Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom – How to Get a Horse

With a much larger map than previous classic Zelda games, it’s not surprising that The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom features horses for Zelda to ride. These reliable mounts make traversing Hyrule much faster, though not so fast that you feel like you’re missing anything. Zelda will have the ability to find a horse fairly early in Echoes of Wisdom, and this guide will show you exactly how to do it.

To get a horse in Echoes of Wisdom, you’ll have to complete the “Runaway Horse” side quest. This will give Zelda access to the first horse in the game. Later in the game, Zelda will be able to get a special horse of her own, but that will require progressing past the “Still Missing” main quest, and completing “Impa’s Gift.” Here, we will show you how to get a basic horse as early as possible.

How to Start “Runaway Horse” in Echoes of Wisdom

Visit Hyrule Ranch:

To get the first horse in Echoes of Wisdom, which is called a Rental Horse, Zelda will have to make her way to Hyrule Ranch in western Hyrule. This can be done any time after completing “The Mysterious Rifts” and the first main dungeon in Suthorn Ruins.

Upon arriving at Hyrule Ranch, make your way into the main courtyard, and you’ll find an old man with a quest marker over his head. While speaking to the man, he will reveal that he is not currently loaning out horses because there is a mount missing. He tasks Zelda with helping to find it. Once the horse is returned, Zelda will have access to the horse for herself.

How to Get a Horse in Echoes of Wisdom

Complete Runaway Horse:

The old man gives Zelda a hint: the horse likes to graze west of the ranch. With that knowledge, it’ll be a quick trip to collect the horse. Make your way west to the small pond shown on the map. You’ll find that the horse is stuck on an island in the middle of the pond. Zelda can jump directly to the pond, but you’ll have to lay down a bed so the horse can make it across.

Once you are out of the pond, make your way back to Hyrule Ranch. When you arrive, the old man will be overjoyed that the horse is back safe, and he’ll agree to let you use any horse you want. From here on out, you can use the ranch’s horses as ‘rental horses.’ This is an important distinction, because this means that Zelda will not yet be able to call the horse back to her should you get separated. For now, the Rental Horse will show up on the map as a horse icon, but that’s it.

Make sure to activate the fast-travel marker at the ranch so you can return any time, just in case you lose track of your horse, and it cannot be found on the map.