Kentucky Saddler is the best early pick. Bonnie gives John one during “Wild Horses, Tamed Passions,” and it rides Fast like the American Standardbred and Hungarian Half-bred. Once you own a deed, its breed stays on your Consumables menu, so you can switch to it again.
Deed tier
3-star deeds
Fast is the top ride for a standard deed, so this is where the wild-territory breeds sit.
American Standardbred
A black horse. Break one in the wild to unlock its reusable deed, then hitch a captured horse to a post to call it later.
- Ride profile
- Fast
- Deed tier
- 3-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- Wild in West Elizabeth. Its deed is sold at General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $1,500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Hungarian Half-bred
A white horse with a dark face. Break one in the wild to unlock its reusable deed, then hitch it to a post to call it later. The white stallion in "Love is the Opiate" is this type, and the mission asks you to deliver it.
- Ride profile
- Fast
- Deed tier
- 3-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- Wild in Nuevo Paraíso, with helpful search areas near El Matadero and Torquemada. Its deed is sold at General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $1,500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Kentucky Saddler
A golden pearl horse. Bonnie gives John one during "Wild Horses, Tamed Passions"; breaking one in the wild unlocks its reusable deed.
- Ride profile
- Fast
- Deed tier
- 3-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- Wild in New Austin. Its deed is sold at General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $1,500
- Edition / special status
- Bonnie's story gift and standard deed
War Horse
A dark brown horse with a white mane. Some versions give it to John at the start; access on the original release came through select pre-orders or free bonus DLC.
- Ride profile
- Faster and stronger than normal
- Deed tier
- 3-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- Some editions start John with it; its deed is listed at General Stores.
- Normal-mode base price
- Free / already owned when included
- Edition / special status
- Release-dependent bonus
Deed tier
2-star deeds
Some versions give you a Cleveland Bay at the start, so that breed may already be yours.
Ardennais
A medium brown horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Cleveland Bay
A brown horse with a white star and snip. Some versions give John one at the start; its reusable deed lets him call this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed, sometimes the starter
Dutch Warmblood
A black and brown dappled horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Highland Chestnut
A palomino horse with dark legs. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Lusitano
A red roan horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Painted Quarter Horse
A red Appaloosa with a white face. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Painted Standardbred
A brown varnish Appaloosa. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Quarter Horse
A chestnut horse with a white stripe on its face. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Standardbred Pinto
A white and brown pinto horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Tersk
A champagne-colored horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Tobiano Pinto
A tobiano horse with a white blaze. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Turkmen
A dark bay horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Welsh Mountain
A brown horse with white stockings and a blaze. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Normal
- Deed tier
- 2-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $500
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Deed tier
1-star deeds
Slow rides at a $100 base price. They're the cheapest deeds, and the ones to skip when speed matters.
Infested Ardennais
A sickly dark brown horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Slow
- Deed tier
- 1-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $100
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Jaded Tersk
A sickly grey horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Slow
- Deed tier
- 1-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $100
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Lusitano Nag
A sickly brown horse. Use its permanent deed from the Consumables menu to switch to this type again.
- Ride profile
- Slow
- Deed tier
- 1-star
- Wild territory / deed shops
- General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post, and Blackwater.
- Normal-mode base price
- $100
- Edition / special status
- Standard deed
Deed tier
Honor special
The Dark Horse has no deed and no price. Your honor decides whether it answers at all.
Dark Horse
It has more stamina and health than most horses. It stops answering whistles once John's honor rises above Drifter.
- Ride profile
- Mid-range speed, with no off-road slowdown
- Deed tier
- Special
- Wild territory / deed shops
- Appears when John whistles without a mount at Desperado rank.
- Normal-mode base price
- Not sold
- Edition / special status
- Honor special
The best horse and when you can get it
The best standard horses are the 3-star breeds: American Standardbred, Hungarian Half-bred and Kentucky Saddler. They're the only standard deeds that ride Fast, and their base price is $1,500.
The Kentucky Saddler comes from the early horse-breaking mission, “Wild Horses, Tamed Passions”. Bonnie hands John one there, so you get a top-tier horse without catching a wild one first.
These Fast breeds ride the same, so the wild territory decides which one you go after. War Horse is the other top-tier option if your copy includes it.
Where the fast wild horses roam
Each Fast breed roams its own territory, and coats help you spot them.
- American Standardbred: a black horse in West Elizabeth.
- Hungarian Half-bred: a white horse with a dark face in Nuevo Paraíso. Start your search near El Matadero and Torquemada.
- Kentucky Saddler: a golden pearl horse in New Austin.
Break a wild one of these to unlock its deed, which General Stores sell too. Then hitch the captured horse to a post, and you can call it back later.
What deeds cost and what changes the price
For standard horse deeds, ride speed and base price follow the star tier:
| Star tier | Ride | Base price |
|---|---|---|
| 3-star | Fast | $1,500 |
| 2-star | Normal | $500 |
| 1-star | Slow | $100 |
Those are Normal-mode base prices. High honor and Hardcore both change what you pay, and Hardcore doubles deed costs. A $1,500 deed costs $3,000 in Hardcore, so budget for that.
Standard deeds are sold at General Stores, including Armadillo, MacFarlane's Ranch, Escalera, Manzanita Post and Blackwater.
War Horse and your edition
War Horse is the one top-tier horse that depends on your copy. Some versions start John with it. On the original 2010 release, it came through select retailer pre-orders, and current packages include it through the Game of the Year bonus content.
In versions that include it, the horse costs nothing. If you play Hardcore, the War Horse deed costs $10,000 at any General Store.
Mules and multiplayer mounts
The shop's horse deeds include mule deeds too, but mules aren't horses, so they don't belong with the rest. Multiplayer mounts aren't part of Story Mode either.
FAQ
How do I get the Dark Horse?
Whistle with no horse out at Desperado rank, and the Dark Horse shows up. It's mid-range speed, and it keeps that speed off-road. It also has more stamina and health than most horses. It stops answering whistles once your honor rises above Drifter, and it isn't sold.
Is the white stallion in “Love is the Opiate” a special horse?
It's a Hungarian Half-bred, the same breed you can break in the wild. The mission has you deliver it, so think of it as another way to find that breed, not a separate reward.
Are the Four Horses of the Apocalypse in Red Dead Redemption?
They come from Undead Nightmare, a separate expansion with its own campaign. You won't find them among the Story Mode horses.