How to tame a horse in Ark: Survival Evolved – Equus Taming Guide

Mount up with the dino horse.
Image via Studio Wildcard

The survival-crafter title Ark: Survival Evolved offers a litany of creatures to tame — some fantastical, others steeped in archeology, and some are almost common. The Equus is one of the more grounded tames within the title, a horse-like creature with zebra-esque patterns, but the method for taming may surprise some players.

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The Equus is an ideal early-game mount — it’s quick, they spawn in relatively safer regions, and the taming is possible with just a few berries. They’re still suspect to certain actions: a raptor’s pounce attack can dismount players with ease, but in terms of early-game movement, it’s hard to do better.

How to tame the Equus in Ark: Survival Evolved

Screenshot by DoubleXP

The Equus is tamed as many passive creatures are within Ark, although it needs special foods. Ten different foods are accepted by the Equus (and its variants) for taming. Listed from least to most effective taming foods:

  • Berries (assorted)
  • Mejoberry
  • Dried wheat (Primitive+)
  • Soybean (Primitive+)
  • Fresh wheat (Primitive+)
  • Fresh barley (Primitive+)
  • Rockarrot
  • Simple kibble

In order to tame the horse, players will need to approach with the food on the far right of the toolbar. Wearing a ghillie suit will allow players to get close enough without spooking the creature, which is necessary for the passive tame to begin.

Related: Beginner’s guide to Ark: Survival Evolved

Once you feed the Equus once by pressing the interact button, press it again to mount the Equus. The Equus will begin to buck, and this starts the second phase of the tame where players will need to effectively break the horse. Press the interact button (‘E’ on PC) once when the horse begins to buck and watch for a second bucking session which will again need to be mitigated by pressing the interact button once.

The horse becomes unwieldy during this time: it may dash off cliffs, into lakes or oceans, or even into the jaws of a nearby Rex. It may behoove players, prior to beginning the taming process, to create a small pen around the creature (while wearing a ghillie suit) to ensure the tame doesn’t end with everyone dead. Players failing to break the horse, and getting bucked by not pressing the interact button in time, reduces the taming effectiveness much like an active tame taking damage during the process.

What is a Unicorn in Ark: Survival Evolved

Screenshot by DoubleXP

A rare mutation of the Equus is available in Ark, but there can only be one spawn on the entire map at a time. The unicorn is a notoriously rare creature within Ark. These creatures are tamed much as an Equus, with the only difference being a prominent singular horn on the forehead of the creature.

If you see a Unicorn, despite its relatively mediocre usefulness, it’s worth taming it. If nothing else, the rarity lets you flaunt your diligence in front of tribes with lesser luck.


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