JigaWatt

I apologize if this has been asked before, but I can't find anything that covers this exact instance. I was leaving a city and was ambushed. I was killed, and my horse was gone from there (along with everything associated with the horse, including the saddle). The guides that I found say to go to the stables, but my horse was not there. So, how do you get your horse back after you've been killed, especially when it is not available to bring back from the stables? I couldn't see it anywhere on the map, either. The only options I had left at the stables were my remaining horses. I had to revert to a backup save to get it back (lost progress because of this). Edit - This has happened twice now. I have lost the horse and haven't been able to get it back after the second time. Edit 2 - I have discovered some guides do not cover that the horse is permanently gone.