How to Take Care of Your Horse (Feed, Wash, Brush) in Red Dead Redemption 2
Your horse is your best friend in Red Dead Redemption 2. It will get you out of jams time and time again throughout the game. You won’t really get far without it, and it absolutely sucks being stranded without one. Because of all this and so much more, it’s crucial that you take care of your horse.
Here are the best ways to do so, so you can keep its happiness up, and help the bond between you and your ride grow faster.
How to Feed Your Horse
Your big bad pony is your best buddy, and it’s going to go through many of the trials and tribulations you’ll go through. It’s going to get shot at, dirty, overworked and more. In a long chase, its stamina core is going to get drained, and if you take a few shots, its health core could get low too.
To prevent getting bucked, or worse, your buddy from dying, you’ll want to feed it regularly if its cores are low.
To feed your horse, approach it, and then press L2/LT to interact with it. Then, press right on the directional pad to feed it something from your inventory. Your character will default to something that benefits animals more than people, like oats, or carrots.
How to Pat Your Horse and Calm it Down
Giving your loyal steed a good ol’ pat every once in a while for a job well done will increase its bond faster. Again, simply follow the directions above for interacting, and then press Square/X.
Increasing the bond will help it learn new abilities, such as sharp turns and equestrian tricks. So make sure to regularly give your partner a little TLC.
Also, if predators or gun fire scares your ride, which is a pretty common occurrence in Red Dead Redemption 2, you can calm it down while riding by pressing L3.
How to Brush Your Horse
Your horse will get dirty over time and if you don’t brush it regularly, it will start to effect its stamina drain while sprinting. There’s really no reason to let it get to that point.
Just take two seconds to hop off your steed, interact with it, and then press left on the direction pad to brush the ol’ girl/boy until its clean. Most of your time in Red Dead Redemption 2 will be spent on your ride, so take good care of it!
How to Wash Your Horse
If you’re really lazy, and don’t feel like hopping off to interact with it, or you just forget and want another way to wash off your it while riding around, there is a second way.
You can wash your horse by riding through bodies of waters such as lakes and rivers. Make sure it’s deep enough where the horse can be mostly submerged. If you spent enough time in the water, your horse will come out all fresh and clean.
That does it for how to take care of your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2. Doing all of these things will help increase its bond with you and help it unlock new abilities and increased stats. So don’t sleep on it!
Check out our Red Dead Redemption 2 guide wiki for more tips & tricks.
