Horses can be earned in Riften by challenging Hofgrir, the stable owner, to a brawl. The main benefit to owning a horse is that the steed follows you wherever you go.

Shadowmere - Finish The Cure For Madness as part of The Dark Brotherhood Quests.

First, you can earn two unique, named horses as quest rewards. Horses can cost 1000g and be purchased from any stable. Stolen horses come with a price in the form of a bounty and will not stay with you once you dismount. Also when overloaded with items, on horsesback you can Fast Travel to your favorite trader or house to unload.Ī horse, however, is typically not free. Joking aside, however, horses allow you to traverse greater distances in a shorter time frame. They occasionally lend their horsepower in destroying your enemies. Horses are probably the best companions you can possibly steal, buy, or earn. This will help you discover the location and allow Fast Travel in the future. Located outside every major Hold in Skyrim are carriages that will take you to both already known or undiscovered major towns and locations for a nominal amount (usually 20 or 50 gold depending on the distance). Being that the true charm of Skyrim lies in its never-ending sense of discovery, your choice to constantly Fast Travel would make you skip out on sight-seeing and other cool stuff. Time will still elapse as if you'd spent the time traveling there, but arrival is as instantaneous as it gets in real time. Once you've discovered a location and have confirmed its location on the map (you must physically go there), you can start using the Fast Travel feature to quickly be transported there.

Skyrim fast travel console