Breath of the Wild - 6 Tips To Tame Horses | How to Get A Mount

The lands of Hyrule are absolutely massive in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and if you want to travel faster than Link can sprint, you’re going to need a horse. Instead of buying horses, you’ll have to tame your very own. It’s all very simple, but also very complicated — there’s more to taming than riding the first wild horse you see. Getting a reliable mount takes time and effort, and we’re here to explain everything we’ve learned since getting started.

A fresh horse won’t listen to Link’s commands, and many will knock Link right off if you don’t have enough stamina. Calming a horse is just the first step. If you want a horse to follow your orders, you’ll have to increase your bond. Doing that requires registration, and taming takes lots of time. See what’s up with horse taming, and everything else you need to know below.

6 Tips To Tame Horses | How to Get A Mount

After leaving the Great Plateau, you can tame your very own horse. There’s a variety of horses in Hyrule, and picking your favorite horse can be tricky, but we recommend getting one as early as possible. Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about horsing — from finding your first, to registering and taming.

#1: Where To Get Your First Horse

Wild Horses may live all across Hyrule, but grabbing the first horse you see isn’t always wise.

Travel east toward Kakariko Village and stop at the Dueling Peaks Stable to begin your hunt for your first horse. Wild Horses don’t listen to commands very well, so getting them to a stable and registering is important. You’ll want a stable close-by so you won’t have to wrestle with an unruly horse for too long.

The plains east of the Dueling Peaks Stable is a perfect place to hunt for horses. The area is relatively clear of monsters, with wide open areas and hills to easily spot herds of horses in the distance. Now it’s time to pick a horse.

#2: How To Mount A Horse

To mount a horse, crouch [Left Thumbstick] and press [A] when you’re close. Watch out, horses are easily spooked, so charging right at them won’t work. They’ll run away! Keep them calm and sneak close before attempting to mount a wild horse.

Once you’re riding the horse, it will attempt to knock you off. Rapidly tap [L] to calm the horse. Once it is calm, it’s time to take your horse back to the Dueling Peaks Stable and get it registered. While riding the horse, hold [ZL] to target the stable merchant at the counter and press [A] to talk to him. It costs 20 rupees to register a horse.

#3: Picking Your Horse — Solid Vs Spots

Before riding a horse, it’s important to know the difference between horses with spots and solid colors. Horses with spots are, generally, easier to tame. Horses with solid colors are harder to tame, but faster and stronger than their spotted cousins.

It all depends on how much effort you want to put into your horse. A solid color horse is faster and stronger, but will take much longer to tame — untamed horses don’t listen to commands, so they can be a real annoyance, especially in combat. If you’re willing to put in the time and effort, you’ll want to go for a solid horse.

#4: The Benefits Of Registering Horses

NOTE: Registering a horse costs 20 rupees, and you can keep up to five horses at once.

There are many. First, a registered horse gains a saddle, allowing you to begin training the horse to listen to your commands. There’s more to that, though. Here’s everything you can do with a registered horse:

Unlocks training — adds a saddle, tap [L] when the horse does something right to increase your bond.
Check Stats — check the star rating on your horse. If the stats are low, release back into the wild.
Allows you to store and retrieve up to five horses. You can retrieve a horse from any other stable.
A registered horse will come to Link when you whistle. Press [Down] on the Left Joy-Con to whistle.

Now that you’re registered, the next big hurdle is increasing your bond. Horses don’t always listen to your commands, and increasing your bond will make sure they always do exactly what you want.

#5: How To Tame Your Horse

A freshly registered horse starts at Bond 0 — that means the horse will occasionally ignore your commands, change directions while riding, or just generally not follow your orders quickly. Getting your horse to Bond 100 means they’ll always follow your commands exactly every single time.

Tap [L] to pat your horse — only do this AFTER the horse does something right.
- Tap [L] when the horse follows a command instantly, runs on command, slows down / stops on command, or jumps over low objects.
- The horse will flash pink when the soothing works and your bond grows.
- Repeating the same actions over and over will not work. Eventually the horse will ignore you if you continue to pat for the same reactions. Change things up and pat after every single action a horse can take.

The training process can be frustrating. We recommend using horses only for navigation until you’ve hit Bond 100. Once you and your horse are of one mind, you can begin trying out more advanced tactics — like combat!

#6: Horse Riding Benefits

Horses are fast and strong, but they can’t swim. Stay out of the water, and your horse will always be faster than Link on the ground.

Horses can temporarily sprint — at full speed, icons will appear on the lower side of the screen. Pushing the horse further will use one stamina icon for a burst of speed. These will refill after a few seconds.
Horses can jump over small walls and fences.
The faster your horse rides, the more damage you do with melee weapon attacks.

Yes, you can ride your horse into combat. Using either the Bow or a Weapon, you can lock-on and strike enemies as you charge past. Doing so makes you far more powerful, even weak weapons will bowl over enemies and send them flying depending on the speed of your horse.

Later in the game, you’ll encounter other enemies on horseback. Having a horse of your own will make these encounters much, much easier.

Got your own horse-bound tips and tricks? Let us know in the comments!

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