How to Get Epona in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time: Epona's Song, Ingo's Two Races, and the Secret Lon Lon Cow

Galloping across Hyrule Field on the back of Epona remains one of the most liberating milestones in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, whether you are revisiting the classic release or playing the Nintendo Switch 2 remake. While unlocking Link's trusted mare at Lon Lon Ranch is technically optional to roll credits, skipping her means missing out on the fastest traversal method in Hyrule and several major 100% completion rewards. Here is the complete walkthrough to learn Epona's Song from Malon, win both back-to-back races against Ingo, and unlock every secret tied to your horse.

Step 1 (Child Link): Waking Up Talon and Learning Epona's Song from Malon

The first half of the Epona questline takes place during Child Link's era, right after your initial meeting with Princess Zelda inside Hyrule Castle. Before Malon appears inside the ranch corral, you must clear the courtyard event so her father returns home:

• Hatch the Weird Egg and wake up Talon: Speak to Malon waiting near the vines outside Hyrule Castle courtyard to receive the Weird Egg. Wait until sunrise for the egg to hatch into a Wake-Up Cucco, then sneak past the castle guards to the milk crates by the northeastern moat. Use the Cucco in front of sleeping Talon to send him rushing back to Lon Lon Ranch.
• Visit Lon Lon Ranch during the day: Head into the center of Hyrule Field and enter Lon Lon Ranch in daylight. Walk straight into the central horse pasture, where Malon stands singing her mother's melody next to young Epona, who will shy away if you approach her empty-handed.
• Pull out your Ocarina in front of Malon: Talk to Malon three times until she introduces Epona, then pull out your Fairy Ocarina (or the Ocarina of Time) directly in front of her instead of pressing the regular talk button. She will teach you Epona's Song using the notes X, Y, A, X, Y, A on Nintendo Switch 2 (or C-Up, C-Left, C-Right, C-Up, C-Left, C-Right on Nintendo 64).

What if you already became Adult Link without learning Epona's Song? Don't worry: Epona is never permanently missable. Once you clear the Forest Temple and Sheik allows you to place the Master Sword back into its pedestal inside the Temple of Time, travel seven years back to the past, learn the song from Malon at Lon Lon Ranch, and return to the future.

Step 2 (Adult Link): How to Beat Ingo in Both Races and Escape Lon Lon Ranch

After pulling the Master Sword and waking up seven years later as Adult Link, head back to Lon Lon Ranch. Ganondorf has handed the ranch over to Talon's greedy farmhand Ingo, who plans to gift Epona to the Gerudo King. Before stepping up to the corral gate, make sure you are carrying at least 60 Rupees (10 Rupees for the initial ride fee plus 50 Rupees for the race wager), which is effortless to hold once you follow our Adult's Wallet and Giant's Wallet Gold Skulltula guide.

• Pay 10 Rupees and summon Epona inside the corral: Speak to Ingo at the paddock entrance and pay 10 Rupees for a 60-second practice ride. As soon as the timer starts inside the enclosure, ignore the generic brown horse, pull out your Ocarina, and play Epona's Song. Mount Epona with A, then ride over to Ingo and talk to him while still on horseback (do not dismount) so he challenges you to a 50-Rupee wager race.
• Master the 6-carrot stamina rule across both races: You must defeat Ingo twice in a row around the single-lap oval track. The biggest mistake players make is burning all 6 carrot boosts at once: if you spend the sixth and final carrot, Epona enters an exhausted state and takes significantly longer to recharge. Burn two carrots immediately off the starting line to take the lead, always keep at least 1 carrot in reserve, and tap A right as each spent carrot regenerates.
• Hug the inside fence and body-block Ingo: Stay glued to the inner wooden railing around every turn. Whenever Ingo tries to pass you on the outside, angle Epona slightly into his path to cut him off. After winning the first race, a furious Ingo demands a double-or-nothing rematch with ownership of Epona on the line: repeat the exact same carrot rhythm to beat him a second time.
• Leap over the locked ranch gate to break free: Sore from losing twice, Ingo slams the main Lon Lon Ranch gate shut to trap you inside. Back up down the dirt path to build momentum, line Epona up dead-center with the front entrance gate (or the outer western, eastern, or southern stone perimeter walls), hit full gallop with a carrot boost, and hold the Left Stick straight toward the barrier to watch Epona soar over the fence to freedom.

Epona Controls and Every Secret Use for Epona's Song (Free Cow, Gerudo Valley, and Big Poes)

Once freed from Ingo, Epona will gallop to your side anytime you play Epona's Song in Hyrule Field, Lake Hylia, or Gerudo Valley (she waits outside whenever you enter towns or dungeons). Beyond cutting travel time in half, your horse and her melody unlock five major gameplay perks, including the timed deliveries covered in our complete Biggoron's Sword trade sequence guide:

Written by Chaya "Chayane"

🧠 Deep Learning AI & Dev 🗽 New York & Montreal

Based on the outskirts of New York City, Chaya 'Chayane' spent five years studying software engineering in Montreal before returning to her home state. A Full-Stack developer and Deep Learning AI architecture researcher, she explores neural networks and algorithmic optimization while engineering data pipelines for Retrocharting and Gamescharting alongside Grimtag. A gamer for over 20 years and an avid collector of Nintendo history and The Legend of Zelda, she explored World of Warcraft's Azeroth before bringing her deep technical background to video game analysis.

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