World
Horses
Your horse is how you cross the map, fight on the move and carry what you kill. Nineteen breeds come in six types, and the bond between you and one horse matters more than any single stat.
Checked Sep 30, 2026 · Sources: OfficialCommunityCGN
Types
Types and what they mean
Each type has a stat pattern. Stats are shown as bars out of ten, with seven the natural maximum before saddles and stirrups. Handling is how sharply the horse turns. Community
| Type | Breeds | Health | Stamina | Speed | Acceleration | Handling |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superior | Arabian | High | High | High | High | Elite |
| Race | American Standardbred, Missouri Fox Trotter, Nokota, Thoroughbred, Turkoman | Low | Low | High | High | Race |
| War | Andalusian, Ardennes, Hungarian Half-bred, Mustang, Turkoman | High | High | Low | Low | Standard |
| Work | American Paint, Appaloosa, Dutch Warmblood, Missouri Fox Trotter, Mustang | Average | High | Average | Low | Standard |
| Draft | Belgian Draft, Shire, Suffolk Punch | Average | Average | Average | Average | Heavy |
| Riding | Kentucky Saddler, Morgan, Tennessee Walker | Low | Low | Low | Low | Standard |
Bars are not the whole story A war horse stays calm under fire. A race horse is fast but tires quickly. Pick for how you ride, not for the biggest bar.
Bonding
You raise a horse's bond by riding, feeding, brushing, calming and patting it. Bonding has four levels. Bonding also keeps up to two of your horses from despawning when they are outside the stables. If the bond is weak, the horse may throw you and run when it is scared, taking your supplies and weapons with it. If a horse dies, you start again with a new one.
- Stats. Bonding adds a point of health and stamina and lowers unruliness.
- Nerve. Courage rises by one at each of levels 2 to 4, so the horse bucks and flees less.
- Moves. Bonding opens drifting, piaffing, rearing and skidding, and improves the whistle range and speed.
- Revive window. If the horse goes down, you have 12 minutes to revive it at the start, growing to 25, 30 and 60 as the bond rises.
- 100% completion asks for a bonding level of 4. Checklist
Care
- Brush your horse. An unclean horse drains its cores 25% faster.
- Feed it, and use tonics to fortify its stamina or health for a short time.
- Carry a horse reviver for a downed horse, and horse medicine for a hurt one.
- Killing a horse always costs honor.
Story Mode
The nineteen breeds
Rockstar's 2019 PC post added several coats to Story Mode, including the Warped Brindle Arabian, the Few Spot Appaloosa, the Perlino Andalusian and the Red Chestnut Arabian, plus three wild coats. Official Types come from a community reference. Community
| Breed | Type | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| American Paint | Work | |
| American Standardbred | Race | |
| Andalusian | War | The Perlino Andalusian came to Story Mode in 2019; it was Online-only before that. |
| Appaloosa | Work | The Few Spot Appaloosa is a Story addition from the 2019 PC release. |
| Arabian | Superior | The only Superior type, and the one the community ranks highest for Story Mode stats. Rockstar added the Warped Brindle Arabian and the Red Chestnut Arabian to Story Mode in 2019. |
| Ardennes | War | |
| Belgian Draft | Draft | |
| Dutch Warmblood | Work | |
| Hungarian Half-bred | War | |
| Kentucky Saddler | Riding | A Buttermilk Buckskin Kentucky Saddler joined the wild herds in the 2019 PC release. |
| Missouri Fox Trotter | Race or Work | Listed under both types by the community. |
| Morgan | Riding | A Liver Chestnut Morgan joined the wild herds in 2019. |
| Mustang | War or Work | Listed under both types by the community. |
| Nokota | Race | |
| Shire | Draft | |
| Suffolk Punch | Draft | |
| Tennessee Walker | Riding | A Gold Palomino Tennessee Walker joined the wild herds in 2019. |
| Thoroughbred | Race | |
| Turkoman | Race or War | Listed under both types by the community. |
Saddles and tack
Saddles and stirrups change how fast your horse's cores drain and how fast they refill. Stirrups can reduce core drain a lot, and the trapper's saddles are stronger than the ones in stores. Trapper saddles and stirrups can also add a point or two of speed or acceleration. Community
Unique horses
A few horses can be had only once. If you sell one, lose it or let it die, it is gone. Study and ride a unique horse before you sell it, and check the chapter guide for the ones tied to specific missions.
Red Dead Online
Online has its own stable, with more breeds than Story Mode. Rockstar's October 2026 event post, for example, discounts Gypsy Cob and Missouri Fox Trotter horses by 40%. Official The community list below shows breeds recorded as Online-only. Story and Online horses, tack and bonding are separate.
| Breed | Note |
|---|---|
| Breton | Online only, per the community list. |
| Criollo | Online only, per the community list. |
| Gypsy Cob | Online only, per the community list. |
| Kladruber | Online only, per the community list. |
| Norfolk Roadster | Online only. Rockstar's September 2026 event post discounts Norfolk Roadster and Arabian horses by 40%. |
| Scrawny Nag | Online only, per the community list. |