Hyrule is huge, which means one of the first things you'll want to do in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is find and tame a horse to ride. I grabbed one the second my feet touched the ground, and I use it constantly whenever I'm not gliding around. Here are the best horses and where to find them in TotK.
What are the best horses and how do I find them in Zelda TotK (Tears of the Kingdom)?
There are five horses that I'd consider essential in Tears of the Kingdom, based on stats, rarity, or just pure The Legend of Zelda–nostalgia if you're a long-time fan. They are as follows:
- Epona
- Zelda's golden horse
- Giant White Stallion
- Ganondorf's horse
- Stalhorse
Make sure you're loaded up on stamina-enhancing meals and Energizing Elixirs because you'll definitely need the extra stamina boost when it comes to taming some of these steeds. Because they're the best in the game, Nintendo doesn't want them going down without a fight! But that's what makes the sweet, sweet reward of owning them all the more satisfying.
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Epona in Zelda TotK - How to get, exact location & stats
Arguably the most iconic horse in The Legend of Zelda series, Epona can only be obtained via two methods: by scanning amiibo (specifically, the Super Smash Bros. Link or Twilight Princess Link amiibo, which is how I got it in my game) or if you have a Breath of the Wild save file with the horse in it on the same Nintendo Switch you're playing Tears of the Kingdom on.
You, unfortunately, cannot find Link's steed in the overworld, so if you don't own the amiibo or have Epona in a Breath of the Wild save file, you're out of luck. The amiibo is known to sometimes restock at retailers if you really want the horse—good luck!
Epona's stats are as follows, making it the best horse in Tears of the Kingdom, in my opinion:
- Strength—Four stars
- Speed—Four stars
- Stamina—Four stars
- Pull—None
- Temperament—Gentle
- Bond—Max
Note that Epona cannot pull wagons, and you can't customize it at stables in Tears of the Kingdom. So if that bothers you, you may want to pick another horse from this list.
Giant White Stallion in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) - How to get, exact location, & stats
The Giant White Stallion is exactly what its name suggests: a huge horse fit for a giant. It's the biggest horse in TotK and has a lot of stamina.
To find it, travel to the Lake of the Horse God in the Faron Grasslands. Here, you'll see a wooden bridge named the Horse God Bridge; cross it to find the mighty mare at map coordinates 0798, -3718, 0080. Because of its size, you'll need a hefty stamina bar to tame it, so make sure you bring an Energizing Elixir for some extra horsepower (pun intended).
Giant White Stallion's stats are:
- Strength—Five stars
- Speed—Two stars
- Stamina—None
- Pull—None
- Temperament—Wild
- Bond—Max
Zelda's golden horse in TotK (Tears of the Kingdom) - How to get, exact location, & stats
The prettiest steed in Tears the Kingdom is Zelda's golden horse. I mean, just look at it—its shiny coat is so majestic. This is definitely one you'll want to add to your collection.
To find Zelda's golden horse, speak to Trayci at the Lucky Clover Gazette in Hebra at map coordinates -3250, 1770, 0118 to start the Zelda's Golden Horse side quest. She will tell you how the horse got startled and ran off and asks Link to hunt it down and bring it back.
The mare is located slightly southeast of the Pikida Stonegrove Skyview Tower in South Tabantha Snowfield at map coordinates -1800, 2789, 0241. Here, you'll find it roaming around with a pack of other horses. Once you've tamed it, take it to the Snowfield Stable to the southeast to finish the quest. The gold horse is now yours!
Zelda's golden horse's stats are as follows:
- Strength—Four stars
- Speed—Four stars
- Stamina—Three stars
- Pull—Two stars
- Temperament—Gentle
- Bond—Max
Ganon's horse in Zelda TotK (Tears of the Kingdom) - How to get, exact location, & stats
Ganon's horse (or rather, a direct descendant of it) is one of the toughest steeds to control in Tears of the Kingdom due to having zero stamina and no pull. It is worth getting if you're a Zelda fan, though, purely because of its striking resemblance to the series' villain.
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To find Ganondorf's horse, make your way to Hateno Beach, which is southeast of Hateno Village in the Necluda region (map coordinates 4140, -2436, 0003). Once there, you'll see Ganon's steed running around with other horses. It is a large horse, meaning you'll need a fair bit of stamina to tame it successfully.
Ganon's horse has the following stats:
- Strength—Five stars
- Speed—Two stars
- Stamina—None
- Pull—None
- Temperament—Wild
- Bond—15
This is my personal favorite horse in Tears of the Kingdom, purely for the fact that Link looks like a badass when riding around on it. There's something really cool about the idea of him taming a steed that's a direct descendent of the horse owned by one of the most iconic video game villains.
Stalhorse in Tears of the Kingdom (TotK) - How to get, exact location, & stats
Stalhorses are skeletal versions of wild horses and can be found in the Depths at night. You may find one at night in Hyrule, but they disappear at 5am when sunlight hits, whereas they don't disappear in the Depths.
Unlike regular horses, you cannot stable a Stalhorse, making it the only temporary horse in Tears of the Kingdom. You don't need to tame it, though, meaning you can jump straight on its back and ride it without the hassle of worrying about Stamina.
Stalhorses roam around in packs in the Depths and can be found in multiple locations. These are the coordinates I've found Stalhorses at in my playthrough of Tears of the Kingdom, though there may be some that I've missed:
- Great Abandoned Central Mine—map coordinates -0762, -1392, -0477.
- Applean Grove—map coordinates 0279, 0506, -0475.
- Northeast of Tikanur Lightroot—map coordinates -2295, 1276, -0658.
- Southeast of Nabahi-ikat Lightroot—map coordinates -1788, 1150, -0696.
Because you cannot stable a Stalhorse, its stats don't matter much. That said, they are immune to Gloom, meaning you can ride through patches of Gloom in the Depths without taking any damage at all. Gone are the days of worrying about how to navigate the deadly red goo.
For more on The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, check out All Hinox locations in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom and How to get Dinraal’s Scale in TotK (Zelda Tears of the Kingdom) on Pro Game Guides.
Brent Koepp is a freelance games journalist based out of California. An avid Pokemon fan for over 25 years, he has spent his career reporting on the popular Nintendo franchise. He also dabbles in Destiny 2 and JRPGs. You can follow him on Twitter @brentrkoepp.