Wild horses roam the fields of Hyrule, waiting for a patient rider to earn their trust. Learn how to calm these spirited creatures and harness their strength to pull a wagon across the kingdom’s rugged paths in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom.
Finding wild horses
Wild horses can be found roaming across Hyrule’s open fields and valleys, often in small herds. Approach them quietly by crouching and moving slowly from behind to avoid startling them. Using stealth-boosting food or elixirs can make this easier. Once close enough, press the action button to mount, then quickly soothe the horse by pressing the appropriate button repeatedly. Calm the horse until it stops resisting, and you’ll have your new companion ready to register at a stable.
According to Link’s Hyrule Compendium, wild horses are most common in the Hyrule Field and Akkala Highlands regions on the Surface. They tend to hang out in wide, grassy areas.
For good starter horses, look just northeast of Sinatanika Shrine in the Akkala Highlands (Ulri Mountain Skyview Tower) around (3891, 2366, 0074) or in the Hyrule Field region (Hyrule Field Skyview Tower) to the south of Jiosin Shrine around (-0253, -0563, 0019).
And don’t forget: once you get the Sensor upgrade to the Purah Pad from Robbie during the “Presenting: Sensor !” side adventure, you can set your Purah Pad to detect nearby horses (or anything else you’ve taken a picture of for the Hyrule Compendium).
Increase your stealth to sneak up on horses
Moving quietly is key to approaching wild horses without startling them. Crouch and move slowly toward your target while keeping an eye on its movements. Wearing stealth-enhancing gear or eating meals that boost your sneaking ability will make this easier. If the horse twitches or looks in your direction, pause until it relaxes before moving again. Getting close without causing alarm gives you the best chance to mount and calm it successfully.
Once you’ve found a horse, your next step is to catch and mount it. The problem is that wild horses are skittish and will run away if they notice you.
The simplest way to sneak up on a horse is just to crouch by clicking the left thumbstick and approaching a horse from the back. Beyond that, though, there are a few ways to increase your stealth:
- Remove your weapon, bow, and shield. It’s not a huge difference, but unequipping your weapons and shield will decrease the amount of noise Link makes while moving.
- Eat a sneaky meal or drink a sneaky elixir. When you cook a meal that includes food like silent shrooms or stealthfin trout, the resulting meal will give you a stealth up effect. Brewing an elixir with critters such as a sunset firefly plus any monster part(s) will result in a sneaky elixir that grants the same effect.
- Wear the Stealth Armor set. You can pick up the Stealth Mask, Stealth Chest Guard, and Stealth Tights during the “Gloom-borne Illness” side quest.
Soothing a wild horse
Wild horses in Tears of the Kingdom can be nervous and unpredictable, so approach them quietly by crouching and moving slowly through tall grass. Once close enough, press the prompt to mount the horse, then quickly soothe it by pressing the calming button repeatedly as it bucks and resists. Each successful soothing lowers its panic, helping you gain trust faster. Using stamina elixirs can help maintain control during this process, especially with stronger or rarer horses.
Now that you’ve found a horse and snuck up on it, you’ll have to soothe it. The soothing process is really as simple as mashing the L button while the horse bucks around and drains your stamina. For low-level horses, you probably won’t need any extra help, but better horses require more soothing – and more stamina.
Just like with being stealthy, food and elixirs will help you out here. Cook a meal with stamella shrooms, endura shrooms, stambulbs, courser bee honey, or staminoka bass (or anything that mentions stamina in its description) to make an energizing meal. Energizing elixirs can be brewed with critters like tireless frogs or restless crickets and a monster part. Energizing meals can restore stamina, or raise it past its maximum limit.
And don’t forget to turn in your Lights of Blessing at Goddess Statues for stamina vessels.
Increase your bond with horses
Spending time caring for your horse strengthens your connection and improves its performance. Feed it regularly with apples or carrots, and groom it to earn its trust. Calming your horse with gentle movements during taming helps it recognize you as a reliable rider. As your bond grows, your horse will respond faster, stay calm in tense situations, and make wagon travel smoother across Hyrule.
Now that the horse is soothed and no longer actively trying to throw you off, you still have a little work to do. Link’s bond with a horse is vaguely a measure of how well the horse listens. Horses with a high bond are also better at automatically following roads.
While riding, hit the L button when the horse turns the way you ask, gallops, or stops. Most of the time, this will result in a pink cloud appearing around the horse’s head – meaning that the bond has increased. This, though, is a slow process.
A much faster way to increase your bond is with food. (Same, honestly.) Dismount your horse and open your inventory. Hold (up to) five apples as if you were going to cook with them, and then approach your horse to stand right in front of it. The horse will eat the apples from your hand and your bond will increase with each one. You can repeat the process as many times as you want, but it rarely takes more than five to max out your bond.
If you’re low on apples, there’s an entire orchard just outside of Sonapan Shrine near Satori Mountain at (1938, -0344, 0226). You’ll have to watch out for Evermeans, but you’ll end up with several dozen apples (we found about 150) with just a few minutes of work.
Register your horse at a stable
After catching a wild horse, take it to any stable located across Hyrule. Speak to the stablehand to register your new companion, naming it and paying a small fee. Once registered, your horse will be stored safely and can be summoned from any stable you visit. Registration also lets you equip gear, view its stats, and start building your bond for smoother control during rides and wagon pulling.
Now that you’ve found, snuck up on, soothed, and bonded with your horse, all that’s left is to ride it to a stable and register it. Once it’s registered and named, you can summon your horse to any stable you visit – assuming you still have space after transferring your Breath of the Wild horses over.
Getting rewards for your horse
You can earn rewards for your horse by improving its bond and performance at stables across Hyrule. Feeding it apples, calming it often, and riding regularly help raise its affection, which can increase its stamina and obedience. At stables, you may also register your horse and receive bonuses such as special gear or improved stats based on its loyalty. Some side quests and mini-challenges linked to stables offer extra prizes for well-trained horses, making care and patience pay off over time.
Every horse in Tears of the Kingdom has a set of stats – strength, speed, stamina, and pull. Pull is new for Tears of the Kingdom and it refers to how well they work with the new Towing Harness.
Best locations to find wild horses in Tears of the Kingdom
Wild horses in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom roam open plains and fields across Hyrule, with the best spots offering frequent spawns of high-quality ones near early-game stables. Central Hyrule Field provides easy access for beginners.
Early-Game Hotspots
Hyrule Field hosts reliable herds around Whistling Hill (near Riverside Stable), Romani Plains, and Windvane Meadow-head west from Lookout Landing to coordinates roughly (-250, -1100) for grassy fields with groups of 3-4 horses. These areas yield solid stamina and speed stats quickly.
High-Quality Locations
Faron Grasslands near Zokassa Ridge or Grinnden Plains (by Ishokin Shrine) spawn top-tier wild horses with 5-star stats, though the nearest stable (Highland) is farther. Akkala Highlands and north of Skull Lake in Deep Akkala offer unique whites, while Lake of the Horse God (south of Highland Stable) has the Giant White Stallion for unmatched stamina.
Tips for Success
Scout during clear weather in wide meadows; sneak through tall grass to approach. Special horses like the Golden Horse appear via quests at Tabantha Tundra or Snowfield Stable.
Best early-game horse spawns in Central Hyrule
Central Hyrule offers accessible wild horse spawns right after the Great Sky Island in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, perfect for early-game travel near Riverside Stable.
Top Early Spots
Head west from Riverside Stable (south of Lookout Landing) to coordinates around (-250, -1100) in open fields with tall grass-clusters of 3-4 horses spawn reliably here, including easier-to-tame spotted ones with solid speed and stamina. Whistling Hill and Romani Plains nearby also host frequent herds for quick retries.
Finding Quality Horses
Look for solid-colored coats (not spotted) signaling higher stats; test by mounting briefly before committing stamina to tame. Ride tamed horses back to Riverside Stable (3-minute walk) to register for 20 rupees.
