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Hyrule is absolutely filled to the brim with interesting and unique monsters. And while many of them are as scary and mean as their reputations suggest, there is one monster that I can’t help but feel is just misunderstood. And that creature is, of course, the Stalhorse.
They may look mean. And they may usually carry murderous Stalkoblins on their backs, but the Stalhorse themselves are gentle creatures. Once you rid them of their riders, a Stalhorse behaves more or less like a normal horse.
Instead of attacking you, it just runs away. They also don’t drop any loot when killed, just like a real horse. Because why would you be rewarded for killing an innocent horsey?
Stalhorses are actually quite friendly and are fully tameable. So if you are curious and would like to know more about Stalhorses, you have come to the right place. Here we will go over the locations in which you can find them, how to free them from the shackles of their evil riders, how to tame one, and how to complete the Stalhorse: Pictured! side quest.
Bottom Line Up Front
Stalhorses are creatures in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. They are skeleton-like horses and are often found being ridden by Stalkoblins. They are tameable, and a photo of one is essential to complete the Stalhorse: Pictured! side quest that you begin after speaking to Juannelle at the Snowfield Stable.
What is a Stalhorse?
Hyrule Compendium: This skeletal horse is ridden by monsters. It was once a regular horse, but Ganon’s power revived it from death. It cannot maintain its bone structure in the daytime.
A Stalhorse is essentially a reanimated dead horse. It looks just like a regular horse, except for the fact that it’s no longer wearing its meat suit. Stalhorses have red and yellow glowing eyes and a crude saddle made of rags.
Luckily for the Stalhorses, they also retained a luscious black long-haired tail, although we cannot say the same for its mane. How it managed to keep its tail attached but not the hair on its mane is yet another one of Breath of the Wild’s mysteries.
Stalhorses operate almost exactly the same as the Stalkoblins, Stalnox, and all the other skeleton versions of living enemies that appear at nighttime. Minus the evil part, of course. Since they are just another one of the Stal-creatures, they can only be found during the hours of 9.00 pm and 5.00 am, at which point they will die due to the sunlight.
A Stalhorse can be tamed, ridden, and fed apples by Link but cannot be boarded at a stable. In the entirety of Breath of the Wild, there is only evidence of Link and one other Hylian who were brave enough to ride a Stalhorse.
Somewhere along the long road between the Serene Stable and the Breach of Demise, you can find an NPC named Baddek riding his beloved horse companion. Baddek absolutely loves horses and will often shower Link with unsolicited horse facts. Whether they are true or false is another question.
He does inform Link of the locations of the four Stables where you can customize your horse’s appearance, though, so Baddek does get some facts right. Others are more questionable, like when he asks Link to name one animal other than a horse that can swim and insists that there are none.
In one of his many stories involving horses, Baddek informs Link of one of his past escapades where he rode a horse “made of nothing but bones” up the snowy peaks of the Hebra Mountains.
This is the first and only official hint you get in the game about being able to ride Stalhorses. Although you can ride almost anything with four legs in Breath of the Wild – including Lynels, so someone was sure to figure it out eventually.
Where Can I Find a Stalhorse?
Stalhorses appear at nighttime in almost every location where you can find packs of Bokoblins riding horses during the day. Some of the most prominent locations you can find them are throughout the Hebra Mountains, the Akkala Highlands, Rutile Lake, and around the Ranch Ruins, which does seem quite fitting.
There is also one herd special Stalhorse that you can encounter on the cliffs above the Pagos Woods in the Faron Grasslands, which we will talk more about later.
How Can I Save a Stalhorse From Being Ridden by a Stalkoblin?
Rather than instructing you on how to kill a Stalhorse as I would in any other monster guide, I am instead going to instruct you on how to save them from their monster riders.
You can kill them if you want, but they aren’t dangerous, and they don’t even leave you any loot for killing them. So you would really only be doing it for the satisfaction of it, and that makes me kind of sad. You don’t kill the horses Bokoblins ride during the day, do you? So why would you kill the Stalhorses at night?
The process of ridding a Stalhorse of its rider is more or less the same as attacking Bokoblin Riders during the daytime hours in Hyrule. There are two methods you can use to knock Stalkoblins off their Stalhorses.
Make sure you are equipped with a long-range weapon like a bow or a strong spear. These Stalkoblin Riders always work in groups, so they can easily overwhelm you, and you want to make sure you are prepared for what’s to come.
The first tactic is the safest option. Take higher ground, and aim at the Stalkoblin Riders with your bow. Using an elemental arrow like an ice arrow or a fire arrow is more likely to knock the monster off the Stalhorse’s back without risking the Stalhorse with a bomb arrow.
You can also throw a bomb and time it correctly to blow the Rider off its back but do be careful that you don’t blow up the Stalhorse at the same time. Once the Stalkoblin Rider is off the Stalhorses back, you have a limited time to destroy it before it hops back on the Stalhorse again.
The second option is more fun but also more dangerous. Take one of your horses out from the stable so you can match the speed of the Stalkoblins and ride off into the horde. Both the Bokoblin and Stalkoblin riders are equipped with long-range weapons, so you are going to want to equip one of those, too, if you don’t want to end up getting knocked off your horse. A bow would also be a good weapon to use in this case.
As you gallop past the Stalkoblin Riders, they will be aiming for you as well. This is going to be like a jousting match of sorts, and your mission is to knock them off their Stalhorse before they knock you off yours. If that happens, the Stalkoblins could end up hurting and even killing your horse if it gets in the way, and that would be extremely upsetting for everyone involved. Except for the Stalkoblins, I guess.
Whether you knock the Stalkoblin off its Stalhorse with a long-reaching weapon or with your bow, make sure you destroy its skull before it pulls itself together and holds the Stalhorse captive once again.
Once the Stalhorse is free of its captor, it will most likely run away from Link like the other horses do when he gets too close. If you haven’t taken your happy snap to complete the Stalhorse: Pictured! Side quest yet, take a quick picture of the Stalhorse to add to your Hyrule Compendium before it runs away.
How to Complete the Stalhorse: Pictured! Side Quest
Coming face to face with a Stalhorse is inevitable in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Not only because you will more than likely be chased around by one on at least one occasion during your play-through but because one of the side quests in the game demands that you take a picture of one.
To initiate the Stalhorse: Pictured! side quest, head to the Snowfield Stable. This can be found in the Hebra Region, in the far northeastern corner of the map. There, you will find an NPC named Juannelle.
Juannelle is well-traveled, explaining that she has already journeyed throughout the East and the West but now finds herself unwilling to go any further to the North. She does have a yearning to see a creature that she has heard rumored there, though, the Stalhorse.
Juannelle is too cold to find one herself, which is understandable considering the frigid temperatures outside. So she wants you to go find a Stalhorse, take a picture of it, and bring it back to her for the grand price of 100 Rupees. 100 Rupees isn’t much, but it isn’t a bad price for one picture.
Once she gives you her proposition, you have the option to respond with one of two things. You can choose to tell Juannelle “I can do it” or “Creepy horse? Pass…” but since we are all brave Links around these parts, we are going to choose “I can do it.”
Once Juannelle has expressed her gratitude, it is time to set off toward the Stalhorse. There are several places throughout Hyrule where you can find one, but Juannelle gives you some directions which will lead you to the closest Stalhorse to your current location.
There’s a rumor that it can be found with Stalkoblins in the North Tabantha Snowfield. Some have reported it aaaaaall the way on the other side of the Snowfield, near some bizarre ruins.
The directions will lead you straight up to the very edge of the game’s map. The temperatures are absolutely freezing up there and will kill you if you do not go equipped. So make sure you either don your Snowquill Set, which can be purchased from Rito Village or prepare plenty of Spicy Elixirs to give you resistance to the cold.
You can make some Spicy Elixirs in any cooking pot using one Monter Part and one Creature with a warming effect. You can use a Warm Darner, a Sizzlefin Trout, or a Summerwing Butterfly. You can also add Warm Safflina, Spicy Peppers, and Sunshrooms to increase the longevity and strength of your Spicy Elixir.
Once you’re all warmed up, head to the front of the stable and take out one of your horses. It is worth noting that your horse may come into direct contact with a stampede of angry Stalkoblins atop some fast and strong Stalhorses, so choose your horse wisely.
Maybe leave your favorite horse behind in the unfortunate case that it might not make it out of the battle in one piece. If you have tamed and boarded the Giant Horse, you might want to take that since it is the strongest horse in the game.
Once you have your steed of choice, turn left off the road and into the snowy field. There is a valley there that funnels into a wide, open, snowy expanse called the North Tabantha Snowfield. This area is filled with Tabantha Moose, Wolves, and Great Horned Rhinoceros, so it is a great source of Raw Gourmet Meat.
If you brought your bow with you, you might want to hunt on the way to your destination. Just make sure to pick the meat up before it freezes and becomes Frozen Raw Gourmet Meat. Although if it does, it could prove useful if you ever need to make heat-resistant recipes.
Once you have traveled a little way into the North Tabantha Snowfield, you will notice two skull caverns to your left where some monsters have made their home. Somewhere around there, you will find what you’re looking for.
It’s optional, but I highly recommend heading out to the location during the day first. There is a herd of Bokoblin Riders that also patrol the area along with the Stalkoblin Riders at night, and the whole mission becomes much harder when there are more enemies to defeat before you can take a picture of the Stalhorse.
You can’t use the camera while you’re on horseback, so you have to kill all the Riders to give you enough time to snap a picture of one of the Stalhorses. If there are too many enemies around you won’t have long before you get walloped by another Rider, and it’s near impossible to get a clear shot.
Once you’ve cleared out the Bokoblin Riders, you will have to build a fire and wait until nighttime. If it’s raining and you can’t get the fire lit, you could stay the night at the stable and ask to be woken up at night, although it does cost precious Rupees. The Stal creatures will not appear unless it is between the hours of 9.00 pm and 5.00 am, so the quest isn’t completable during the day.
The Stalkoblins patrol this area of the North Tabantha Snowfield, so it shouldn’t take you long to come across them as long as your timing is right. Hopefully, you are able to find them and take your picture before they find you, and you have to cross swords with them.
You can take a picture of the Stalhorse from a distance while it is being ridden by a Stalkoblin. That is the best and easiest option to complete the side quest.
But if they see you, you may have to take care of all but one of them first before you can safely take a snapshot of the last one, or just knock the Stalkoblins off their mounts and take a photo of the Stalhorses once they aren’t hurtling at you with a murderous monster on top.
However, you do it, once you have your picture of a Stalhorse, head back to the Snowfield Stable and show it to Juannelle in return for 100 Rupees. Juannelle is thankful for your contributions toward her research, although she does admit that the Stalhorse will probably haunt her in her dreams, which is fair enough.
How Do I Tame a Stalhorse?
I know this question has probably been at the forefront of your mind throughout this guide, and I do fully intend to tell you how to tame and ride a Stalhorse. Riding mounts in Breath of the Wild is one of my favorite past times, and I have made it my personal mission to ride everything than can be ridden in the game.
From bears to deer to Lynels, if I can ride it, I will. And that list does include Stalhorses. That’s what initially changed my mind about them. I used to think of them as monsters, but that was very unfair of me, really. The living horses that Bokoblins ride aren’t evil, and neither are the Stalhorses. I judged them on their appearance, and for that, I was wrong.
Stalhorses are super nice creatures once you get to know them, and they are actually easier to tame than living horses. And there is one place in particular that you want to search for if you want to ride one yourself.
Knocking Stalkoblins off the Stalhorses isn’t an effective way of mounting one. As soon as their riders are knocked off, they kind of scatter. To mount one, you need to quietly sneak up on it like any other horse. And there is only one place in the game where I have found Stalhorses without riders or anything else hanging around that could scare it.
To find this mystical Stalhorse, you first want to fast-travel to Lakeside Stable. From there, take out one of your horses and turn left to head off down the road. Follow the road through Sarjon Woods until you reach the Pagos Woods.
Once you reach the Pagos Woods, follow the road until you reach a set of round boulder-like ruins sitting in a small pond. Climb the cliff behind the ruins, and turn left again. Near the highest point of the peak, there will be two Stalhorse without riders.
The Stalhorse behave like any other horse, so to mount them, you have to sneak up behind them. If you have a Stealth-Up gear set, this is the time to wear it. The Stealth Set from Kakariko Village is a great option, or if you have the DLC and have completed the Dark Armor side quest, you could wear the Phantom Ganon set to get the Stealth-Up set bonus as well.
If you don’t have either of these sets, you can still boost your sneakiness by making a Sneaky Elixir. You can make one by combining one Monster Part with either a Sneaky River Snail, a Stealthfin Trout, or a Sunset Firefly. Combine this with Blue Nightshade or one or more Silent Shrooms to boost the longevity of your elixir.
Once you are suitably sneaky, you can start to approach the Stalhorse. Press down on the left trigger to crouch down and slowly move up behind it. Once you get within range, you will be prompted to press A to mount it. You don’t even have to soothe these horses to tame them. Stalhorses are rideable as soon as you hop on them.
Stalhorse have three stamina spurs and 100 HP. You can ride them around for as long as you want until 5.00 am, when they will sadly buck you off and disappear in a puff of black smoke, leaving no trace behind.
Unfortunately, you can’t board the Stalhorse, either. If you try, the Stablehand will scream in fear stating that that isn’t a horse, it’s a monster, and that he won’t board it as he’s worried that it will eat the other horses. This is a classic response that he gives whenever you try to board anything that isn’t a plain old boring old horse, with the exception of the legendary horses.
FAQs
Question: What other creatures can you ride in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild?
Answer: You can ride bears, deer, Lynels, wild horses, and the Lord of the Mountain.
Question: Is there any way to keep your Stalhorse alive past 5.00 am?
Answer: Sadly, all Stalhorses are destined to die at 5.00 am every day, so try not to get too attached to them.
Question: Can Stalhorses eat apples?
Answer: Yes! You can feed your tamed Stalhorse as many apples as you want, don’t ask me where they go, though.
Stalhorse BOTW Guide; Stalhorses Are Friends, Not Enemies.
Stalhorses are one of the most metal creatures out there in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. And far from being just another creature to populate the world with, the Stalhorse is actually the key to completing the Stalhorse: Pictured! side quest.
They might get a bad rap because of the nasty Stalkoblins that use them as a means for murdering innocent victims. But if this guide has taught you anything, I hope it has taught you that the Stalhorse are gentle and innocent creatures deep down, just like any other horse.
You now know everything there is to know about Stalhorses. And maybe, just maybe, next time you see a Stalkoblin riding towards you on their Stalhorse steed, you knock it right off and free the Stalhorse. At the very least, you now know how cool they are. So jump on your Stalhorses, people! We ride at midnight.