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Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
- "Out in the Faron Grassland, you came across Straia, who is conducting a study on animals of the region. He said he's specifically looking for the rumored giant horse that lives on the Taobab Grasslands. Straia asked you to help with his investigation into the giant horse. After all, how giant could it really be?"
- — Adventure Log description
The Hunt for the Giant Horse is a side quest in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. During it Link helps out in an ecological survey of Faron Grasslands region by finding the rare giant horse rumored to live in nearby Taobab Grassland.
Overview[]
At the Mounted Archery Camp in the Faron Grasslands, Link encounters a young man named Straia who is doing an ecological survey of the area. He tells Link about a wild Giant Horse rumored to live in the Taobab Grasslands and asks him if he will bring it to him as mounted Bokoblins and two powerful Lynels make entering the grasslands where it is found extremely dangerous. Electric Keese also appear at night so its best to tame it during the morning.
Link can either choose to simply avoid these enemies and head to the grasslands, either by horse or scaling the nearby cliffs or paragliding down from the southern part of the Great Plateau which boarders the grasslands. Alternatively he can kill all these enemies which while more dangerous, makes the return trip much easier.
Link must then tame the horse by sneaking up on it from behind and mounting it as usual, though the Giant Horse is more warier forcing Link to crouch walk as slowly as possible. Link can increase his sneak ability by wearing clothing and using items granting stealth, to sneaking up behind it more efficiently. Once behind it, Link must them mount it and then soothe it to tame it before his stamina runs out. Due to its size and strength, it can easily drain two circles of stamina, though Link can use Energizing Elixir, Enduring Elixir, or any other items that boost or restore the Stamina Gauge. Link can also sleep at special Inns or eat Akkala Buns at East Akkala Stable to gain an extra yellow stamina wheel. However there are large trees near where its found allowing Link to mount it from the air which is easier than sneaking up behind it as its spooked herd mates may alert it to Link's presence. Link can also utilize a weak bow to fire Shock Arrows to stun it allowing Link to put himself into position to mount it as soon as it recovers. Ice Arrows also work though they take longer to wear off.
Once properly tamed, Link must then ride the horse back to Straia. If Link took out the all enemies, the way will be easier, however the enemies confrontation will be harder as the Giant Horse has zero Spurs and thus lacks the ability to gallop. However it is still possible to get past these enemies, Link can outride them by improving the affinity bond with the Giant Horse, making it obedient to easily escape from the Lynels and mounted Bokoblin. Link can bond with it by riding it around the Taobab Grasslands area, soothing it when it follows his commands or by simply feeding it apples and any carrots. Link can also use the Bokoblin Mask, Lynel Mask, or Majora's Mask to disguise himself though he should avoid lingering around the Lynels as they will eventually see through his disguise. Majora's Mask is ideal as it effects both Bokoblins and Lynels. Another method is to bring some bows and several Ancient Arrows. The Ancient Arrows will instantly obliterate any non-Guardians or non-bosses when hit including Lynels, though they also destroy any materials or equipment drops. However since this method involves combat, Link should rely on slow motion shooting to ensure he hits his targets. The best way to do this is by vaulting off off the Giant Horse while wielding a durable bow however alternatively Link can ride a tamed horse to the grasslands vaulting off it to slow motion shoot Ancient Arrows. Link should be careful to ensure the Blood Moon occurred recently enough to avoid slain enemies being respawned upon the return trip.
After examining it, Straia is convinced that it is a rare breed and that it is strong enough to tramp monsters. He rewards Link with a Silver Rupee and allows Link to do whatever he wants with the Giant Horse afterwards. Link is not required to register the Giant Horse during the Quest though it is a good time to do so. The best place to register it is nearby Highland Stable. Link can register it during the quest even though it effectively removes the Giant Horse from the wild though Straia is unconcerned by this despite it rendering his study redundant as the Giant Horse is the last of its kind though Straia may be unaware of this fact as it is revealed by the Sheikah Slate's Hyrule Compendium entry. It is a good idea to register it first before talking to Straia as it allows Link to keep the Giant Horse which can be revived by Malanya at Malanya Spring if it is slain or dies accidentally.
The Giant Horse[]
| Strength | ★★★★★ |
|---|---|
| Speed | ★★ |
| Stamina | 0 |
- "Hello there! That's a mighty fine horse you have. If you like, I can change out its gear or maybe... Oh? My goodness, that's no pony, is it? It's so big! I'm sorry, but I don't think I have any gear that'd fit such a large horse, and I bet it wouldn't like its mane handled... I'm sorry about that."
- — A Stablehand
The Giant Horse is a unique horse with five Star in Strength, though only two Stars in Speed, no stars in Stamina, and has a Wild temperament. Like Epona, its mane, bridle, and saddle cannot be changed, though unlike Epona, it can be named when registered. The females table hands explains that its giant size prevents them from changing its bridal and saddle and that it would not like its mane being handled. During "Good-Sized Horse", Zyle rejects the giant horse for being too big as he requires a horse proportional to his size. Like the White Horse and Stalhorse, the Giant Horse has its own Hyrule Compendium entry.
- "This giant horse is the last of its kind. Its physical capabilities completely overshadow those of regular horses, but its temperament is extremely wild. Only a truly skilled rider can train, or even catch, this beast of a mount. This is a horse that chooses its rider."
- — Hyrule Compendium
The Giant Horse itself is by far the worst of the special horses as its speed is inferior to Epona and the White Horse while its stamina is non-existent thus it is a poor choice for travelling around quickly. However its strength and size make it ideal for horseback combat as it can tramp enemies such as eponymous Bokoblins, Lizalfos, and Moblins to death. It is essentially the strongest horse outclassing all other horses in terms of physical strength. Additionally as it cannot dash due to its lack of spurs it will never throw Link off once properly tamed these removing the main drawback of horses with Wild temperament. As it has no stamina, feeding it Endura Carrots or Roasted Endura Carrots only increases its bond with Link thus it is best to feed it Apples, Baked Apples, Swift Carrots, and Roasted Swift Carrots as Endura Carrots and Roasted Endura Carrots are wasted on it due to their rarity and usefulness. Like Epona, its inability to change horse gear means it cannot be equipped with the Ancient Bridle or Ancient Saddle thus cannot gain two stars stamina by wearing the Ancient Bridle or teleport while wearing the Ancient Saddle when Link Whistles. However unlike Epona, this is due to the Ancient Bridle and Saddle being too small to fit it. The Giant Horse's unique Bridle and Saddle are the largest set of horse gear which are apparently custom made for it upon registration as normal Stable Bridles and Stable Saddles are too small to fit it. Due to their size, its bridle and saddle can only be equipped to the Giant Horse as its too large to fit an average sized horse.
- "Everywhere I go, all I'm hearing about is this giant horse... Everyone's saying if you take the Faron High Road out west, you'll find a giant horse in the Taobab Grassland."
- — Spinch
Due to its abnormal size, stories of the Giant Horse are well known among certain mounted travelers such as Baddek and Spinch whom will inform Link what they have heard about it.
Reference and theory[]
Theory warning: This section contains theoretical information based on the research of one or several other users. It has not been officially verified by Nintendo and its factual accuracy is disputed.
The Giant Horse may be a reference to the Gerudo Stallion, the Ganondorf's Steed, since it has a reddish orange mane and dark coat, and it is found near the Gerudo Highlands that surrounds Gerudo Desert in the province of Gerudo, the place where Ganondorf comes from. Though unconfirmed, this Giant Horse may actually be a Gerudo Stallion itself the same breed as Ganondorf's Steed according to Gossip Stones in Ocarina of Time. Its large size, strength, and wild temperament also matches Ganondorf's character as he embodies those traits and would likely value them in his chosen steed. Its large size could also reference it towering over the young Hero of Time in Ocarina of Time. It is also lacks the speed and stamina of the White Horse from the side quest "The Royal White Stallion", which is a reference to the White Horse Zelda and Impa rode to escape from Ganondorf's Steed in Ocarina of Time, and Princess Zelda's Horse in Breath of the Wild may be a descendant of the White Horse from Ocarina of Time or at least the same breed utilized by the Hyrulean Royal Family as a symbol of its divine right. Additionally Straia being found at the Mounted Archery Camp and its close proximity to Taobab Grasslands where the Giant Horse lives may be a reference to the Horseback Archery Range in Ocarina of Time as horseback archery was part of the Gerudo's horse culture in the past.
Spoiler warning: Spoilers end here.