10 Best Horses in RDR2 (Story Mode)

Image: Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross

Human Made

My name is Gibson Vasela. I am a freelance writer who has been playing video games for almost 20 years now. I play all kinds of games, but I especially love immersive sims and RPGs.

Reviewed by Benjamin Barr

In Red Dead Redemption 2, horses are one of the most valuable assets to have. They are used for transportation and storing weapons. You’ll need a good, strong horse to get you around and to complete most of the missions in the game. But out of all the different horses that you can choose from, which ones should you get? Which ones have the best stats, and what ones should you bring for which situations? We will be answering all of these questions and more in this ranking of the 10 best horses in RDR2 story mode!

10 Best Horses in RDR2, Ranked from Good to Best

Let’s jump right into our ranking!

10/10

Tiger Striped Bay Mustang

Decent versatility

For our first pick, we have the Mustang. This is a sort of “jack-off-all-trades” horse. It has pretty okay stats overall and does not really excel in any one area. This makes it a pretty decent pick for any type of situation. If you don’t like switching horses based on each mission and prefer to just have one horse with you at all times, this is a good choice for you.

You can get this horse for free by finding it out in the wild and taming it. You can tame a horse by getting on it and then trying to stay atop it while it attempts to buck you off. If you can hold it steady, the horse will be tamed. You can find this specific breed of horse in the State of New Austin, near Fort Mercer (see the image above for the exact location).

9/10

Grey Overo American Paint

Decent versatility

For our next choice, we have the American Paint! This is a workhorse that’s pretty common out in the wild. It’s known for being pretty versatile, with decent stats in every category. Its health and stamina are slightly higher than its other attributes, so if you want another all-around good horse with slight bonuses in those categories, then this is the horse for you.

If you want the best breed of this horse — the Grey Overo American Paint — you’ll need to purchase it from the Tumbleweed Stable. It can be bought for a sum of $425, which is a bit spendy but not too expensive. The horse has several other variants that you can find for free out in the wild, but they have worse stats. One is the Splashed White, which still has good stamina. It can be found in the snowy state of Ambarino, which is located to the north of the map.

8/10

Reverse Dapple Roan Nokota

High speed
Low health

Next up on our ranking is none other than the Reverse Dapple Roan Nokota! This beautiful animal has great speed, but overall pretty poor stats in the other categories. It features a high speed and moderate acceleration, which makes it an excellent animal for outrunning enemies with. Its stamina and health is low. And its stats as a whole are a little bit less than some of the better horse breeds in the game. Still, it’s not a bad horse to get your hands on, especially early on in the campaign.

You can purchase this horse from a stable located in Saint Denis. It will cost you exactly $450, making it a great horse to get mid-game. If you want a cheaper version of this horse, you could instead get the Blue Roan breed. The Blue Roan Nokota can be found and tamed by the player by going to the State of West Elizabeth and going to the Flat Iron Lake.

7/10

Strawberry Roan Ardennes

High health
Low speed

Taking the next spot on this ranking, let’s take a look at the Ardennes war horse. It features great health for a horse, allowing it to take more damage when out in the field before falling. It also has good stamina, which is great when you need to travel long distances without stopping to rest. Another great thing about this horse is that it is not very skittish, and won’t get easily spooked in combat. Overall, this is a great horse to use for combat-focused missions.

To make this horse your own, you will need to dish out $450 for it. It can only be found and purchased from the Van Horn Stable, which is located in the northeast corner of the map. You cannot get this horse early game, and it can only be obtained once you reach Chapter 6 in the story mode. It cannot be found and tamed out in the wild like some of the other horses in the game.

6/10

Perlino Andalusian

High health
High stamina
Low speed

Moving down this list, our next choice is the Perlino Andalusian. With high health and high stamina, this makes another excellent war horse for you to take into combat. It features high bravery as well, meaning it is unlikely to buck you off during a fight or an encounter with a wild animal. One downside to this horse, however, is its low speed. Because of this, it is not ideal for missions or open-world activities that require you to be fast.

You can purchase the Rose Gray variation of this horse from the Van Horn Trading Post for $440. However, I recommend getting the Perlino breed instead. It has identical stats to the previously mentioned breed, but you can tame it in the wild. You can find the Perlino variant by going to Roanoke Valley, which is located in the State of New Hanover.

5/10

Brindle Throughbred

RDR2 Brindle Thoroughbred — Image: Rockstar Games via HGG / Koby Gibson Ross

High speed

Next up, let’s take a look at the Brindle Throughbred horse. This is a racehorse, and as you’d expect from a horse of this class, it features a good speed stat. The Brindle variant features the highest speed out of all the other Throughbred horses, sitting at 7. The health and stamina of this horse are a little on the low side, so be sure not to take this thing into any combat encounters if you can help it.

You can purchase this horse at any point in the game by visiting the stable located in the town of Strawberry. This is a small settlement located in West Elizabeth, which you’ll visit during Chapter 2 of the game’s story mode. It can be bought for a total price of $450, which is pretty good for a horse this fast. I recommend buying it in the early game if you want something to help you outrun the law.

4/10

Cremello Gold Dutch Warmblood

High stamina
Low speed

Coming up next, we have the Dutch Warmblood horse. This particular breed features high stamina, allowing it to sprint for a long period of time before needing to rest. However, it also comes with a lower-than-average speed. This means that it is good for traveling long distances, but only if you’re patient enough to wait for it to get there. I do not recommend it if you are planning on committing a crime, as there are better horses for outrunning the law.

If you want to get a cheap Dutch Warmblood, you can simply purchase the Seal Brown or Sooty Buckskin variant for the low price of $150. These breeds can be found inside the stable at the town of Strawberry. This town is located in West Elizabeth. Early on in Chapter 2, you will be given a mission taking you to that town to rescue a gang member named Micah. But the best version of the horse — the Cremello Gold — can only be obtained by completing The Veteran IV.

3/10

Dark Bay Turkoman

High health
High speed

For our next spot on this list of the 10 best horses in RDR2, let’s take a look at the Turkoman horse. This is a pretty well-rounded horse with decent stats in all categories. It does, however, feature a specialization in health and speed. Because of this, they make good horses for most situations. But it is especially good for when you are fighting and running away from Lawman.

You can obtain this horse for $925 from the stable in Blackwater. You cannot visit the town of Blackwater early on in the game without a bounty on your head, so maybe don’t get this horse until you reach the epilogue. If you can’t wait that long, then I recommend getting the Gold Turkoman variant instead. It can be purchased for only $25 more from the Saint Denise stable. This breed has identical stats, making it a great alternative to the Dark Bay breed.

2/10

Rose Gray Bay Arabian

High speed
Best stats
Very skittish

Taking the silver medal in this ranking, we have the Rose Gray Bay Arabian horse! This is a fast racehorse with good speed and acceleration. Combined with high stamina and high health, it’s a really great horse that is both fast and versatile. Many people consider this to be the best horse in the game, and I can understand why, as it has the highest stats overall. But I don’t consider it to be the “best” horse.

I feel this way because this horse is very, very skittish. It will buck you off very easily if you encounter a dangerous animal or an ambush. This can easily lead to you getting killed. So while it’s a great horse for getting around fast, I don’t think it’s the best overall.

You can only acquire this breed by going to the town of Blackwater and purchasing it for $1,250 from the stable located there. You cannot visit Blackwater until very late into the game, however. So if you want a variant with slightly worse stats, you can get the Black Arabian from the Saint Denis stable instead. This one will only cost you $1,050, making it a bit cheaper.

1/10

Amber Champagne Missouri Fox Trotter

High versatility
Best overall

And finally, the best horse in RDR2 is the Amber Champagne Missouri Fox Trotter! This is a hybrid between a race and a workhorse. It features really great stats, with a particularly high speed and good stamina. This makes it an excellent horse for getting around the map with.

The total amount of attribute points this horse has is slightly less than that of the previously mentioned Arabian. However, due to the fact, it can hold it’s own better in combat, I much prefer to ride this horse around instead. Due to this and its great stats, the Amber Champagne Missouri Fox Trotter is incredibly versatile and does not falter in any category. This makes it the perfect jack-of-all-trades horse for all situations.

You can obtain this horse for $950, which is slightly cheaper than the Arabian horses. It can only be purchased in the stable at Scarlett Meadows. You can find this specific stable in the State of Lemoyne and to the north of the city of Saint Denis.

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