Epona and Lon Lon Ranch

13:44 Epona is Link's horse in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a foal at Lon Lon Ranch whom he befriends as a child with Epona's Song, taught by the rancher's daughter Malon, and wins as an adult by beating Ingo, the man who has taken over the ranch, in a horse race. After that, playing Epona's Song in Hyrule Field calls her to Link's side. In Nintendo's gameplay demonstration of the Nintendo Switch 2 remake (Sep 8, 2026), Eiji Aonuma plays the song on a real ocarina, and "a horse will come running over!": "Link can ride a horse as an adult, but I'll leave that for you to try out for yourselves." Nintendo UK lists the "rideable steed" among the remake's features, and Nintendo's images show adult Link on a rearing chestnut horse with a white mane. Riding Epona is optional, but she is the fastest way across Hyrule Field and is needed for horseback archery and the Big Poes.

Quick facts

Lon Lon Ranch as a child

22:46 Child Link first meets Malon outside Hyrule Castle, where she is looking for her father Talon, the ranch's owner. She gives Link the Weird Egg, which hatches into a Cucco at dawn; its crow wakes Talon, asleep by the castle, and he hurries home. When Link then visits Lon Lon Ranch, Malon introduces the foal Epona and teaches him the song she sings to her. Liam Triforce's study of the soundtrack (Mar 21, 2024) describes the moment: the ranch theme begins on a laid-back guitar, Malon's voice takes over its melody, and once Link plays the song Epona "will really seem to like you". Zelda Wiki adds that the song was composed by Malon's mother.

0:00 Malon teaches the song in the ranch's paddock at sunset, as Pure's recording of every song on the Nintendo 64 shows ("OK? This is the Song"); on the Nintendo 64 its notes are C-Up, C-Left, C-Right, played twice. Child Link cannot ride Epona: the song only makes her come to him. It works on the ranch's cows too, which fill an empty Bottle with Lon Lon Milk.

The child-era ranch also holds a Bottle and a Piece of Heart. In the house, Talon runs a Cucco game: for a small fee, Link has to find his three special Cuccos among many in a set time, and winning gives a Bottle of Lon Lon Milk, one of the game's four Bottles (Items and equipment).

1:12 The Piece of Heart is in the storage tower at the back of the ranch. IGN's guide of Sep 19, 2026 shows the way: inside, push the blocks around to uncover a crawlspace, and the Piece of Heart lies in the hay beyond. Four Gold Skulltulas live at the ranch for child Link at night (Gold Skulltulas).

Ingo's ranch seven years later

1:06 When Link returns as an adult, Lon Lon Ranch belongs to Ingo. HaskieGaming's guide of Jan 11, 2026 sets the scene: Talon is gone, and Ingo, once the hard-working ranch hand who grumbled about his lazy boss, says Ganondorf put him in charge. Zelda Wiki adds that he plans to give Ganondorf the finest horse, Epona, and that Malon works for him so the horses are not mistreated. Ingo charges 10 Rupees for a minute of riding, and the first thing to do is play Epona's Song, the only way Epona lets Link near her. HaskieGaming's advice: ride once, then talk to Ingo during a second ride, when he says "You're getting better. How about a race?" (Zelda Wiki puts the race's fee at 50 Rupees).

2:38 The race is one lap of the ranch, and Link has to win it twice: after losing the first, Ingo bets Epona herself on the second. Epona can boost up to six times, shown as carrots at the bottom of the screen, and HaskieGaming's tip is to spend them slowly. Use one or two to pass Ingo, then tap A only when the carrots have refilled, and stay just in front of him so his horse pushes Epona along.

4:35 Ingo keeps his word but shuts the gates, so that Link and Epona can never leave. Link rides at a fence and jumps it, landing in Hyrule Field, and Epona is his. From then on, Epona's Song played anywhere in Hyrule Field calls her, and Link can shoot the Fairy Bow from the saddle. Afterward, Ingo turns the ranch back over to Malon, and Talon returns once Link wakes him again: adult Link finds him asleep in a house in Kakariko Village, and wakes him with the Pocket Cucco during the adult trading quest.

What Epona is for

While riding, Link cannot be hurt by most enemies and attacks only with the Bow. Epona is required for three things:

• Horseback archery at Gerudo's Fortress, open once Link has the Gerudo Token.
• The ten Big Poes of Hyrule Field, which Zelda Wiki says appear while Link rides Epona.
• Jumping the broken bridge into Gerudo Valley, although the Longshot can cross it instead.

17:17 At the horseback archery range, Epona gallops up and down on her own while Link fires 20 arrows at targets and pots. In IGN's guide, a bull's-eye or a pot is worth 100 points, and more than 1,000 points wins a Piece of Heart; a higher score also wins a bigger Quiver.

0:26 The Big Poes are adult-era ghosts that need the Fairy Bow, two arrows each, and a Bottle to keep each soul. IGN's guide of Sep 8, 2026 strongly recommends hunting them on Epona because they move fast; selling all ten to the Poe Collector earns a Bottle (Side quests, masks and minigames).

Back at the ranch, Malon offers adult Link an obstacle course: two laps on Epona, jumping every fence. Beating her record time, Zelda Wiki says, makes her send a cow to Link's house in Kokiri Forest, a free source of Lon Lon Milk.

Epona in the remake

7:28 Nintendo has shown Epona and the ranch, but not the race. The clips on Nintendo's Japanese site, which Nintendo Life collected on Sep 9, 2026, include Young Link beside Epona as a foal at Lon Lon Ranch and the paddock with the game's HUD, and this one: a rider on a horse crossing Hyrule Field under a full moon, then at dawn. The Sep 8, 2026 trailer shows adult Link on a rearing Epona and Young Link with Malon and a foal. Aonuma's demonstration ends at the ranch at sunset after Epona's Song calls a horse. Nintendo has not shown Ingo, the race or horseback archery in the remake as of Oct 14, 2026.

Epona is also part of the 40th anniversary merchandise. In the same Direct, Nintendo announced a LEGO set of Link and Epona from Ocarina of Time for spring 2027.

Frequently asked questions

How do you get Epona in Ocarina of Time? To get Epona in Ocarina of Time, learn Epona's Song from Malon at Lon Lon Ranch as a child, then return as an adult, play the song to call Epona, beat Ingo twice in a horse race around the ranch, and jump the fence when he locks the gates.

How do you play Epona's Song in Ocarina of Time? On the Nintendo 64, Epona's Song in Ocarina of Time is C-Up, C-Left, C-Right, played twice; on the 3DS it is A, X, Y, A, X, Y. Malon teaches it to child Link at Lon Lon Ranch.

Can child Link ride Epona? No: in Ocarina of Time only adult Link can ride Epona. As a child, Epona's Song only makes the foal come to him at Lon Lon Ranch.

How do you beat Ingo in the horse race? In Ocarina of Time, beat Ingo by spending Epona's carrots slowly: use one or two to take the lead, wait for them to refill, and keep Epona just in front of Ingo's horse. Link has to win twice, the second time for Epona herself.

Is Epona required to beat Ocarina of Time? No: Epona is optional in Ocarina of Time. She is needed only for horseback archery and the Big Poes, and the Longshot can cross the broken bridge in Gerudo Valley without her.

Is Epona in the Ocarina of Time remake? Yes: in Nintendo's Sep 8, 2026 demonstration of the Nintendo Switch 2 remake, Epona's Song calls a horse to Lon Lon Ranch, and Eiji Aonuma says "Link can ride a horse as an adult". Nintendo UK lists a "rideable steed" among its features.

Where is Lon Lon Ranch in Ocarina of Time? Lon Lon Ranch is in the middle of Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time, south of Hyrule Castle Town. It is home to Talon, his daughter Malon, the ranch hand Ingo and Epona.

Sources

• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Nintendo UK, read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary celebration revealed in new Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Switch 2 remake game videos reveal November 5 release, Anime News Network, Sep 8, 2026
• Epona, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Lon Lon Ranch, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Malon, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Ingo, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Talon, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Epona's Song, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• Big Poe, Zelda Wiki (community reference), read Oct 14, 2026
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - Mr. Aonuma Gameplay Demonstration, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - The Legend of Zelda 40th Anniversary Direct 9.8.2026, Nintendo of America, Sep 8, 2026 (video)
• Ocarina of Time Remake - EVEN MORE New Gameplay, Nintendo Life, Sep 9, 2026 (video)
• Getting Epona - Ocarina of Time - 100% Guide, HaskieGaming, Jan 11, 2026 (video)
• Understanding the Music of Ocarina of Time, Liam Triforce, Mar 21, 2024 (video)
• Zelda Ocarina of Time - All Ocarina Songs, Pure, Jul 13, 2012 (video)
• Zelda Ocarina of Time - All 36 Heart Piece Locations IN ORDER, IGN, Sep 19, 2026 (video)
• The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time - All Big Poe Locations, IGN, Sep 8, 2026 (video)