Horses! There are a lot of them in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and, unless you're already building monster trucks, mopeds, and sports cars with Zonai tech, you'll be relying on these magnificent creatures to get around this enormous game world that little bit faster.
Of course, all horses are not created equal, and so we've put together a TOTK horse guide so you can make informed horsey decisions. What's more, we've also included primers on the best horses, where to find them, and how to tame, upgrade, and call them when you're in need of equestrian assistance.
Note. This guide is a work in progress, so check back for more information soon.
Zelda: Tears Of The Kingdom: Horse Guide
How To Find & Tame A Horse
You'll find herds of horses wandering around as you explore Hyrule but the best places to easily acquire them are in open fields surrounding stable locations.
Once you've got your eye on a horse that you'd like to tame, approach it very slowly, crouching to avoid noise. As horses tend to travel in groups, avoid approaching from the direction they are facing as once one spots you and bolts, they all will.
An alternative approach, if you're feeling fancy, is to find a high point nearby and then glide down onto your horse of choice for a stylish acquisition.
Once you've mounted the horse, it will immediately begin to buck and you'll need to press the 'L' button to soothe it. Stronger horses require you to have deeper reserves of stamina in order to ride out their protestations, so make sure you've upgraded this if you're intent on taming the bigger beasts.
Horse Stats - What Do They Mean?
Every horse in the game has stats split into four sections - Strength, Speed, Stamina and Pull - each with a star rating out of five. There is a fifth field that indicates the horse's temperament, too.
- Strength - determines the size of your steed's HP pool
- Speed - How fast you can move around
- Stamina - How long your horse can gallop
- Pull - How well your horse can pull heavy loads once you've equipped a harness
With these stats in mind, make sure to choose a horse that suits your needs.
If you're going to be engaging in lots of mounted combat, look for good strength and stamina. Long journeys require good stamina and speed, and for those of you who want to trundle around with your fabulous Zonai creations in tow, it's all about the Pull rating.
How To Register A Horse - Upgrades, Saddles, Harnesses, Pony Points
Once you've tamed your chosen horse, head to the nearest stable to get it registered.
You'll want to do this so that you can have the horse saved and available at any stable throughout the game world, and to enable the use of saddles, harnesses, and other upgrades, as well as to earn Pony Points.
How To Call Your Horse
An easy one, this, just hold down on the D-pad to whistle and have your pal come to you.
However, horses have notoriously bad hearing (maybe) and so you'll need to stay relatively close to your steed in order to have them come to you. If you're able to still see them — and assuming the terrain is traversable for the animal — that should be close enough.
You'll know they have heard your call when you see the horse icon on your minimap.
Can I Transfer My Registered Horses From Breath of the Wild?
Yes, yes you can!
You can also transfer all horses you had saved at stables in Breath of the Wild if you have the required save file on your Switch console. It happens automatically if your BOTW save file is on your Switch, but check out our dedicated guide for more details and soon all your old pals will be available to saddle up for an all-new adventure.
How Do I Tow Carriages?
Glad you asked — we've got an in-depth towing guide for just that.
Where Are All The Stables?
Another great question! We've got a dedicated guide to all stable locations complete with maps to help you find them.
How To Upgrade And Revive Your Horse - Horse God Location
In order to upgrade or revive your horses, you're going to need to find the Horse God, Malanya, obviously.
Malanya can be found in the Akkala Highlands in the northeastern region of Hyrule - check out the exact location in the map above. Make your way to East Akkala Stable then slightly north to Bloodleaf Lake.
Now that you've located the horse god, feed them an Endura Carrot - you can find them under Cherry Blossom trees - to befriend them and avail of their services. From here you'll want to cook the meals requested in exchange for upgrades.
We'll add a list of those horse upgrades to this guide soon.
Horses that you've registered with a stable can also be brought back from the dead here, so make sure to get any that you really like sorted with their paperwork lest you lose them forever.
Best Horses, Breeds, And Where To Find Them
As well as wild horses of various types, there are some specific and ultra-unique horses to find in Hyrule, too. You'll find them and their locations all listed below.
Wild Horse
These horses are the most common type that you'll find wandering the world in herds and they can easily be spotted in the fields and open spaces around stables.
With a variety of stats, it's worth trying a bunch of them out to find one that suits your specific needs, whether that be a higher top speed or better stamina.
Remember that solid-coloured coats indicate better stats than dappled types, who top out at three-star rankings. However, horses with spots are more docile and easier to tame.
Giant White Stallion
The Giant Stallion is tough to spot if you don't know where to look but is worth seeking out for its excellent stamina stats (this horse never runs out of steam).
To snag this huge beast, you'll want to travel to the Lake of the Horse God in the Faron Grasslands, just south of the Highland Stables.
Make sure you've got plenty of stamina before attempting to tame this one!
Ganon's Horse
The Giant While Stallion isn't the only huge horse in Tears of the Kingdom. Returning from Breath of the Wild, Ganon's gigantic steed is strong — with a max strength stat and Wild temperament, Ganon's Horse is a hard one to master, but a worthwhile catch.
Are you desperate to get your hands on this horse? We've got a guide on how to tame Ganon's horse.
Golden Horse
A good early-game steed, the Golden Horse resides in Tabantha Tundra.
In order to pick this one up you'll need to travel to Snowfield Stable and take on the Zelda's Golden Horse quest which requires you to head out and find the animal then tame it and ride it back for registration.
Alternatively, you can just go horse hunting in this area without taking on the quest if you'd prefer. With good overall stats, this one is well worth adding to your collection.
Stalhorse
Found roaming the plains at night time — especially around Sanidin Park Ruin to the west of Mount Daphne, and also in the Depths — this creepy-looking beast is actually remarkably easy to tame.
These skeletal horses have good all-round stats, but they cannot be registered and they will disappear from the overworld once 5am rolls around. In the Depths, however, you don't need to worry about the time and can continue to use your horse for as long as you like. This makes Stalhorses a great means of traversing large areas of Gloom without taking any damage.
Epona
Link's signature horsey friend is also available in Tears of the Kingdom, but you'll need to have a Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link amiibo at hand to scan in order to have her appear.
As expected, Epona has great stats in every category, with four stars in each...except one.
Yes, unfortunately, Epona has no Pull stat whatsoever and can't even be fitted with a towing harness. So you'll need to switch out to another horse if you've got some moving to do.
Hot to trot? Check out our full Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough for more hints and tips.
Comments 1
In the section about the unique horses, there must also be a chapter about the royal white stallion (the normal sized one, that returns from BotW)
I miss it here.
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