All free horse locations?

[FrozenWolf150]

I was wondering if anyone ever compiled a list of all the locations where you can get a free horse. Two are mentioned on the wiki. You can borrow one from Katla's Farm by harvesting crops, and you can borrow one at the Riften Stables by winning a brawl with Hofgrir. Several guides mention the horse by the unmarked abandoned camp located southeast of Bleakcoast Cave, and this is the one I usually get, although the path is rather treacherous. I'm particularly interested in knowing where other free horses are available since I'm playing with mods that disable fast travel (and also increase the cost of horses).

I'm not talking about stealing horses. I know there's one next to an abandoned wagon in an unmarked bandit camp just west of Whiterun, but it counts as stolen and you can get fined for it. For this reason, Frost doesn't count either, and I don't want to have to sneak or fight my way through Black Briar Lodge with a lvl 1 character. I'm also not counting quest reward horses like Shadowmere or Arvak, both of whom require you to complete some very dangerous quests before you even have access to them.

I've seen several sources mention that there are other preset free horses across Skyrim, but I couldn't find any exact locations. I know that a few random encounters have abandoned free horses, but I want to know where I can reliably find a free horse.

[Dark Spark]

The one I know of are the horses at the Whiterun Stormcloak Camp. If you escape Helgen with Ralof, taking those horses won't count as stealing until (I assume) you choose to join the Imperial Legion.

You could, at an early stage of the game, take one of those horses up the Whiterun-Riften mountain pass and climb your way up to High Hrothgar.

[FrozenWolf150]

The one I know of are the horses at the Whiterun Stormcloak Camp. If you escape Helgen with Ralof, taking those horses won't count as stealing until (I assume) you choose to join the Imperial Legion.

You could, at an early stage of the game, take one of those horses up the Whiterun-Riften mountain pass and climb your way up to High Hrothgar.

Really? I was almost certain those horses were owned. I'll have to check again.

[Dark Spark]

Unless it was fixed in the UOP or somesuch, certain things become available to take depending on whom you escape Helgen with. Going with Ralof allows you to take those horses. Choosing Hadvar, the Imperial Swords on the rack at Whitewatch Tower will be free to take (and the other sword, if it spawns as a cheap Iron one instead of Steel).

[FrozenWolf150]

Unless it was fixed in the UOP or somesuch, certain things become available to take depending on whom you escape Helgen with. Going with Ralof allows you to take those horses. Choosing Hadvar, the Imperial Swords on the rack at Whitewatch Tower will be free to take (and the other sword, if it spawns as a cheap Iron one instead of Steel).

Yeah, the horses still count as owned, and the wiki page for that camp says they're owned. Even though I helped Ralof, I couldn't take them without stealing.

Then again, I'm also using Alternate Start: Live Another Life, so that might have changed things. And Requiem makes it harder to get your first horse. So I usually just get the abandoned horse near Bleakcoast Cave.

[Dark Spark]

All I'll say is that any time my PC escapes with Ralof, the horses can be taken and said horse will follow you when you Fast-Travel.

[FrozenWolf150]

All I'll say is that any time my PC escapes with Ralof, the horses can be taken and said horse will follow you when you Fast-Travel.

Do you know if this is true for all Stormcloak camps, or just that one? Does it work with the horses at Imperial camps if you escape with Hadvar?