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Red Dead Redemption 2

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All animals
Horse, Equus caballus
Wildlife

Horse

Equus caballus

Horse is in the compendium, but the wiki records no habitat for it.

Everything else that breathes, swims or flies. Habitat and loot are what the compendium asks you to fill in; the three-star carcass is what the trapper asks for.

Scientific name
Equus caballus
Habitats
Not stated
Carcass yields
Not stated

Player notes

The Horse, Equus caballus, is a domesticated animal species and the regular means of travel in Red Dead Redemption 2. Horses appear in a range of breeds, coats and pattern variations. Their movement and behaviour respond to their surroundings: they can shy from gunfire, snakes and dangerous animals, panic near steep drops, and resist being directed over a cliff.

Each breed differs in speed and health, while individual horses have their own temperament and performance traits. A horse carries equipment, crosses fences and other obstacles, and lets its rider use weapons while mounted. It can also lasso, drag or hogtie enemies, shoot at opponents, and trample them. Horses have stamina, and sustained spurring slows an exhausted mount before it throws its rider.

Wild horses gather in small herds across the wilderness and usually flee when approached. They can be broken to domesticate them, while other horses can be taken from hitching posts or riders. A horse that has wandered off can answer a whistle. Horses also pull stagecoaches, wagons and carts, providing the power that moves these vehicles.

Trivia

  • โ—†The horses in Red Dead Redemption utilize the Euphoria engine to create realistic procedural animation, an engine also utilized by GTA IV and Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.
  • โ—†Leaving a horse on the railroad while a train is coming will cause the horse to be violently killed: it will blow up in an unrealistic manner, similar to that of the Dastardly achievement/trophy.
  • โ—†If your horse is nearby while you're riding shotgun on a wagon, it may follow the wagon from behind until you reach your destination.
  • โ—†The player can shoot their horse in the head while riding. This will of course kill it, but can result in some amusing ragdoll physics of the character as they fall off.
  • โ—†If the player brings their horse up to sprinting speed and enters Dead-Eye, it can survive infinite shots to the head.
  • โ—†The one-star horses are the ones with their ribs showing and no muscles can be seen. The two-star horses have slightly more muscle, and the three-star horses have well-developed muscles and look very healthy.
  • โ—†In the original version, the Cleveland Bay will be Marston's default horse. However, in the Game of the Year Edition, the War Horse will be his default horse instead.
  • โ—†The War Horse is the only 3-star horse that doesn't need to be broken before its deed becomes available.
  • โ—†The Dark Horse becomes available if Marston's Honor level drops to Desperado and disappears if it rises back to above Drifter.
  • โ—†Once Marston's Fame level rises to Gunslinger, he will no longer receive a bounty for stealing or hijacking horses.
  • โ—†Horses will, on very rare occasions, die instantly due to geometry bugs; the horse will appear to drop dead for no obvious reason.
  • โ—†Marston will sometimes stroke the horse or adjust his saddle whilst standing still.
  • โ—†John takes a great liking to horses, preferring them over the automobile as a means of transport.
  • โ—†John and Jack Marston both have an aversion to killing horses. After shooting a horse, John says "I can only blame my childhood for so long". While skinning a horse, Jack says "Is this what I've become... a horse-killer?".
  • โ—†Shooting a horse's eye will not kill it, but rather, the bullet will go through the eye of the horse.
  • โ—†Several random encounters involve horses, including NPCs stealing the player's horse ("In Need of a Ride") or other NPC's horses ("Grand Theft Stallion").
  • โ—†Many of the noises that the horses make are common film stock sound effects.
  • โ—†NPCs may sometimes call their horses a name, such as "Abraham", "Annabelle", "Justice", or "Bessy"; they can also be heard shouting at their horse, for example "Woah, Annabelle, woah!" or "Giddyup, Annabelle".
  • โ—†The player killing their own horse will result in an Honor decrease, unless they are wearing the bandana.
  • โ—†Although every horse saddle in the game comes with a holster for repeaters, they do not function as anything other than aesthetic decoration, and there is not a single occasion where anyone actually uses them. This was eventually fixed in Redemption 2.
  • โ—†Only one horse is ever seen with male anatomy, in the mission We Shall Be Together in Paradise.
  • โ—†The only horses that can survive more than one attack from a cougar or bear (in the original game) are the Warhorse and Hungarian Half-Bred.
  • โ—†The three-star horses may occasionally appear outside of their confirmed area, such as a Hungarian Half-Bred in West Elizabeth.
  • โ—†Horses are typically more accurately colored in this game compared to Red Dead Redemption 2, but still noticeably lack chestnuts on the legs.
  • โ—†Strangely, there is a clear audible difference between the hoof impacts against paths/dirt (when trotting or walking) of the PS3 and X360 versions of the game. Whilst the PS3 is quite quiet and not very distinct in its representation of this, the X360 has deeper, louder and punchier sound effects which are clearly heard. This, and the differing shades of fire used on War in the Undead Nightmare expansion (as well as more grass present in the wilderness of the X360 version) are the only differences between the two console versions of the game. These differences also carry over to their respective successors (PS Now and Xbox One/One X).
  • โ—†The testicles of stallions will change size based on the temperature.
  • โ—†Unlike its predecessor, the different breeds have different body types: many wagon horses are of light draft type, commonly with feathering; Arabians have finer features, a shorter back, and the classic dished head; and the Shire towers over the others.
  • โ—†Horses have different "bond levels" that can be raised by petting, feeding, brushing, or simply riding them. Low-level bond horses will only come when called at a close distance, will flee from gunfire, and may kick out at you when approached from behind; high-level bond horses will stoically stand through a gunfight, never kick unless slapped on the rear, and can be called from a longer range. There are also various tricks that can be performed as the player bonds with their horse such as drifting, rearing, and skidding.
  • โ—†There are quite a few inaccuracies with the horse textures including the coloring of the rear to the crotch typically being the same as the rest of the fur, some instances of the entire mouth being an impossible color like brown, and the lack of chestnuts on horse's legs.
  • โ—†The player can own up to 5 horses and "stable" up to 3 of them when not in use. This can be useful, as some horses can be better at certain things than others: the player can get into a gunfight with a war horse, and switch them out for a race horse for hunting fleet-footed prey such as deer.
  • โ—†The player can lasso their horse to get it out of a water body or other terrain that is difficult for a horse to maneuver.

Wildlife

6
Alligatorย 
Armadillo (RDR 2)ย 
Badgerย 
Bat (RDR 2)ย 
Beaver (RDR 2)ย 
Bighorn (RDR 2)ย 

Last verified September 14, 2026