How to tame and ride a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
It's easy!
In The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you might be wondering how to go about traversing Hyrule faster. Your answer, other than upgrading your stamina, is a horse. You'll see horses across Hyrule, who will more often than not flee from Link, so how do you go about riding one?
To ride a horse across Hyrule, you'll need to learn how to tame a horse first. Not all horses are the same, either, with each one having underlying stats determining its resilience, speed and ability to tow a carriage. Without further ado, here's how to tame a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Where to find a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
In Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, regular horses can be found all over Hyrule, usually in wide open plains and in the vicinity of stables.
Horses tend to roam in herds of three or four, usually in wide open fields or near stables. The best way to spot them is to launch yourself from a Skyview Tower and scour the plains from the skies.
How to tame a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Once you find a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, you need to sneak up on them and mount them before they run away in order to tame them.
I find the easiest way to tame a horse in Tears of the Kingdom is to approach from the air and glide down on top of it, since gliding is relatively silent.
Make sure you’re on a horse’s blind side, glide down from a high place and aim for the horse’s back. Once you’ve made it on, they will try to buck you off like a bronco.
Mash “L” to soothe the horse before your stamina is drained. Stronger horses will require more stamina, but if you stick to early areas you should be fine.
A horse like Epona, however, does not need taming and can be acquired through Amiibo unlocks. Other, specific horses, such as the Golden Horse, must be unlocked via quests.
How to register a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Once you’ve successfully tamed your new horse, ride them to the nearest stable and speak to the stable master while riding them by holding “ZL” to target them and press “A”.
For a small fee they can then be added permanently to your stable!
Once registered, you can retrieve them from the stable any time. When you do, you will be given the option to equip them with the Towing Harness to pull carts once it’s unlocked.
You can also carry over any horses that you registered in Breath of the Wild, too, without a need to tame them.
How to ride a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
Once you've tamed and registered your new horse, you're going to need to know how to ride it without getting kicked off its back.
To ride a horse in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, choose a direction with the left stick and press “A” to make the horse go forward. Repeatedly pressing “A” will make them go faster, eventually into a gallop.
At max speed, pressing “A” to make the horse gallop will drain their stamina, which is represented by the stars at the bottom of the screen. Pressing too many times will upset your horse and make them throw you off their back.
Carefully manage your horse’s stamina to travel efficiently.
To slow down, pull back on the left stick (even though the prompt makes it look like you’re supposed to press it in).
To hop off your horse press “B”. And to talk to people, hold “ZL” to target them, then “A” as normal.
For more on Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, be sure to help Addison fix their signs, see what resources you should sell for Rupees, and don't forget to collect Impa's Geoglyphs!