Horse (Breath of the Wild)

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Picture from the Horse entry in the Hyrule Compendium depicting Link's Horse

Main article: Horse

"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 standard Breath of the Wild Hyrule Compendium) can be found throughout Hyrule. They can most frequently be found in wide open fields, such as in Hyrule Field or in the Faron Grasslands, but can also be found on mountains, snowfields, and even coastlines. Some horses can be found wild, and these ones tend to stay on flat, wide plains. Others are found with Bokoblins on horseback, these ones can generally be found in more varied landscapes. In order to ride horses, Link must sneak up on one, mount it, and may have to tame it at the cost of stamina.

Taming and Bonding

View of the White Horse's stats when registered at a Stable; displayed are its strength, speed, stamina, temperament and bond

Horses with two-toned bodies (as well as the amiibo-exclusive Epona & solid pink or light brown horses) are "Gentle" and require no stamina to tame, however, they are the ones that usually have lower quality stats. Horses with solid-coloured bodies tend to have better stats, and some can be considered among the best horses in the game, but are "Wild" and must be soothed.

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

Most horses and other tameable animals (deer and bears) require 15 presses.
Horses with 4 stars for their speed stat require 18 presses.
The White Horse, and the horse having 5 stars for its strength and stamina stats, require 25 presses.
The Giant Horse requires 30 presses.

These presses should ideally be performed starting from when the stamina gauge is full, so that the horse becomes easier 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, which will give 10 points per item.

There is no way to decrease Link's bond with the horse.

Statistics

There are two different types of horses in the game depending on their temperament, namely Gentle and Wild. Gentle horses tend to have less favourable stats, while Wild horses tend to have ones that are more so. Their stats can be classified like this:

Strength - How many hit points the horse has / how much damage it can take before dying;
Speed - How fast the horse is;
Stamina - How many spurs the horse has (how many times they can gallop without recovering);

Temperament	Color Variations	Strength	Speed (in canter/gallop)	Stamina
Gentle	Solid light brown Solid pink Mottled	★ - 100hp ★★ - 130 or 150hp ★★★ - 160hp	★★ - 9.8m/s / 14.4m/s ★★★ - 10.5m/s / 15.9m/s	2 to 3 spurs 1:1 with stars
Wild	All other solid colors	★ - 80hp ★★ - 110hp ★★★ - N/A^{[HS 1]} ★★★★ - 220 or 240 or 250hp ★★★★★ - 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

↑ There are no ★★★ strength Wild horses

Herd Behavior

Detail of the common horse positions in a herd

Map of horse herds by type of herd

Horse herds of 3-4 individuals have different characteristics depending on the location. As noted in the image, 40% of herds will have a fourth horse.

In every herd of wild horses, there will be one horse that is the leader, and the rest are considered followers. In general, the leader will have stats superior to the followers, and it will always have a wild temperament.

To distinguish the leader from the followers, pay attention to their behaviour. When the leader walks in any direction, all other horses will also follow that direction. For this reason, seldom is the leader not in the front of the herd. However, when a follower is the first to walk, no other horses will respond to its movement. This is corroborated when the leader begins to walk, and the follower who strayed from the herd is summoned to the original position.

There are four types of herds:

Note: Horses are sorted by Temperament and Statistics (Strength/Speed/Stamina)

Horse Position	Type 1 Herd	Type 2 Herd	Type 3 Herd	Type 4 Herd (High-Tier Horses)
Leader Horse	Wild 1/3/4	Wild 4/3/4 (240hp)	Wild 4/3/4 (240hp)	Wild 4/4/5 (220hp)
Possible Follower Horses	Gentle 2/2/2 (130hp)	Gentle 3/2/3	Gentle 2/2/3 (130hp)	Gentle 2/2/3 (150hp)
	Gentle 2/2/3 (130hp)	Wild 1/4/3 or 1/3/4	Wild 4/3/4 (240/250hp) or 4/3/3 (220hp), (Link's Horse)	Wild 2/5/3 4/4/5 (220hp) or 5/3/5
	Wild 1/3/3	Wild 4/3/4 (240hp)	Wild 1/4/2 or 1/4/3	Wild 2/5/3 4/4/5 (220hp) or 5/3/5

Horses ridden by Bokoblins are always Gentle and already have a bond of 100. They either have Strength/Speed/Stamina of 2/2/2 (150hp), 2/2/3 (150hp), or 1/3/2.

High-Tier Horses

Horses in the game spawn in groups of 3 or 4, as detailed in the Herds section.

The best horses in the game (of the Wild variety) belong to the Type 4 Herd and 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	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★	★★★

Note that the 5/3/5 horse requires 25 presses of the soothe button to tame, so take that into consideration.

Notes

Horse with maximum additional stamina - three spurs from eating an Endura Carrot, two spurs from Ancient Bridle.

The horse's gear doesn't affect its health points and doesn't protect the horse. 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.
Feeding the horse apples serves only to augment its bond to Link. It serves no other purpose.
Neither gentle horses nor Epona rear when their spurs are spent, only slowing to a trot.
Ramming enemies with the horse (while galloping) produces 30hp attack, while attacking with melee weapons while on horseback doubles the weapon's attack output.
The Giant Horse can actually trample enemies at a mere trot, unlike other horses.
The Giant Horse cannot gallop, but has the fastest canter in the game at 14.8m/s.
Epona's gallop lasts longer than any other horse.
Horses will follow roads marked on the map, but might deviate if not at maximum bond, or if galloping. They will follow roads regardless of whether the horse is registered at a stable. However, horses may not follow tributary small paths that don't appear in the map.
The horse's stamina can be enhanced with two additions. The Ancient Bridle adds two extra spurs, and feeding the horse an Endura Carrot gives it three temporary spurs.
Lynels will take heed of Link while on horseback, but won't attack unless they're approached. They may still brandish their weapons and bows in some cases. As such, the faster Link rides away from them, the better.

Registering

To keep a horse, Link must register the horse at a Stable. To register a horse, Link must name him, and pay a fee of 20 Rupees. Only five horses may be registered at time; to register a new horse once the limit has been reached, one must be let go; it's stated by the given Stable attendant that the let go horse will join other regular horses at the stable. 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 instantly teleport it next to Link, no matter the distance, as long as it is a place where a horse is allowed to exist within the game - horses cannot enter the Gerudo Desert, or the burning areas of Eldin.

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.

Link cannot take out more than one registered horse at a time, as the Stables' personnel will board any registered horse that's outside. As such, multiple registered horses can be geared with the same bridle and saddle (i.e. if they're all regular horses, they can all be geared with the Ancient Bridle and Ancient Saddle).

Horses are the only mounts that can be registered at stables. No other creature can be kept this way, be it animal or supernatural being. Mounts that cannot be registered include:

Special Horses and Other Considerations

Horses can be taken to places with difficult access like the Korok Forest as long as the terrain and environment allows it.

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. As mentioned in the previous section, other tameable animals like deer and bears can be ridden to the stables, but cannot be registered either.

Link's Horse is a special average horse found in various Type 3 Herds. It's the horse depicted in the Hyrule Compendium entry, the horse that Link rides in flashbacks, and the horse given to Link during the fight against Dark Beast Ganon if no other horses are registered, or are all boarded. Unlike other special horses, it doesn't have its own entry in the Compendium.

Epona cannot be found within Breath of the Wild, but may be obtained when the player scans certain amiibo. A Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link amiibo will always drop Epona on the first scan. Only one Epona per amiibo can exist in the world at a time; if Epona despawns before being registered, or if she is released from the stable, the same amiibo may randomly drop Epona again with very low probability. 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.

As shown in the picture, places with limited movement/light can be accessed with horses, like the Korok Forest and the Thyphlo Ruins. However, due to the way Link holds torches, bringing horses to places like the Lost Woods can start fires on the tall grass, necessitating travel by foot; regardless, horses are not subject to the maze of the Lost Woods, so they will respond to being called and come close to Link.

Other places are off-limits to horses. Due to environmental impediments, horses cannot be taken to or summoned in either Death Mountain or the Gerudo Desert. As such, neither of these locations have Stables.

Special Horses Route Maps

Horse route between Upland Lindor and the Tabantha Stable, pertinent for the High-Tier Horses
Horse route between Taobab Grassland and the Highland Stable, starting from the Owa Daim Shrine; pertinent for both the Giant Horse and the High-Tier Horses
Route for the White Horse between Safula Hill and the Outskirt Stable

Recovering Horses

Horses can become stuck on crevices, on the sides of mountains and cliffs, or in bodies of water with no way out. In those cases, speaking with the attendant at stables will recover the horse from said places. Otherwise, the only alternative is for the horse to wear the Ancient Saddle, which can make the horse teleport next to Link.

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, or simply by reloading from the last save.

Horses can be saved from falling to their deaths from great heights by freezing them mid-air with Ice Arrows or other ice weapons. This will cause them to fall as a temporarily unbreakable solid block, preventing their deaths. Alternatively, teleporting mid-air while falling and then heading to a stable to retrieve it, or using the aforementioned Ancient Saddle, will bring the horse back to safety.

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.

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