Red Dead Redemption 2: How to Brush Your Horse

Just as you can keep Arthur’s appearance in-shape by getting his hair and beard cut, taking a wash, and keeping him in the sickest threads in the west, the same goes for your horse. All of that galloping across the map can take it out of a horse and leave it looking worse for wear. Here’s how to brush your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Brushing Your Horse in Red Dead Redemption 2

Before you go about keeping your horse looking the best it can be, you’ll need to actually get the horse brush first. If you’re noticing that the ‘Brush’ option for your horse is greyed out, this is why.

How to Get the Horse Brush

You’re not going to have the horse brush from the very beginning of the game. You’ll need to continue playing through the main story until you reach the mission ‘Exit Pursues by a Bruised Ego’ where you’re tasked with getting a horse (or changing from your existing one) from the stables in Valentine.

Even if you choose to stick with the horse you have (though we do recommend upgrading it), the stable owner will throw in a free horse brush for your troubles.

How to Use the Horse Brush

With the brush now acquired, it’s simply a case of walking over to your noble steed, pressing L2 on PS4, LT on Xbox One and pressing left on the d-pad for PS4 and Xbox One.

If you’re already on the back of your horse, you can still give it a brush, but the way you go about doing it is a little different. You’ll need to hold L1 on PS4 or LB on Xbox One, and then press R1/ RB twice to get to the ‘Horse’ menu. Next, hold the right stick over to the right (3 o’clock) to highlight your Horse brush, then release L1/ LB to use it on your steed.

This will result in Arthur whipping the brush out and giving your horse a good clean. You’ll see clouds of dust coming off your horse, and if you’ve left it a while since you last brushed it, you’ll also be able to visibly see your horse get cleaner as you do this.

Why You Should Keep Your Horse Clean in Red Dead Redemption 2

There are two reasons you’ll want to make sure that your horse is brushed and kept clean. Regular brushing of your horse will increase your bond with it. This unlocks new skills and abilities you can use while riding your horse, such as rearing, skidding around corners, and drifting to name a few.

Outside of that, brushing your horse will keep it clean. If you let your horse get too dirty, it’ll begin taking damage to its stamina core, meaning it’ll get tired faster and be less effective when you’re riding about on it.

That’s everything you need to know about how to brush your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2. For more tips, tricks, and guides, be sure to check out our ever-expanding guide wiki. We’ve got hunting, fishing, and bounty guides, alongside plenty, plenty more.