Horse Stats Guide — Tears of the Kingdom

Horses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom are more than simple mounts — each has a unique stat combination that determines field performance. Understanding horse stats lets you choose the right companion for exploration, combat, or hauling. This guide covers every stat, the best spawn locations, named special horses, and Malanya upgrades.

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The Four Core Horse Stats

Every horse you register at a stable has four stats:

| Stat | Max Rating | What It Affects | |------|:----------:|----------------| | Speed | ★★★★★ (5) | Top running speed on flat terrain | | Stamina | ●●● (3) | Number of spur bursts before tiring | | Strength | ★★★ (3) | Combat durability, resistance to being spooked | | Pull | ★★★ (3) | Hauling power attached to wagons or sleds |

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Speed (★ Rating, 1–5)

Speed determines gallop pace across open terrain. A 5-star horse crosses Hyrule Field 30–40% faster than a 1-star horse at full spur.

What speed affects:

• Base movement speed at all three gaits (walk, trot, gallop)
• How quickly spurs accelerate you to top speed
• Time to outrun mounted Bokoblin riders

Best speed horses: Wild horses in open grasslands, particularly Akkala Highlands herds, frequently spawn at 4–5 star speed. Upland Zorana horses also trend high. The brown/chestnut coats with black manes statistically produce more 5-star speed candidates, though rolls are randomized.

Notable exception: The Giant White Stallion has only 2-star speed despite its size. Trade-off: it has 3-star strength and unique pull capacity.

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Stamina (● Circles, 1–3)

Stamina controls how many blue spur circles are available. Each circle = two spur uses. Maximum base stamina is 3 circles (6 spurs).

What stamina affects:

• How many consecutive speed bursts you can use
• Recovery rate between spur uses (higher stamina = faster regeneration)
• Total distance covered at sustained high pace

Endura Carrot bonus: Feeding your horse an Endura Carrot (found in Sky Islands and Satori Mountain area) temporarily adds one extra spur circle beyond the 3-star maximum, giving 8 total spurs. Always carry 5–10 Endura Carrots for long cross-country rides.

3-circle stamina horses are found most commonly in the Taobab Grassland area (southwest Hyrule) and in the Faron Grasslands herds.

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Strength (★ Rating, 1–3)

Strength determines how much combat punishment your horse can take before panicking or bucking Link off.

What strength affects:

• Damage threshold before horse bolts
• How quickly the horse calms after taking a hit
• Whether the horse holds position during mounted combat

For combat riders: A 3-star strength horse will hold its ground through a Moblin club hit without panicking. A 1-star horse bolts from a single Bokoblin arrow hit. If you do mounted combat regularly — especially against Bokoblin camps — prioritize strength alongside speed.

3-star strength location: The Giant Horse (Taobab Grassland) has maximum 3-star strength and is the best mount for combat scenarios that require a stationary horse. The Giant White Stallion (Satori Mountain south) also has 3-star strength.

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Pull (★ Rating, 1–3)

Pull only applies when a horse is hitched to a cart, sled, or Ultrahand vehicle via the Towing Harness (unlocked at stables with Pony Points).

What pull affects:

• Maximum load the horse can haul
• Whether the horse can move a fully loaded stone sled
• Travel speed when attached to a heavy Zonai contraption

In practice: Pull is niche. For standard exploration and combat, pull rarely matters. It becomes relevant if you are hauling large quantities of ore, stone, or Zonai device clusters from the Depths. The Giant Horse has maximum pull capacity.

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Star Combinations — What to Look For

Different use cases call for different stat priorities:

| Use Case | Priority Stats | Target | |----------|---------------|--------| | Fast exploration | Speed 5★, Stamina 3● | Find in Akkala Highlands | | Mounted combat | Strength 3★, Speed 4★ | Taobab or Upland Zorana | | All-rounder | Speed 4★, Stamina 2●, Strength 2★ | Faron/Akkala herds | | Hauling | Pull 3★, Strength 3★ | Giant Horse or Giant White Stallion | | Endurance riding | Stamina 3●, Speed 4★ | Faron Grasslands herds |

The ideal explorer horse: Speed 5★, Stamina 3●, Strength 2–3★. This combination is rare (roughly 1 in 30 wild horses in prime spawning areas) but exists. Check Akkala Highlands large herds repeatedly — Blood Moon respawns refresh the herd compositions.

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Named Special Horses

Several unique horses in TotK have fixed stats and cannot be found in wild herds.

Giant Horse

Location: Taobab Grassland, southwest of Mounted Archery Camp (coordinates: -3896, -3508, 0047) Stats: Speed ★★☆☆☆ (2), Stamina ●●● (3), Strength ★★★ (3), Pull ★★★ (3) Special: The largest horse in the game — Link can mount it without taming approach. Has a unique bulky physique. Cannot wear standard horse armor. Best use: Hauling and combat. The slow speed is the main downside.

Giant White Stallion

Location: Satori Mountain (Hyrule Ridge south side), near the pond at the summit Stats: Speed ★★☆☆☆ (2), Stamina ●●● (3), Strength ★★★ (3), Pull ★★★ (3) Special: White coat, ethereal appearance. Same stats as the Giant Horse but different visual. Wears a flower crown variant of horse gear. Best use: Same as Giant Horse — hauling and high-strength builds.

Epona

Location: Scan the Super Smash Bros. Link amiibo or Legend of Zelda 30th Anniversary Link amiibo Stats: Speed ★★★★★ (5), Stamina ●●● (3), Strength ★★★ (3), Pull ★★★ (3) Special: The only horse in the game with maxed stats across all categories. No wild horse can match this stat line. Note: amiibo-exclusive. One scan per day. If Epona was obtained in BotW and transferred via DLC horse data, she appears at Malanya Spring automatically.

Royal White Stallion

Location: Snowfield Stable area, north Hyrule — part of "The Royal White Stallion" side quest Stats: Speed ★★★★☆ (4), Stamina ●●● (3), Strength ★★★ (3) Special: Has a white mane and is considered the descendant of Zelda's horse from Hyrule's history. Completing the quest chain is required to register it. Quest start: Talk to Toffa at Outskirt Stable.

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Best Horse Spawn Locations

Akkala Highlands (Best for Speed)

The large horse herds east of the Akkala Citadel Ruins (roughly 3200, 1400 coordinates area) have the highest concentration of 4–5 star speed horses. Approach from downwind — crouch and use stealth elixirs for difficult horses.

Tip: Blood Moon respawns refresh all herd compositions. Farm the same herd through multiple Blood Moons to find a 5-star speed + 3-star stamina roll.

Taobab Grassland (Best for Strength/Pull)

Southwest Hyrule, west of Lake Hylia. The Giant Horse spawns here at a fixed location. Other horses in the Taobab herd also trend toward higher strength ratings.

Faron Grasslands (Best for Stamina)

The rolling grasslands east of Lake Floria have herds with frequent 3-circle stamina horses. Combined with above-average speed, Faron horses make excellent long-distance companions.

Upland Zorana (Balanced Herds)

North of Zora's Domain, the plateaus have mixed herds offering solid all-round horses. Convenient if you are exploring the Lanayru/Akkala regions.

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Taming Horses

Wild horses require taming before registration. Higher-stat horses are harder to tame — they will buck more aggressively.

Taming method:

1. Crouch and approach from behind without sprinting
2. Mount when close (A button)
3. Soothe with L (calms one notch each press)
4. Soothe repeatedly until bond is established (5–6 presses for most wild horses)

Stamina management: Your stamina gauge depletes while the horse bucks. High-stat horses require more soothe presses before they calm. Before taming a 5-star speed horse, cook Endura Meals (Endura Mushroom + any food) for a temporary extra stamina wheel.

Sneaky taming: Equip the Stealth Armor set (Sheikah) + cook a Stealth Elixir (Sunset Firefly + any monster part) to approach horses without startling the herd.

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Stable Registration & Pony Points

Horses must be registered at a stable to save them (cost: 20 rupees each). You can register up to 5 horses at any stable; horses can be accessed at any stable in Hyrule.

Pony Points are earned at stables by boarding horses, purchasing items, and completing Stable-related activities. Accumulated Pony Points unlock gear at the Pony Point counter:

| Points | Reward | |--------|--------| | 1 | Horse Bridle (basic) | | 2 | Horse Saddle (basic) | | 3 | Towing Harness | | 4 | Traveler's Bridle | | 5 | Traveler's Saddle | | 6 | Royal Bridle | | 7 | Royal Saddle | | 8 | Champion's Bridle (Vah Medoh style) | | 9 | Champion's Saddle (Vah Medoh style) | | 10 | Horse God Figurine |

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Malanya — Horse God

Location: Horse God Malanya Spring, southwest Akkala (near Woodland Stable area, or Doronit Spring north of Faron).

Malanya revives dead horses and offers stat bond boosts when fed specific items.

Revival: Costs 1,000 rupees per horse. Revives any horse that has died in your playthrough.

Bond stat boosts: Malanya can temporarily improve a horse's performance in specific stats by feeding it the correct item. These are not permanent stat increases — they improve the bond rating (hearts), which affects how quickly the horse responds to commands.

Bond = 4 hearts → Horse gains:

• Auto-follow behavior (stays near Link without hitching)
• Better response to directional commands
• Reduced spook chance from combat

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Tips for Maximizing Your Horse

• Endura Carrots: Always carry 5–10. Gives +1 temporary spur circle. Found on Sky Islands and near Satori Mountain.
• Horse armor: Royal Saddle + Royal Bridle improves bond and aesthetics. Champion gear (Pony Points tier 8–9) is the best-looking.
• Towing Harness: Essential for stone/ore hauling. Unlocks at Pony Points level 3.
• Multiple stables: Register a fast horse AND a strong horse. Use the fast one for travel, switch to the strong one for Depths/dungeon runs where combat happens mounted.
• Paraglider dismount: Jump off your horse while galloping and open the paraglider to maintain momentum — a useful mobility trick for reaching elevated areas quickly.
• Mounted archery: Speed 5-star horses make mounted archery significantly easier — you pass targets faster, reducing the window enemies can react.

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Related: Horse Taming Guide | Malanya Horse God Guide | Pony Points Complete Guide