How to tame horses

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild switches things up from how the series usually handles horses. Instead of being gifted a horse as part of the main quest, you must seek out and tame your own horse. Wondering how to tame horses in Breath of the Wild? This guide will teach you everything you need to know to sneak up on and tame horses in BoTW.

How to find horses

You can crouch and move slowly to sneak up on horses without alerting them to your presence.

Horses can be found all over Hyrule in Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but one place you’re sure to find them is near stables. The first stable you’ll likely encounter is the Dueling Peaks Stable on the way to Kakariko Village. In Ash Swamp and Blatchery Plain near the stable, you’ll find your first herds of wild horses.

Once close enough, jump onto the horse's back and soothe it to calm it down and tame it.

How hard it is to tame a horse in Breath of the Wild depends on which horse you’re trying to tame. Some horses have a gentle temperament, meaning they’ll almost immediately calm down when you attempt to tame them. Some horses have a more wild personality which means it’ll take some stamina to hold on long enough to be able to ride them.

The initial process to tame a horse is the same no matter what the horse’s temperament. You’ll have to sneak up on a horse if you wish to mount it and attempt to tame it. Horses typically aren’t too hard to sneak up on as long as you go slow. Once you’ve mounted a horse, you must sooth it to keep it from bucking you off. As you’re getting the horse to calm down, your stamina meter will deplete, and if it empties you’ll be thrown off and the horse. At first, you’ll probably only be able to tame horses of a gentle demeanor, but the general rule of thumb is, the harder a horse is to tame, the better its stats will be.

How to stable horses

You can visit a stable to save a horse and give it a saddle.

Once you’ve tamed a horse, you’ll have to continue to grow your bond with it. If the horse pulls away from the direction you want to go in, or rears up, use the L button to soothe it. Soothing will increase your bond level with the horse. If you want to keep a horse you’ve tamed, proceed to any stable and talk to the man at the front desk while riding the horse. For 20 rupees you can board the horse, name it, and also get a saddle and bridle for it.

Unlike previous Zelda titles, in BoTW, you can only whistle for your horse if you’re in the vicinity of it. If you’re close to your horse, you can whistle with the bottom directional button, and it will come to you. If you’re too far though you’ll get a message that your horse can’t hear you.

For more info on horses in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild check out our upcoming horse customization guide. For info on other aspects of the game, head to our Breath of the Wild guides.