Zelda Tears of the Kingdom horses - how to tame a horse, Pony Points rewards and stables explained

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom horses are a great way to quickly traverse Hyrule's vast land, allowing you to get to key areas on the ground sooner while avoiding tough enemies.

To take advantage of their usefulness, you'll have to tame horses in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and it's highly recommended to use stables so you don't lose your buddies.

New to TOTK is also the Pony Points rewards system, so we've explained how this works below, as well as including an explainer on stables, and how to tame horses.

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If you would like to learn more about Link's adventure, visit our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough.

How to tame horses in Zelda Tears of the Kingdom

To tame a horse, you first need to locate one. Horses tend to roam in small packs on large open fields, but if you're quickly looking for one, we recommend finding a stable. Run through the fields close to a stable and you should have a higher chance of finding a few horses, unless there are key structures or mountains in the way.

When you find one, you have to crouch and sneak up on a horse to tame it in Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, just like you had to in Breath of the Wild. It's very important that you sneak up from behind the horse, or it will get spooked and run away, or give you a nasty kick.

When you've successfully sneaked up beside a horse, press the 'A' button to mount it before it walks away, then keep pressing the 'L' button to soothe the horse so it doesn't throw you off. You'll know the wild horse is successfully tamed when it stops jumping.

Remember to soothe your horse as your ride sometimes to build your bond with it, so it doesn't disobey your commands in the future.

We've got more information on stables in the next section, but in general, when you tame a horse, you'll want to take one to a stable as soon as you can so you can register it and ensure you can get it back should you be separated from your horse.

It's tougher to sneak up and tame solid-coloured horses, so we recommend going after a horse with painted spots if you just want a standard horse quickly without any fuss. Keep in mind that the spotted horses tend to have less stamina and speed though, so you might want to upgrade to a solid-coloured one at a later point.

Luckily, you're not stuck with just one horse for the whole game, as you can store multiple horses at the various stables found throughout Hyrule!

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom stables explained

Stables act as a resting spot for Link, an area to pick up side quests, shop for items, and as a way to register your tamed horses.

Registering a horse means you get to name it, provide it with a saddle, and most importantly, you can get that horse back whenever you want by visiting any of the stables dotted about the ground of Hyrule.

To register horses at stables in Tears of the Kingdom, you need to approach and target a stable master with 'ZL', then talk with them and choose 'Register Horse'. This will show you the Strength, Speed, Stamina, Pull, and Temperament stats of that particular horse.

Once you're sure this horse is for you, press 'Yes' to register it. Keep in mind that there are limited spaces shared between all the stables, and once you've reached this limit, you'll have to get rid of one of your other horses in order to claim a new one.

Your first horse registration is free, but it costs 20 Rupees to register a new horse each time after this.

There's a bit more of an incentive to continue registering horses even if you're satisfied with your mounts in TOTK, as you can get Pony Points for doing so.

Tears of the Kingdom has finally arrived and our Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom walkthrough will help guide your quest. Your adventure begins on the Great Sky Island where you'll have to complete the Ukouh Shrine, Gutanbac Shrine, In-Isa Shrine and Nachoyah Shrine for Link's new abilities. This will let you complete the To The Kingdom of Hyrule main quest, find Captain Hoz and get the Paraglider. During your journey, you will want to complete the Jiosin Shrine, Susuyai Shrine, Ishodag Shrine, Kiuyoyou Shrine, Oromuwak Shrine and Sinakawak Shrine. We also have guides on how to get to the sky, how to get the Archaic Tunic, how to beat the Flux Construct I, Amiibo unlocks and how to tame horses.

Zelda Tears of the Kingdom Pony Points rewards explained

While taming and stables work much the same as they did in Breath of the Wild, Pony Points are new to Tears of the Kingdom, rewarding you for using stables more often.

To get Pony Points, you first need to talk to a stable master, who will then give you a membership card.

Once you've got the Pony Points Card, you will then receive points for things like lodging at stables and registering new horses. Basically, any time you use a service at a stable, another point will be added to your card. Once you have enough points, you can then use the ledger counter in a stable to claim your rewards.

Each reward is linked to horses, with Pony Points rewards ranging from a towing harness, to unlocking the mysterious Malanya bed at stables, where you can receive a mystical message from a horse god.

So keep using stable services if you want to rack up those points and get more rewards!

Additionally, you can look at your Pony Points Card if you ever want to quickly know how many points you need to unlock the next reward.

All the best on your journey across Hyrule!