Key Takeaways

• Acquiring the best horses in Red Dead Redemption is crucial for efficient travel and gameplay.
• Players should start with more affordable horse breeds like Ardennais before progressing to the higher-tier horses.
• Unique horses like Famine, War, Death, and the Unicorn from the Undead Nightmare DLC offer special abilities for a fun gameplay experience.

The port of the much-awaited Red Dead Redemption is finally landing on modern systems. Players who lamented the console exclusivity of this title on past-generation consoles love the idea of jumping into this world after a long wait. The game is easily one of Rockstar’s best titles, setting the foundation for Red Dead Redemption 2 and letting that title knock it out of the park.

Players who want to figure out the best way possible to make the most of their adventures in the world of Red Dead Redemption would want the fastest mode of travel to get from point A to point B. This makes it important to tame the best horses in Red Dead Redemption so that John and Jack Marston have no problems scouring the world, hunting down bounties, and killing the remaining members of Dutch’s gang.

Updated on October 6, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Red Dead Redemption was a bold move for Rockstar, who used their open-world prowess to develop a Western action-adventure that is full to the brim with tense shootouts, stunning vistas, and memorable characters. John Marston wormed his way into the hearts of many with his gritty realism and zeal to be with his family after being caught up in the outlaw life. Hunting down the former members of his gang takes him down memory lane, from the familiar sights of the United States to the land of Mexico. To make his trek through the open world easier, players should make it a point to get their hands on the best Red Dead Redemption horses to make life easier for them in this harsh world.

19 Ardennais

A Graying Bay That Looks Pretty

While it can seem tempting to aim high and get the best steed possible in the game, players need to be a bit realistic here. They’ll need to play the game for a while before moving on to the best horses, and they’ll need something in the meantime to get them from point A to point B.

The Ardennais is a decent horse to help fill the gap until then. It’s a fairly unremarkable horse that is decent on all fronts, making it easy for players to traverse the world without spending a pretty penny. Thankfully, the horse looks unique enough that players won’t get too bored riding it.

18 Cleveland Bay

A Mahogany Bay That’s The Perfect Image Of A Tamed Horse

When people think of a horse that is friendly around humans, the steed they imagine will often look like the Cleveland Bay. It’s a simple, inoffensive horse that’s easy to procure and lets players enjoy a great time as they explore the countryside.

The Cleveland Bay is quite average, but that isn’t a bad thing in the slightest. If anything, players will love exploring the world with a horse that boasts a classic coat and is as reliable as can be. If players want to experiment or just save some money, this horse can even last them to the very end of the game, as long as they’re not too reckless with this beauty.

17 Dutch Warmblood

A Dark Hue and Some Dapples

One of the better-looking horses that players can control in the game is the Dutch Warmblood. This horse looks beautiful, and players will love roaming about the countryside with such a fine-looking steed by their side. The decent speed of this steed makes it a comfortable option that players can stick with for quite some time without any issues.

The Dutch Warmblood is as simple as it gets when people think about acquiring one of the many horses they can find in Red Dead Redemption. Acquiring one such horse will make for a reliable mount for players to call on if they want to explore the world without being too inconvenienced.

16 Welsh Mountain

A Chestnut Horse With White Stockings And Blaze

The majority of horse breeds in Red Dead Redemption can be bought for around $500 each. For the most part, these horses are fairly similar, with minor differences between them, making them fairly interchangeable for players and leaving it up to their personal preference to choose which is the best one of the lot.

The Welsh Mountain is one such horse that players will love to ride in the game. This brown-coated horse looks beautiful and is competent enough to help players move around the map without too many issues. That being said, it’s only a matter of time before players would want to move on to a better breed, although that would require a lot of work.

15 Turkmen

A Dark Brown Horse

The Turkmen is one of the many great horses that players can buy the deed for in Red Dead Redemption. This steed is decently fast and will carry players across the countryside without too many issues, although the fact that this horse isn’t all that remarkable is bound to rub some players the wrong way.

It helps that the horse’s dynamic dark-brown coat makes it even more beautiful to behold. It’s a simple and great horse that players can ride to make things easier for themselves when it comes to traveling the game world. As long as players aren’t obsessed with having the best mount around, the Turkmen should be more than suited to take care of their traversal needs.

14 Tobiano Pinto

A Brown Horse With A White Blaze

Out of the $500 horses in the game, Tobiana Pinto is one of the fastest ones in the lot, falling just short of the three best horse breeds in the game. The other stats of this horse are par for the course, and nothing really to write home about.

The coat of this horse is certainly unique, having a predominantly brown coat with notable white spots. Players who don’t mind exploring the world with a horse that can be bought easily will love how good the Tobiana Pinto feels.

13 Tersk

A Silver Horse With A Black Mane And Tail

Another fast, if relatively unremarkable horse that players can ride in the game is the Tersk, a breed that is as standard as they come. That being said, it’s a pretty fast horse breed and can achieve impressive speeds, letting players get to different points in the game world easily.

The most striking feature of the Tersk is its unique coat, which is the major reason why most people won’t have any problems riding this horse. The grey-white horse looks pretty beautiful and is a lot of fun to ride in the game world if players want to look as cool as possible while traversing the world of Red Dead Redemption.

12 Painted Standardbred

A Varnish Roan

The Painted Standardbred isn’t anything to write home about, and players will soon find better horses to traverse the open world with. However, this particular breed is still significant in a way that most people may not know about.

This is the first horse that Marston rides in Red Dead Redemption, being available during the mission Exodus in America. Players may move on to better breeds later on, but the significance of this horse can’t be downplayed regardless.

11 Quarter Horse

A Brown Horse With Shades Of White Scattered Here And There

Two-star horses are pretty common in Red Dead Redemption, so most people may not pay a lot of attention to the Quarter Horse. However, one thing that needs to be noted is that this horse is arguably the fastest of all the other breeds with this mediocre rank.

Given how cheap it is to buy one, players won’t mind shelling out $500 for it. Of course, this money can still be saved up if players want the very best horse breed this game has to offer. Still, this purchase is a justifiable one for players who don’t mind riding a horse that’s well-rounded in all areas and can easily carry them until the end of the game.

10 American Standardbred

A Dark Brown (Almost Black) Horse With A Black Mane And Tail

While the majority of horses in Red Dead Redemption can be bought regardless of whether they’ve been tamed or not, the same doesn’t apply to the three special breeds in each of the game’s regions. These horses are the best of the bunch, which is why taming them can be a challenge. However, this endeavor is worthwhile simply because of the sheer effectiveness of these horses and how they excel in one department or the other.

The American Standardbred is one such horse breed that players can find in West Elizabeth. Out of all the horse breeds in the game, this is the fastest one of the lot and will help players zip through towns and other areas of interest in no time at all.

9 Dark Horse

A Black Body, White Face & Muzzle, And Scars All Over

Not a lot of people play through Red Dead Redemption with low Honor, given how unattractive it is to play the villain in the first game. As a result, a lot of people have no idea of the Dark Horse’s existence.

At a low enough Honor level, players who don’t have a horse around can whistle to gain access to the Dark Horse. This evil-looking horse has a striking black coat, red eyes, and scars all over its body. It’s a rugged steed that is perfect for a character who isn’t afraid to tap into his dark side from time to time.

8 Kentucky Saddler

A Horse With A Cream Palomino Coat

While some players don’t mind having the fastest horse around, there’s something to be said about a steed that is more well-rounded in all areas instead of just excelling in one category. This is precisely what makes the Kentucky Saddler a blast to ride in Red Dead Redemption. Its high stamina is a boon for players who don’t want to stop sprinting no matter what.

After all, while a horse can be really fast, the point becomes moot if players have to slow down to a trot every few seconds to replenish the steed’s stamina over and over again. This issue becomes moot with the Kentucky Saddler, which can sprint for ages without showing any tiredness!

7 Hungarian Half-bred

A Pale Grey Horse With A Dark Muzzle

Just like its sequel, it’s only fitting that the best horse in Red Dead Redemption sports a white coat and looks striking to boot. The Hungarian Half-bred is an excellent horse that players can find and tame in Nuevo Paraiso.

The horse boasts the highest stamina of any steed in the entire game. Both its speed and health are also quite impressive. Players who want the best steed to roam around with in the game can’t go wrong with this spectacular white horse.

6 Undead Horse

Only Loyal To Undead Marston

At a glance, the Undead Horse certainly seems like a viable option to traverse the world. The game’s immaculate DLC adds this supernatural horse if the player’s current horse dies, but there’s a catch. This horse is as stubborn as they come and will constantly fight against the player’s control no matter what.

The only time the Undead Horse is loyal to the player is when they finish the Undead Nightmare DLC and unlock Undead Marston. It’s poetic that this horse is completely loyal to the living dead, with its unlimited stamina ensuring that players can traverse the familiar world of Red Dead Redemption without any worries.

5 Unicorn

Leaves A Rainbow Trail Behind

There’s a reason why so many people consider Undead Nightmare to be one of the DLCs ever released for a video game. The twist of a zombie apocalypse in the Wild West is pretty engrossing, and players can engage in a wealth of unique side activities to make the open world a blast to explore once again. This includes rounding up the Four Horses of the Apocalypse and hunting down the mythical Chupacabra.

Players who complete these two activities can find a Unicorn exploring the countryside in northeast Mexico. It’s a hardy horse that’s swift and has unlimited stamina. What makes this mythical creature so fascinating to ride is that it leaves a rainbow trail behind, which certainly adds a bit to the visual flair involved in riding this unique steed.

4 Famine

Attracts A Swarm Of Locusts

There are four mythical horses added in Red Dead Redemption via the Undead Nightmare DLC that serve as the Four Horses of the Apocalypse. These steeds feature endless stamina, fast speeds, and immense sturdiness that lets them absorb a ton of shots before they finally breathe their last. One such horse that players can find in the game world is Famine.

Along with all the qualities that have already been described, Famine attracts a swarm of locusts that follow this horse around no matter where players go. This is meant solely to add to the visual flair of this horse and serves no in-game purpose. In terms of speed, most people agree that Famine is the fastest of these four horses, making it a must-have for any player who wishes to travel across the countryside at breakneck speeds.

3 Pestilence

Stuns Undead With Its Sickly Presence

The Four Horses of the Apocalypse are a joy to control, adding to the novelty of the DLC and making it clear why so many fans can’t get enough of this amazing expansion. Players get an alert whenever one of these mythic horses is around, with Pestilence being one such steed that is a joy to control.

As one would expect from these special mounts, Pestilence is one of the best horses in Red Dead Redemption, boasting impressive stats that make exploration a non-issue in the game world. To make things better, the repugnant aura of Pestilence is so vile that nearby undead are stunned if they get too close to this horse.

2 War

Ignite Undead On Contact

Players who want the simple act of exploring the world of Red Dead Redemption to feel as metal as possible will love taming War in the Undead Nightmare DLC. There’s nothing better than controlling a horse that’s on fire all the time, even if it may be hard to believe that Marston isn’t affected by these flames at all.

The same doesn’t apply to the hapless undead who happen to stray in War’s path, who are set ablaze upon getting in contact with this horse. It’s one of the best horses in Red Dead Redemption for this reason alone, and it helps that its high stats ensure that players can explore the world without worrying about tiring this mythic steed out.

1 Death

Makes Undead Heads Explode After Bumping Into Them

Out of all the Four Horses of the Apocalypse that players can control, Death is considered by many to be the coolest ones of the lot. This steed has amazing stats across multiple fronts as one would expect from a mythical creature and leaves a trail of wind in its wake, making it even more fun to ride. However, there’s one particular trait of this horse that makes it such a blast to control in Red Dead Redemption.

Given the sheer volume of undead that roam the lands, it’s important to find a way to tackle these enemies without having to expend valuable ammunition or putting Marston in harm’s way. However, if players ride Death, then all they need to do is brush up against the undead while riding. Doing so causes the heads of these zombies to explode in a delicious display of gore that never ceases to be tiring and makes it clear why players can’t get enough of riding this unique horse in the game.