Horse

Breath of the Wild

Picture from the Horse entry in the Hyrule Compendium

"These can most often be found on plains. Their usefulness as transportation has made them valuable since ancient times. That said, wild horses do tend to get spooked and run off when approached, so if you're looking to snag one, it's best to sneak up on it."

— Hyrule Compendium Entry

In Breath of the Wild, horses (001 in the Hyrule Compendium) can be found throughout Hyrule, particularly in fields such as Hyrule Field or the Faron Grasslands. In order to ride horses, Link must sneak up on one and then mount and tame it at the cost of stamina.

Taming and Bonding

Mottled white/brown/black horses require little to no stamina to tame, albeit they have the lowest stats available in the game. Solid-colored horses tend to have better stats, and some can be considered among the best horses in the game.

Soothing horses is done by the number of button presses to soothe it:

• Regular horses and other tameable animals require 15 (mostly), 18 or 25 presses.
• The White Horse requires 25 presses.
• The Giant Horse requires 30 presses.

Ideally, these presses should be done before the stamina gauge runs out, so the more stamina Link has, the easier it is to soothe.

Bonding is measured in a scale of 100 points. The higher the bond, the more obedient the horse is to Link. A horse with a high bond will travel along roads without needing direction from Link. There are three ways to bond with a horse:

• One can soothe a horse after a gallop, which increases the bond by 3 points;
• One can soothe a horse after it deviates from the path and one regains control, which increases the bond by 5 points;
• One can feed the horse Apples, which will give 10 points per apple.

Statistics

There are two different types of horses in the game, namely Gentle and Wild. Gentle horses tend to have worse stats, while Wild horses have better ones. Their stats can be classified like this:

• Strength - How many hit points the horse has;
• Speed - How fast the horse is;
• Stamina - How many spurs the horse has.

Type of Horse	Color Variations	Strength	Speed (in canter/gallop)	Stamina
Gentle	Solid light brown Solid pink Mottled	★ - 100hp ★★ - 150hp ★★★160hp	★★ - 9.8m/s / 14.4m/s ★★★ - 10.5m/s / 15.9m/s ★★★★ - 13m/s / 18.1m/s ★★★★★ - 14m/s / 18.6m/s	2 to 3 spurs 1:1 with stars
Wild	All other solid colors	★ - 80hp ★★ - 110hp ★★★ - N/A ★★★★ - 240hp ★★★★★ - 300hp	★★ - 9.8m/s / 14.4m/s ★★★ - 10.5m/s / 15.9m/s ★★★★ - 13m/s / 18.1m/s ★★★★★ - 14m/s / 18.6m/s	3 to 5 spurs 1:1 with stars

Notes

• The horse's gear doesn't affect its health points. Also, a horse's health cannot be restored by feeding it. Health can be restored if a save file is reloaded, or by boarding the horse back into a stable.
• Ramming enemies with the horse produces 30hp attack, while attacking with melee weapons doubles the weapon's attack output.
• The Giant Horse cannot gallop, but has the fastest canter in the game at 14.8m/s.
• The horse's stamina can be enhanced with two additions. The Ancient Bridle adds two extra spurs, and feeding the horse gives it three temporary spurs.
• To date, no wild horse in the game has ever been found to have 5-star stats in all Strength, Speed and Stamina gauges (though the Lord of the Mountain is assumed to have perfect stats, it cannot be registered in a stable, so its stats are not visible).

Registering

To keep a horse, Link must register the horse at a Stable. Only five horses may be registered at time; to register a new horse once the limit has been reached, one must be let go. After a horse has been registered, it can be named and is equipped with a saddle and bridle. A registered horse's location is marked on the world map and it can be whistled for as long as it is within hearing distance.

If the horse is equipped with the Ancient Saddle, whistling will teleport it next to Link.

After registering the horse, its stats can be viewed while boarded at the stable. For each horse, its strength, speed, stamina, and temperament is documented. Also recorded is the horse's bond with Link.

High Stats Horses

Horses in the game spawn in groups of 3 or 4, mostly Gentle in nature.

The best horses in the game (of the Wild variety) can be found in Upland Lindor and the Taobab Grasslands. The horses that can be found there range from:

Statistics	Stamina Horse	Strength Horse	Speed Horse	Gentle Horses (can also appear)
Strength	★★★★	★★★★★	★★	★★
Speed	★★★★	★★★	★★★★★	★★
Stamina	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★	★★★

Some of these high-stats horses may require up to 25 presses of the soothe button to control, so keep that into consideration.

Special Horses and Other Considerations

In addition to the standard wild horses, a few special horses can be found in Hyrule: the Giant Horse, the White Horse, the Lord of the Mountain, and the Stalhorse. The giant and white horses can be registered while the other two cannot. Other tameable animals like stags and bears can be ridden to the stables, but cannot be registered either.

Epona cannot be found within Breath of the Wild, but may be obtained when the player scans certain amiibo. The Super Smash Bros. Link and the Twilight Princess Link amiibo will drop Epona on the first scan only. Other amiibo, such as the Super Smash Bros. Zelda amiibo, may drop Epona at random. She can only be received once per amiibo and must be registered at a stable in order for Link to keep her. However, Epona can be received multiple times from different amiibo, and each Epona received may be registered making it possible to have more than one Epona in Breath of the Wild. Epona has her own saddle and bridle that cannot be changed, and her bond with Link is already maxed out.

Horses can be killed by the player or during combat, but unlike other animals, they drop no loot. Registered horses that have been killed can be revived by the Horse God Malanya at Malanya Spring in south Faron once unlocked.

Customization

Phanna offers to customize Link's horse

Horses can be customized at a variety of Stables, including the Outskirt Stable, but their bond with Link must be at max before this can be carried out. Every horse except the Giant Horse and Epona can change their saddles and bridles, which can be obtained in different locations around Hyrule; aside from those, the Royal Bridle and Saddle may only be worn by the White Horse.

Additionally, Link has the option to change the style of his horse's mane, if he so desires. There are ten styles, listed below:

• 

  Normal
  (Default)

• 

  Long

• 

  Mohawk

• 

  Braided

• 

  French Braided

• 

  Floral

• 

  Long Red

• 

  Long Green

• 

  Long Blue

• 

  Long Purple