configuration menu. You will need to have SkyUI installed for the menu to work, otherwise you will only be able to use his default look and stats. Aeonbarr has built-in compatibility with Convenient Horses, and a patch is also available for Immersive Horses.
Obtaining Aeonbarr in game requires completing a quest that takes you through a very well-designed dungeon. You can start the quest either by stumbling upon Blackstead Barrow in the wilderness or by reading the book “The Blackstead Legacy,” which can be found in the Dead Man’s Drink in Falkreath. After completing the quest, you will receive the lesser power Summon Aeonbarr, allowing you to summon him anywhere.
Hashire
Download: Nexus
Like Aeonbarr, Hashire is highly customizable. His appearance options are a little different, though. Where Aeonbarr lets you customize your horse’s body size and the color of its mane and tail, Hashire gives you some more magical looks and effects. You can make Hashire look like a zombie horse, or skeletal like Arvak. You can give him a fiery aura or a frosty glow. Each look and saddle also gives your horse unique stats. It’s all done via a simple configuration menu that does not require SkyUI.
You do not need to do anything to acquire Hashire. As soon as you install the mod, you will gain the lesser power Summon Hashire, as well as a power to configure him. Hashire is compatible with Immersive Horses and has a patch available for Convenient Horses.
Horse Models and Graphics
Oblivion Horses
Download: Nexus
If you’re not a fan of Skyrim‘s bulkier horses and preferred the sleeker models from The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, you’re in luck. Oblivion Horses is a mod that replaces all of the horse models in the game with a version that more closely resembles the horses found in Cyrodiil. The mod also gives your horses new coats and manes. It has versions for Convenient Horses and Immersive Horses, as well as a patch for Aeonbarr.
Zzjay’s Horse Overhaul
Download: Nexus
If you’re happy with Skyrim‘s horse models but want them to look a lot nicer, Zzjay’s Horse Overhaul spruces up horses and their saddles with new high-resolution textures. The mod includes custom saddles for unique horses as well as multiple options for standard saddle replacers. There are patches available for Convenient Horses and Immersive Horses. ZZjay’s Horse Overhaul is not compatible with model replacers such as Oblivion Horses.
Horse Saddles and Armor
More Saddles
Download: Nexus
If the standard Skyrim saddles are too boring for you, spice things up with More Saddles. This mod adds a unique saddle to each of the standard horses that you can purchase from city stables. Each saddle has a theme: bard, traveler, hunter, big game hunter, and knight. There’s also a Dawnguard saddle that can be used to replace the saddle of your choice.
Horse Armors
Download: Nexus
If you want your horse to look as tough as you do, you can upgrade your saddles with Horse Armors. This mod gives each of the city horses an armored look that matches a set of armor in the game: nordic steel, dwarven, ebony, leather, and dragonbone. It also gives Frost and Shadowmere each a unique set of armor.
Horse Sounds
Equus — Horse Sounds Redesigned
Download: Nexus
Equus improves many of the horse sounds in Skyrim, from neighs and whinnies to hoof steps. In vanilla Skyrim, horse steps sound the same no matter the terrain. Equus adds different sounds for snow, wood, dirt, and so on. When you notice the difference, you’ll never want to go back.
Horse Utility
First Person Horse Riding
Download: Nexus
Does it bother you that you can do pretty much everything in first person in Skyrim except for riding a horse? This mod fixes that, letting you swap into first person once you’re on horseback by using a hotkey. If you have SkyUI installed, you can even configure the hotkey to your liking.
Faster Horse Dismount
Download: Nexus
You’ll do a lot of mounting and dismounting as you travel through Skyrim. Speed things up with Faster Horse Dismount, a simple mod that speeds up the dismounting animation. Choose from several versions between 15 and 50 percent faster.
Horse Stamina HUD
Download: Nexus
Another feature that seems like it should have been included in Skyrim is a Stamina meter for your horse. Horse Stamina HUD adds exactly that. Now you know exactly how long you will be able to gallop before your horse needs a break.
Horse Storage
Download: Nexus
It seems like a waste that you can’t have your horse carry your stuff across Skyrim. With Horse Storage, now you can load up that poor beast of burden to your heart’s content. Simply crouch before activating your horse, and you’ll get a menu that will allow you to configure or open your saddlebags.
Name Your Horse
Download: Nexus
Do you have an epic name in mind for your horse, and wish you could name it in the game? Name Your Horse is here to help. Just use the configurable hotkey while looking at your horse, and a text box will pop up. You will need to have SkyUI installed to use this mod.
Call Your Horse
Download: Nexus
One of the most frustrating things about horses in Skyrim is trying to find yours when you need it. With Call Your Horse, you can summon your horse to your side using a lesser power. Your character will whistle, and your horse will appear. Easy.
Horses For Followers
Download: Nexus
Does it bother you to see your follower run behind you while you’re on horseback? Give them their own horse with Horses For Followers. This mod adds a second horse to every stable that you can purchase for the same price as your own. Your follower will automatically mount and dismount their horse when you do.
Horse Overhauls
| Feature | Simple Horse | Immersive Horses | Convenient Horses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Call Horse | x | x | x |
| Fast Dismount | x | x | x |
| Change Aggression | x | x | x |
| Followers Mount | x | x | x |
| Horse Commands | – | x | x |
| Show Stats | – | x | – |
| Mounted Combat | – | x | x |
| Mounted Interaction | – | x | x |
| Horse Naming | – | x | x |
| Horse Storage | – | x | x |
| Horse Equipment | – | – | x |
| Horse Training | – | – | x |
Convenient Horses
Download: Nexus
Convenient Horses is a massive mod that includes just about any feature you can think of to make horses more, well, convenient. When first installed, the mod gives you a quest to learn all about its features and how to use them. This can be skipped if you’ve used the mod before.
Convenient Horses is the most popular horse mod on Nexus, and there are many patches available for it, including one that adds a mod configuration menu for SkyUI. SkyUI isn’t required by default, however.
Immersive Horses
Download: Nexus
Immersive Horses does a lot of the same things that Convenient Horses does, but approaches it in a different way. It leans heavily on SkyUI menus and has a lot of options for hotkeys and other settings. Check out the table at the top of this section for a list of features.
Although not as popular as Convenient Horses, Immersive Horses is widely used, and most mods that provide compatibility for one will provide it for the other.
Simple Horse
Download: Nexus
Simple Horse combines a few of the mods in our Horse Utility section into one mod. It’s nowhere near as extensive as Convenient Horses or Immersive Horses. If you want more features, you should look at one of those. But if you just want the basics without all the bloat, this mod is the solution. It requires SkyUI.
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Thanks for reading! We hope we’ve helped you find the best horse mods for your next Skyrim game. If you have any questions, leave a comment below, and be sure to subscribe to High Ground for more useful guides!
Happy gaming!
