Do unmanned horses charge directly at me?

[Ghoura Agur]

Tis a question I've been mulling over the past few days, ever since...the incident.

The battle was nearly won, the enemy, scattered.  We were hunting down the last few miserable Rhodoks.  I was running on foot, when out of the corner of my eye, I spot a riderless saddle horse racing towards me.  I sidestep to the right, and the horse adjusts his course.  I sidestep futher to the right, and the horse continues to turn towards me, all the while getting closer.  I move quickly to the left, and the horse turns at the last second, knocking me to the ground.

So my question, dear readers, is, Are the horses imbuned with some sort of artificial intelligence which instructs them to aim towards the nearest infantryman?

Spoiler

Quite honestly, nothing has every so much disrupted my formations as riderless horses.  A mounted warrior is stopped, both man and steed, but a wall of shields, or spears.  But without the riders, the horse is impervious to all blows save those from ranged weapons.

Regardless, I imagine if the horse was given over to this sort of malevolent directive, one could create something similar to bullfights.  And then I wonder, if "Barbed steed" could be made to inflict piercing damage instead of blunt?

Many thanks!
And a thousand apologies if this has been asked before!

 

[Bent Barbed Arrows]

I have to wonder the same thing, since I had a very similar...incident.

Like you, I was fighting the Rhodocks.  My allies brought mostly light archers and infantry against a sargeant-heavy rhodock column, and we were heavily outnumbered.  I dressed in light armor to give myself much needed mobility on foot.  My two-handed sword claimed any Rhodocks that got separated from the main group, and soon there were only two sargeants left.  I was badly wounded, but I had only to engage these two and the battle was won.  Then I saw it.  A riderless hunter was standing there to my left.  Before I could finish saying "oh gods no" it had accelerated to a gallop.  I made a short but futile run for it.  The hunter caught me mid stride and my light armor could not absorb the blow.  Battle lost. 

 

[Nathan90]

I think they run arround randomly until they reach the border of the Map,once they get to border they Vanish. It's just unlucky if you happen to be in the way when they are running about.

 

[AA0]

I've had it happen as well, you avoid them and they adjust, and do it again and they'll adjust and still end up smacking you down.  It seems a little more than just random luck

 

[Diavolo]

this has happened to me tonnes of times. I especially remember when I was playing imperial state in eagle and the radiant cross. I had only infantry and they stood shooting at the enemy, and then the enemy horses (when unmanned) ran through my ranks back and forth doing almost more damage than my enemies.

 

[Kalnia]

Yeah a steppes horse almost did that to me when I was clearing out some Khergits at the end of a short skirmish, except I turned around and planted a couple pf bodkins into its chest, and that seemed to stop it.

 

[duracell]

I stab with my glaive every horse in the chest  which comes too close to me or my men so Im safe about the runaway horses accidents

(but I get numerous prisoners by this horses, the guy run towards me then suddenly a riderless warhorse knocks him out hehe)

 

[Ghoura Agur]

I stab with my glaive every horse in the chest  which comes too close to me or my men so Im safe about the runaway horses accidents

(but I get numerous prisoners by this horses, the guy run towards me then suddenly a riderless warhorse knocks him out hehe)

This never works for me unless the horse has a rider.

Yeah a steppes horse almost did that to me when I was clearing out some Khergits at the end of a short skirmish, except I turned around and planted a couple pf bodkins into its chest, and that seemed to stop it.

Whereas this generally works all the time.  In some gun mods, I shoot the horse first, and leave the rider for my troops, realizing the quadruped the most dangerous creature on the battlefield.

 

[Hietala]

they're mad because you killed their master >< even if you won't get overrun by a horse in the battlefield, the horse demons will track you at night, so you will never have a peaceful night again xD

 

[nikolis]

they're mad because you killed their master >< even if you won't get overrun by a horse in the battlefield, the horse demons will track you at night, so you will never have a peaceful night again xD

xD xD xD

In topic this has happened to me too, especially the fact that I cannot kill a unmaned horse...

 

[The Mercenary]

Just stick a throwing knife in its eye. It's what I carry throwing knives around for.

 

[Varric]

Just stick a throwing knife in its eye. It's what I carry throwing knives around for.

Unless you have high power throw, you'll have to stick more then a couple of knives in between their eyes

 

[Lt. of the tower]

I always practice my throwing on stray horses when I am not being attacked or at the end of a battle.

 

[Sigismund]

Yeah, I've been knocked down by umanned horses too many times for it to feel random, why would an unmanned frightened horse run back towards the battle?

Also you say shoot it down but even with my War Bow, Power Draw 8 and Archery Skill ridiculously high it still takes 2 or 3 head shots to take one of the stupid beasts down.

 

[Nathan90]

Well in the unlikely Event of me being ran over by a horse i just turn arround and shoot them in the head.But i am useually on a horse so i don't tend to get hit by them that much

 

[Shik]

holy **** an unmanned charger!

"you received 7 damage"
"player fell unconscious"

The horses don't intentionally crash into players. Ever since .701, unmanned horses will run to the edge of the battlefield, and then vanish. If you're in their way, you could always jump over them.

 

[AA0]

The thing is horses don't run to the edge of the battlefield, they criss cross the entire map, they can stay in the battle for quite a few minutes. 

What are the chances the two unmanned horses would actually meet and rear up at each other? I've seen it happen quite a few times. 

I'm almost sure there is something there that makes them aim for troops.  I see them cross over infantry all the time, stop turn around and hit them again, turn around and again and again.  I'm almost always on a horse but I've still had situations that make me wonder.  I've narrowly dodged on horse going for me only to be knocked down by another horse from another direction that was also aiming for me.  To have that happen more than once is just too unlucky for it to be random. 

 

[Troll]

Yeah... I have noticed that they tend to charge at soldiers and me quite often... Well, but that reminds me of time I was charging to line of Swadian crossbowmen from side  when I was shot, because even after I was knocked out I could control horse for a moment... I just deciced "Well, I take some whit me..." and directed my horse to Swadians... It charged and knocked out three of them.  

 

[nikolis]

Yeah... I have noticed that they tend to charge at soldiers and me quite often... Well, but that reminds me of time I was charging to line of Swadian crossbowmen from side  when I was shot, because even after I was knocked out I could control horse for a moment... I just deciced "Well, I take some whit me..." and directed my horse to Swadians... It charged and knocked out three of them.

xD xD xD

I have seen my own troops to be hit by unmanned horses and I (who always ride) have stopped charging because of an unmanned horse who was in the way in the last sec before I attack... And I saw it charging to stop me :S