Horses are recurring creatures in The Legend of Zelda series.^[1][2] In nearly every game where Horses are present, they serve as a mode of faster transportation, allowing Link to travel from one point to another in less time.

A few notable Horses have appeared in The Legend of Zelda series, the most notable of which being Epona, Link's Horse companion who appears in several The Legend of Zelda games following her debut in Ocarina of Time. Ganondorf's steed is another notable Horse, which he can be seen riding in several cinematic cutscenes.

Horses in The Legend of Zelda series are descended from Dondons.^[3]

Characteristics[]

Ocarina of Time[]

Horses can be found in Lon Lon Ranch, where they are raised as riding and jumping Horses. By day, the Horses are left outside to graze and gallop around the corral. At night the Horses are kept in the Stable with the Cows, where they are watched over by Ingo in Talon's stead. The majority of Lon Lon Ranch's Horses resemble Kiger Mustangs. The Ranch also keeps a unique Horse named Epona, whom Malon is especially fond of. This wild Horse at first runs away from Link, but is quickly tamed and befriended when Malon teaches him "Epona's Song."

Ocarina of Time also introduces horseback riding to the series, which allows Link to travel at faster speed and even jump over fences. Link can speed up the Horse he is riding by whipping it for up to six boosts, which appear on-screen as Carrots to indicate the Horse's Stamina. Link can also use the Fairy Bow to shoot Arrows while riding, which functions as his only weapon while on horseback. Horseback riding becomes available only when Link is an adult, and is mainly achieved by riding Epona once he obtains her.

When Link awakens seven years into the future, he learns that Ingo was granted Lon Lon Ranch by Ganondorf and is now abusing the Horses.^[4][5] Ingo lets visitors ride the Horses at the corral for a minute for a fee of Rupees. Initially Ingo will provide a different Horse for Link to ride, however Link can tame and ride Epona by playing "Epona's Song". Link can also challenge Ingo to a Horse race around the corral for a bet of Rupees. If Link beats him the first time, Ingo will demand a rematch and bets Epona on the race's outcome. If he is defeated the second time, Ingo keeps his promise by letting Link keep the Horse, but traps the both of them in by locking the gates. Link and Epona manage to escape by jumping over the Ranch's walls. Afterwards, Link can ride Epona anytime in Hyrule Field by playing "Epona's Song" to call her.

While Epona is mainly used as a faster method of travel, she is notably required to hunt for the Big Poes in Hyrule Field, as well as participate in the Horseback Archery Range at the Gerudo's Fortress. The host of the Mini-Game also owns a Horse, but will only let Link play if he brings his own.

Zelda and Impa ride a white Horse while escaping from Hyrule Castle as Ganondorf gives chase. Ganondorf also owns his own Horse, which is seen during his introduction by the Great Deku Tree, and when Ganondorf chases after Zelda and Impa. This Horse is said to be a solid black Gerudo stallion.^[6] Phantom Ganon also rides a fake Horse that greatly resembles Ganondorf's Horse.

Majora's Mask[]

In Majora's Mask, Link rides a young Epona while searching for his missing friend, Navi. His Horse is soon captured and stolen by the Skull Kid after a confrontation, prompting a chase through the woods that ultimately leads Link to Termina. Link eventually finds Epona at Romani Ranch, and relearns "Epona's Song" from Romani. Majora's Mask features identical horseback riding to Ocarina of Time. Epona is even necessary to enter the Great Bay and Ikana Canyon due to the fences blocking the roads to these regions.

The Gorman Brothers own a pair of masked, dappled Horses they use to race Link at the Gorman Track, as well as to terrorize Cremia when she delivers Milk to Clock Town. During the escort mission, Link is given the task of defending her Wagon by shooting Arrows at the pursuing Gorman Brothers to keep them and their Horses at bay.

Oracle of Seasons / Oracle of Ages[]

Link can be seen riding an unnamed Horse in the opening of Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages. He rides this Horse to Hyrule Castle, where he finds the three pieces of the Triforce that teleport him to Holodrum in Oracle of Seasons or Labrynna in Oracle of Ages. The Horse is not seen again afterwards.

Four Swords Adventures[]

In Four Swords Adventures, the Links get to ride a pack of Horses in The Field stage. After safely escorting Malon to Lon Lon Ranch, Talon allows the Links to borrow his Horses to ride the rest of the way in gratitude.^[7] These Horses are summoned by picking up a Carrot which instantly has the Links ride the Horses.^[8] While riding the Horses, the Links turn invincible to all enemy attacks for a period of time. They are able to jump over fences and trample Grass and enemies while riding. The Links can continue riding if they pick up Carrots along the way.

Horses are also featured in the Tingle's Tower Mini-Game, Bucking Broncos.

The Minish Cap[]

In The Minish Cap, only one Horse is present, Epona, who is owned by Talon and Malon at Lon Lon Ranch, much like in Ocarina of Time. After Link helps the two of them find the Spare Key to their farm House, Malon brings Epona to Hyrule Town to sell Lon Lon Milk by cart.

Twilight Princess[]

Twilight Princess reintroduces horseback riding in a similar vein to Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. Link's Horse is Epona, whom he uses to herd the Ordon Goats at the Ordon Ranch. Horseback riding has similar controls to the aforementioned games, as Link is able to kick Epona to speed her up for up to six speed boosts, which are indicated on-screen as spurs to display Epona's Stamina. Link can also fight enemies while on horseback using his Sword, as well as the Hero's Bow to snipe enemies. Link can call Epona anywhere in Hyrule Field by either finding and whistling into Horse Grass, or by using the Horse Call.

When Telma plans to escort Ilia and Ralis to Kakariko Village with Link's help, she drives a Horse to pull their Wagon. Link is given the responsibility of riding with them on Epona and clearing a safe path, by defeating the enemies along the way and making sure that the Wagon does not catch on fire.

Ganondorf's Horse returns in this game, which can first be seen during his introduction. Ganondorf rides this Horse during the second phase of the final boss battle, where Link must ride after him on Epona while Zelda aims her Bow at him. Phantom Rider, riding ghostly Horses, also chase after Link during this battle and attempt to knock him off.

Breath of the Wild[]

Several Horses appear in Breath of the Wild. Link is able to ride Horses by sneaking up to them and jumping on their backs. Alternatively, Link may also land on a Horse's back from above. Once Link jumps onto a wild Horse's back, it will jump around wildly and attempt to knock Link off. Link must soothe the Horse until it accepts his control. Link's Stamina is drained while hanging onto the Horse and soothing it. It can vary for each Horse how long it takes to tame them, depending on their stats. After capturing, Horses can be brought to a Stable to registered for a fee of 20 Rupees to be able to board them for future use. Horses are also named once they are registered at a Stable. After registration, a Horse will have a Saddle and a Bridle. Link can take any registered Horse out from any Stable in Hyrule Kingdom. Registered Horses also respond when Link Flutes, running to Link if he is still in range.

When ridden, Horses will automatically avoid obstacles and follow paths. A Horse's affection for Link has a rating from 0 to 100; a Horse with a lower affection level will periodically buck, turn off-course, and otherwise rebel against Link's control while being ridden, requiring Link to soothe it in order to bring it back under control. Affection is increased by soothing a rebelling Horse, but can also be raised quickly by feeding the Horse Apples, Endura Carrots or Swift Carrots. At maximum affection, Horses will not rebel against Link unless directed into impassable terrain and can be dressed at certain Stables with Saddles and Bridles that Link has collected.

Link's registered Horses can die in battle, but can be resurrected at Malanya Spring in Faron. Here Link will meet the Horse God, Malanya, who in exchange for an Endura Carrot each will revive any of Link's deceased Horses as long as they had maximum affection for Link. Horses also have random stats when caught, varying in speed, Stamina and strength. A Horse's Stamina stat determines how many speed boosts it has. When damaged, Horses partially lose their ability to boost, as shown by red flashing over the boost icon. Feeding an Endura Carrot to a Horse will give it three additional boosts that will remain present until they are used. Unlike in previous games, Link can mount his Horse from any angle.

Horses can damage enemies if they run through them. Link can jump off a Horse to initiate the slow-motion Bow and Arrow aiming effect. Bokoblins are also able to ride Horses, which they can use to attack Link. Should Link knock a Bokoblin off their Horse, he will be able to take it for himself without having to soothe it. Stalhorses can also be found and seen ridden by Stalkoblins, which Link can also ride but cannot register at a Stable. Stalhorses will vanish when the sun rises at 5:00 AM. Link must take a picture of a Stalhorse and show it to Juannelle for the "Stalhorse: Pictured!" Side Quest. Several Side Quests require Link to capture and transport Horses. Link must capture and ride any Horse through the Gerudo Canyon to a Hylian named Zyle for the "Good-Sized Horse" Side Quest. Link must also capture and ride a Horse back to Dueling Peaks Stable before time runs out in the Hyrule Horse-Taming Competition for the "Wild Horses" Side Quest, given by Rensa.

A few special, one-of-a-kind varieties of Horses can also be obtained. Epona can be obtained with the first scan of the Super Smash Bros. series Link amiibo or the Twilight Princess Link amiibo with the amiibo (Rune) Rune. Epona has high yet balanced stats of 4 in speed, Stamina and strength. The White Horse, a royal Horse that is said to be the descendant of Princess Zelda's Horse from a century prior, can be found near Sanidin Park Ruins. Link must find and capture this legendary Horse for "The Royal White Stallion" Side Quest, given by Toffa at Outskirt Stable. The White Horse has a Stamina of 5, the highest possible Stamina. The Giant Horse, a massive black Horse with a red mane, can be found in the Taobab Grassland. Link must find and capture this Horse for the "Hunt for the Giant Horse" Side Quest, given by Straia at the Mounted Archery Camp. The Giant Horse has zero Stamina and therefore cannot boost, but it has a strength of 5, the highest possible strength. The Lord of the Mountain, also known as Satori, is a Horse-like Spirit that can be found on Satori Mountain when it glows green. The Lord of the Mountain cannot be registered at a Stable, but it has very high speed and unlimited Stamina. Normal Horses with the highest speed, Stamina and strength can be found in Upland Lindor.^[9] There is also Link's default Horse which appears in the trailers and official art. It has black hooves and a black mane, a white streak on its nose and white, fluffy hair on around its hooves, a black nose and overall brown fur. It has 4 in strength and 3 for the stamina and speed. It will automatically spawn if Link didn't register any Horses before fighting Dark Beast Ganon.

The Master Cycle Zero is a Divine Beast with a unicorn motif, designed for the hero that completes Monk Maz Koshia's trials. Though it is actually a motorcycle made of Sheikah technology, the Master Cycle Zero is classified as Horse by Konba if Link uses it during the Footrace Mini-Game.

Tears of the Kingdom[]

Horses return in Tears of the Kingdom, including any saved Horses from the Nintendo Switch version of Breath of the Wild imported into the game. All mechanics for capturing horses are the same as in the prior game (and listed above).

In addition to using Bows on horses, Link has the ability to use Spears while riding. While on horseback, Link will spin his spear above him and will use it to swing it at enemies.^{[verification needed]}

A new mechanic of "Pull" is added to horses. Ranging from 0 to 5 stars, pull indicates the horse's capability of towing objects. Any horses may be upgraded (in terms of their statistics) at any point in time by visiting Malanya near East Akkala Stable. Malanya requires particular foodstuffs in order to enhance your horse, which seem to be the same between horses. The following table depicts these upgrade materials:

Horse Upgrade Foods

★	Strength	Speed	Stamina	Pull
1★	?	?	?	?
2★	1x Fried Wild Greens	?	?	?
3★	1x Copious Fried Wild Greens	1x Salt-Grilled Greens	1x Herb Sauté	1x Veggie Rice Balls
4★	?	3x Glazed Veggies 3x Steamed Tomatoes	3x Honeyed Apple 3x Veggie Porridge	3x Copious Fried Wild Greens 3x Veggie Porridge
5★	3x Vegetable Curry 3x Hot Buttered Apple 3x Carrot Cake	3x Vegetable Omelet 3x Veggie Cream Soup 3x Apple Pie	3x Vegetable Risotto 3x Carrot Stew 3x Cream of Vegetable Soup	3x Hot Buttered Apple 3x Carrot Stew 3x Veggie Cream Soup

A few special, one-of-a-kind varieties of horses can also be obtained. Epona can be obtained with the first scan of the Super Smash Bros. series Link amiibo or the Twilight Princess Link amiibo with the amiibo power. Epona, yet again, has balanced stats of 4 in speed, stamina and strength, but notably cannot be upgraded. The Giant White Stallion can also be obtained at the same position as Malanya from Breath of the Wild, with 5 strength, 2 speed, and no stamina or pull. The Giant White Stallion also cannot be upgraded. Zelda's Golden Horse can be obtained through a quest at the Snowfield Stable. The Golden Horse can be upgraded, and has base stats of 4 in strength and speed, 3 in stamina, and 2 in pull.

Returning from Breath of the Wild, the Giant Horse can also be found on the right peninsula of Hateno Bay, down the road from Purah's laboratory. The Royal White Stallion can also be found atop the cliffs north of Skull Lake.

In other media[]

Spinoff appearances[]