In Red Dead Online, horses aren't just a means of travel. Horses have a lot of functionality outside of transportation and need a lot of maintenance. Horses carry all the player's weapons, carry his cargo, act as storage for hunted animals, and can be fitted with a lot of upgrades.
In addition to this, maintaining horses in Red Dead Online isn't the same as maintaining cars in GTA Online. As living breathing creatures, they are the most fascinating things any Red Dead Online player can own, as well as one of the most essential. Here are 13 horse tips every rider should know.
Updated on March 11, 2022 by Cole Podany: Since Rockstar's Red Dead Online added nine new types of horse races in 2021, having a strong, healthy horse to ride is more important than ever. Still, it can be challenging to take care of a horse with so many mechanics to balance. With new horse races being added and the stakes getting higher, beginner players may need some help picking out and caring for a horse, while many veteran players are looking to hone their strategy and optimize their game. By applying these 13 horse tips, outlaws of all skill levels will be able to win horse races, ride long distances, and fight off enemies with ease.
13 Buy A Horse With Good Stats
While keeping horses healthy is important, buying a horse with good stats in the first place will eliminate many of players' common woes about their transportation. That said, each horse breed has different strengths that will appeal to different players. American Standardbreds are a great choice for those who love horse races, for example, given their rapid running speed. On the other hand, Missouri Fox Trotters might be a good pick for those who often find themselves facing loud or wild foes; as these horses aren't easily frightened.
Though there are many horse breeds available in Red Dead Online, one breed stands out as the best. Players who can get their hands on an Arabian should do so, as they're the only horses in the game with an Elite ranking and have the best acceleration available. Outlaws riding an Arabian will have an advantage in almost every situation, but these horses are also the most expensive in the game, making them harder to come by.
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Keep An Eye On Horse Cores Consistently
Keeping an eye on horse cores is important, since most outlaws don't want to be caught off guard with a horse that can't hold its own. There are a number of things players can do to refill horse cores. Feeding the horse, brushing the horse, and letting the animal rest will fill up each core, but what's most important is keeping up with them consistently.
Many players keep track of their own cores, but tend to neglect their horse until its cores get low. This means nothing but trouble, though, and is a huge mistake, as a horse's cores are sometimes even more important than the players'. For example, if a player is attacked by another player while their horse's stamina core is low, they won't be able to make enough distance to protect themselves using their horse, possibly injuring themselves and their ride in the process. An outlaw who kept up with their horse's cores, on the other hand, would've been able to ride away safely, avoiding the attack altogether or finding time to fight back.
11 Feed The Horse Good Food Regularly
Feeding the horse regularly is critical to players' success in Red Dead Online, since the kind of food that an outlaw uses correlates to their horse's overall health and cores. Overfeeding a horse can cause it to gain weight, making it slow and sluggish, while underfeeding a horse will impact both its stamina and health cores. Over time, a severely underfed or overfed horse will likely perform poorly, causing a player to lose races or even fail to escape an enemy, potentially resulting in death.
Therefore, players should feed their horses regularly, making sure to use healthy meals like apples, hay, or oatcakes. These can be bought for cheap at any General Store in the Provisions section. Carrots make for a nice treat, too - plus, they can be found almost anywhere, with little need to purchase them with hard-earned money. Whatever outlaws feed their horse though, they should be sure to do it often. When players wait until their horse is underweight to start feeding it, it can take some time to regain weight, so keeping up with a horse's needs is critical.
10 Stabilize Horse Controls in Settings
On PC, the horse sometimes overrides the rider's controls as if it has seen a rat. The horse would do involuntary turns making for some frustrating moments. To fix the horse's unpredictability, simply go to Controls Settings for Keyboard and Mouse, set the Horse Controls to "Horse Relative" from the default "Camera Relative". Do the same for Horse Control whilst Aiming.
Besides fixing erratic horse maneuvers, this allows the rider to look freely around him without throwing the horse off course. This is especially useful when fending off pursuers on horseback.
9 Change Cargo Access in the Player Menu
Other players stealing horses is not something to worry about. Though other players can ride it and lead it, the horse will always come back to its owner in a whistle. What doesn't come back, however, are pelts and hunted animals. Other players can take away pelts and animals stored on the horse and make off with it.
This is very bothersome. To combat theft, simply change the Cargo Access option in the Player Menu to "Only Me." That way, the moment a pelt or an animal is placed at the back of the saddle, it is totally off-limits to other players.
8 Always Purchase Horse Insurance When Buying a Horse
When purchasing a horse, the rule is: Purchase the horse together with Horse Insurance, or don't purchase the horse at all. Though horse death in Red Dead Online isn't permanent like in the single-player campaign, it's still going to cost some veterinary fees to get the horse fixed up.
The one-time payment for Horse Insurance is a huge investment; since the rider doesn't have to constantly shed some cash each time his horse dies. Purchasing insurance also allows the rider to do wacky things with his horse without much consequence; like jumping off a cliff.
7 Upgrade the Saddle and Stirrups
Being an open-world multiplayer, players are more likely to invest in clothes and cosmetics before they give their horse some upgrades. Upgrading your horse's Saddle and Stirrups boosts the speed and acceleration of the horse. In addition, this lowers the stamina drain rate.
Since Red Dead Online players would be traveling most of the time across long distances, these horse upgrades are an essential investment to get places faster, and win races more consistently. A player should occasionally check the stables if he's unlocked a new Saddle or Stirrup for his horse.
6 Call The Horse Even On Wagon Delivery Missions
Calling a horse even while on a Delivery Mission will cause it to follow the player wherever he goes. This comes in handy in case the player chances upon a Perfect Quality animal he'd want to take with him to sell later.
Having the horse around will also act as a portable weapons stash in case the player accidentally took a non-lethal Varmint Rifle with him on a Delivery Mission. In addition, if the Delivery Wagon for Trader Goods breaks down, having the horse on the ready will save some time for delivering what's left; instead of still having to call it.
5 Always Hitch The Horse
Horses in Red Dead Online have minds of their own. So, while the player is spending hours in the General Store deciding on an outfit, unhitched horses will wander off, pick up some dirt, and lose weight. Hitching the horse doesn't only ensure the horse stays in one place; more importantly, horse cores regenerate much faster.
Additionally, hitched horses don't lose weight, and they don't pick up dirt. Hitching the horse is a good way to maintain horse cores, and increase the bond with it. A horse should also be hitched when doing stealth missions. A well-bonded horse will follow its rider, but also blow his cover.
4 Always Brush the Horse
A dirty horse's Health Core drains faster than if he was cleaned up. Like in real life, horses naturally pick up dirt. Whether it be from riding them through grasslands and forests, or just simply leaving them unhitched, dirt will always accumulate on the horse. This makes the horse brush a great purchase for beginners.
In addition to having them hitched, always brush the horse until they can't be brushed anymore. This removes the debuff dirt causes to the horse's health core. Like hitching, brushing the horse will increase Horse Bonding with the player, and also give the horse a shinier well-maintained coat.
3 Maintain Distance from Predators
When riding through forests at night, dangerous predators like wolves will ambush the rider. When this happens, a rider tends to charge head-on to the wolf pack with his horse and a shotgun. In engaging the wolves in close-quarter combat, the horse will get spooked, buck the rider off, and gallop away. This leaves the rider hitting the dust hard, surrounded by wolves to be mauled.
An alternative approach to wolves, or any other predator for that matter, is to have a rifle ready upon hearing them. Upon seeing the predators, the rider should ride away, putting some distance between them. From there, the rider will have a lot of time to shoot the pursuing predators down as they near him. This puts the rider at less risk of being bucked off and eaten.
2 Horses Can Swim
In the absence of a boat or canoe, a horse is a good alternative to cross rivers. A horse can swim great distances of water depending on its Stamina Core, Stamina Bar, and Stamina Drain Rate. As a Collector, this is very useful in reaching Bird Eggs that are on an island, or just simply exploring what's beyond the water.
It can also save time by crossing the river directly instead of galloping a mile to the nearest bridge. Riding a horse through water also cleans the horse similar to brushing - just be sure to feed it Hay to replenish the Stamina Core afterward.
1 Use More Horses When Carrying Items
If the Hunting Wagon hasn't been bought yet, the player can double his cargo capacity for hunted animals with this trick, making hunting easier. A horse can hold a maximum of one large animal (or pelt) and two medium-sized ones. A player can utilize all cargo slots on his main horse, and then steal another horse.
On the stolen horse, the player can fill its cargo slots with animals. However, stolen horses do not follow the player when whistled at in online mode. So, the player has to ride the stolen horse to the Butcher or to Cripps and have his main horse follow him by whistling.
Red Dead Online is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Stadia.