The best Zelda Tears of the Kingdom horses can be caught pretty early on in the game if you know where to look, and if you prefer more traditional exploration over rattling vehicles and firing yourself into the air, catching and taming a horse is the way to go!
Things go deeper than that though - once you find a stable, you can register and summon horses, equip them with various saddles and custom manes, and take your horses to Malanya the Horse God, who can upgrade them and resurrect any that might've taken a Moblin club to the nose once too often. There's a lot to consider when it comes to getting Link good horses in Tears of the Kingdom, and that's why our comprehensive guide will cover everything from getting the best horses, like Zelda's Golden Horse and Epona, to catching and registering them yourself, as well as Malanya's location if you want to enhance and reanimate your stallions at any point.
The best Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom horses
The best horses in The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom are as follows:
For most players, the main two that they'll be able to catch and tame are the Golden Horse, also known as Zelda's Horse, and the Giant White Stallion, as the others are a little bit tricky - with Epona specifically having to be obtained outside of the game. Still, they are the best horses if you can get them, and we'll cover how to find each one below!
How to get the Golden Horse/Zelda's Horse
Zelda's Horse, aka the Golden Horse, is found at the Snowfield Stable in the Northwest corner of the map, at the South of Tabantha Tundra and near one of the deadly Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Frost Gleeok boss fights. It'll appear in the Stable, but won't be obtainable without a couple of hoops jumped through first. To get it, you'll need to do the following:
- Head to the Lucky Clover Gazette just South of Rito Village, and talk to Tracee to start the "Potential Princess Sightings!" questline.
- Head back to the Snowfield Stable and talk to the stable worker Harlow to get the "Zelda's Golden Horse" quest.
- Head North into the Tabantha Tundra - the Golden Horse will be among a herd of other horses, probably just South of one of the Geoglyphs you can find in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
- Catch the Golden Horse as you would any other. It'll require about a full wheel of Stamina to tame.
- Bring the Golden Horse back to Harlow to complete the quest and earn the right to register it as yours!
Aside from looking like a preorder bonus, the Golden Horse has very good Strength and Speed stats, as well as a gentle temperament that'll keep it cooperative in even stressful situations. You'll also get a Royal Saddle and Bridle as part of this quest - they don't do anything different, but it's a customization option if you want to change how your horses look.
How to get Epona
The classic Epona is a great horse if you can get her, but you probably can't, annoyingly. With four-star stats across the board, there's two ways to obtain this renowned, recurring series horse.
- Amiibo. If you have the Standard Link Amiibo from Super Smash Bros, using it with Tears of the Kingdom will spawn Epona in front of you, whereupon you can register her at a nearby Stable as per usual. No other Amiibo has this effect at time of writing.
- Save file from Breath of the Wild. Tears of the Kingdom carries over certain details if you have an existing save file from Breath of the Wild on your Nintendo Switch, including your horses! So if you caught Epona in BOTW, she'll appear in the stable - though unfortunately, the only way to get her back in that game was also via Amiibo.
Epona is arguably the best horse, with four stars in every stat, but obviously the downside is that she's effectively DLC, and anybody without access to a Link Amiibo is going to have to go without.
How to get the Giant White Stallion
The Giant White Stallion is on the other side of the world, Southeast of the Highland Stable. Specifically, it's in the Canyon past the Horse God Bridge, North of Ibara Butte, a dead end area with a colossal white horse waiting.
Taming the Giant White Stallion doesn't require a quest - just a lot of stamina. You'll need at least two wheels worth, and maybe bring some Stamina-restoring elixirs and food in case you're about to run out. Still, power through and you'll get this monster of a horse tamed, ready to bring back to the Stable to register it.
And it really is a monster. The Giant White Stallion has an unrivalled Five Star strength and limitless stamina, but the downside is that it's not very fast, and it's too big to be equipped with a pull, so you can't strap a cart to it. You also can't upgrade it with the Horse God or customize its mane when you unlock that option - this really is a smug horse that plays by its own rules.
There's also rare giant stallions that you can find in the world that have similar stats, though there's only one white one, and it's guaranteed to be where we mentioned above. However, we did find a black horse, equally giant, in the fields near the Dueling Peaks Stable - though its appearance seems to be random and not linked to that specific location.
How to get Stalhorse the Skeleton Horse
The Stalhorse is a bit of a loophole - you can catch and ride these undead skeleton horses, and they are pretty good, but the game won't let you register them at a stable, so they're always impermanent additions to the team.
Stalhorses are found in combat as the mounts for skeleton enemies. They only appear at night, or in the Depths, as they collapse to bones in direct sunlight. However, despite looking evil, they come pre-tamed and never require soothing, and they can run across Gloom safely, making them a really good way to explore the Depths after you knock off the enemy riding them. Temporary as they are, they're a good travel solution in a pinch.
How to upgrade and resurrect horses with the Horse God Malanya
The creepy horse god Malanya is found in Malanya Spring, at the back of a canyon in North Akkala, in a fountain similar to those you'll find the Great Fairies in when you want to upgrade armor in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom.
Malanya will need an Endura Carrot to lure them out the first time, but these are found easily enough growing on Satori Mountain, just to the West of Central Hyrule Field. After that, you can go to them to either resurrect dead horses (sadly not as Stalhorses), or to upgrade living ones!
This always requires a unique set of meals that Malanya wants, being quite the gourmet, so make a note and then go find a cooking pot to put that specific feast together.
How to get a horse in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom
To unlock horses and horse riding in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, you'll need to return to Lookout Landing's mini-stable and check back for when The Incomplete Stable side quest becomes available. Fixing the stable roof is easy enough to do using Ultrahand, the first of your Zelda Tears of the Kingdom abilities: simply lift the discarded plank of wood and slot it into place, turning it with R and the joystick to ensure proper placement.
Once you've placed the wood, stable master Lester will tell you how to go about catching a wild horse and registering it as your own. You'll also start earning Pony Points whenever you board or rest at a stables, and these points amount to some impressive rewards. They're a great transport option when you can't use your Zelda Tears of the Kingdom glider, especially when traveling on low land!
How to catch horses
To catch a wild horse, walk up behind them while crouching and tap the A button when the Mount interaction appears. Then hold the L bumper to soothe your fussy new friend, and they will calm down rather quickly. Now you can ride your horse back to the nearest stables or mini-stable, register them, and choose their name. Congratulations: you now have your own horsey friend to go galloping in the wilderness with! Be sure to keep raising your relationship with your pony by feeding them apples, too; just hold an apple in your hand and walk up to their nose.
You can find plenty of wild horses just south of Lookout Landing, and also outside the Woodland Stable east of the floating Hyrule Castle when you look at it on your map. Horses are one of the more game-guided gameplay features compared to others, such as figuring out what those Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Bubbul gems are actually for, so be sure to check out that guide too if you're curious.
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