For how decorated and popular The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim ultimately is, the game does suffer from numerous technical flaws. From the time it first launched, Skyrim players have encountered a littany of bugs and glitches throughout the game. Although, a significant number of these glitches are certainly humorous in nature, as one player quickly recognized.
Glitches can be rather vexing for most players, considering that if the game isn't behaving the way it's intended to, it breaks the composition of the whole experience, especially on a AAA scale. It's largely the reason why games like Cyberpunk 2077 tend to be negatively received, yet Skyrim has remained popular in spite of its bugs. This is mostly due to the fact that the glitches have, in a lot of ways, become an integral part of Skyrim's community.
A Reddit user named BUGEYEBOOGER encountered a glitch where upon starting the game, the player's horse was sent flying through the air, only to land back on the ground. The player character got knocked off the horse, while the horse perished upon impact. Other users chimed in saying that this glitch often occurs when the player saves their game while riding a horse.
In terms of physics and overall practicality, the horses in Skyrim often make no sense whatsoever, but this glitch has taken that sentiment to unprecedented new heights. This could potentially be used as an exploit, allowing players to traverse parts of Skyrim's map much more quickly. Though, compared to certain speedrunning tactics, this method seems quite imprecise.
It's amazing to see just how long these glitches have persisted over the course of Skyrim's history. Since its initial release back in 2011, Skyrim has been released on multiple platforms, with the Skyrim Anniversary Edition being the most recent version. In that time, a lot of the glitches and bugs have remained and while some might see this as an inconvenience, many players consider the technical issues as part of Skyrim's overall charm.
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for the Elder Scrolls series going forward. While the existence of The Elder Scrolls 6 was announced back in 2018, there's been little to no additional updates regarding the game's development. In fairness, Bethesda does have a lot of projects under its collective belt. In addition to the Skyrim Anniversary Edition, Starfield is another ambitious project that's set to release next year. With any luck, more substantial news will release soon concerning The Elder Scrolls 6.
The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Anniversary Edition is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.