How to get a horse in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
Horses show up in The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom. Riding one will speed up your travel, but before you can take them out for a spin, you’ll have to complete a couple side quests first: “Runaway Horse” and then “Impa’s Gift.”
Our Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom guide will tell you where to find Hyrule Ranch and how to complete both the “Runaway Horse” and “Impa’s Gift” side quests to claim Zelda’s horse.
Hyrule Ranch location in Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom
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Both horse-related side quests in Echoes of Wisdom take place at the Hyrule Ranch. You’ll be able to reach it once you’re free to explore the world early in the game, but getting Zelda’s horse will require you to get to the game’s midpoint.
How to get a horse and complete ‘Runaway Horse’
When you arrive at Hyrule Ranch for the first time, you’ll be told you can’t borrow any of the horses because one of them ran away.
Talk to the man on the west side of the ranch to pick up the “Runaway Horse” side quest. He’ll tell you to look off to the west.
Head out the gate on the south side of the ranch and turn west (left). Walk basically straight west from there. Just a screen or two over, you’ll spot the missing horse on a pillar of rock in a small pond.
Use some combination of echoes and Bind to grab the horse and then carry it all the way back to the ranch.
With the horse returned, you can borrow horses from the ranch whenever you like.
How to complete ‘Impa’s Gift’ and summon a horse
After you complete the main story quest “Still Missing” and close the rift at Hyrule Castle, Impa will be in the Throne Room with a side quest for you. Speak to her there and you’ll start the “Impa’s Gift” side quest.
Head back to Hyrule Ranch and to the west side again. Speak to the woman there. Shortly after, the boy in charge of your steed will come running up and point you to a new rift at the nearby carrot patch.
When you arrive, hop into the Rift. You’ll need to find four groups of Tri’s friends.
Head north and climb the vertical wall.
At the top, head left and cross the gap with a bed bridge (or whatever other echo you want to use) to find the first friends.
Continue left and drop down to the floating island with four huge boulders on it. Use Bind to move the boulders around (or drop them off the island). The northernmost one is hiding the second group of friends.
Continue down and around counterclockwise. When you come to the small clearing with crates, move the first one you come to to reveal a staircase.
At the bottom of the staircase, take out the bokoblins to find the third bunch of friends.
Continue east (right) until you come to a maze-like wooded path with more crates. The easternmost crate is hiding your next ladder.
The first step in the mini-dungeon is to get all the way around counterclockwise. We moved the platboom over to the column on the right, and then dropped a bed and a crate on top of it. That should get you to the top. Cross to the left and hop on the button.
Back at the bottom, return the platboom to the left side (or summon an echo of it). Ride it up, and then start smashing the crates there with caromadillo or bombfish (or the Swordfighter form’s bombs). Once you’re through, grab the last set of friends and seal the rift.
Back outside, Zelda’s horse will still be hiding. Use Bind on a carrot to lure her back and complete “Impa’s Gift.”
Make sure to grab another carrot with Bind and then learn the Carrot Echo. This is how you’ll summon your horse wherever you go (otherwise, you’ll have to return to Hyrule Ranch every time you want a new horse).
Next, see our full Echoes of Wisdom walkthrough or peruse our interactive Echoes of Wisdom map. Or for more Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom side quests, we have guides to “A Treat for my Person,” “Cuccos on the Loose,” “The Rain-Making Monster,” and “The Zappy Shipwreck,” plus details about the side quests related to automatons.