Your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 is your primary way of getting around the massive open world, so you'll want to improve your steed whenever you can by using the best Saddles to improve its stats. Horses transport you across the environment and participate in intense chases against other mounted enemies. Having a better Saddle than someone else may help you win future gunfights on horseback.
A Saddle improves your horse's Stamina core and Stamina Regeneration while decreasing the rate at which your steed's Health core drains. The Tack of your Horse refers to the other upgrades or changes you can apply to the mount, including Saddles but also Saddlebags, Stirrups, and more. Saddles are divided into purchased and pre-purchased types, with the former being the only kind you can improve.
Not every Saddle can improve your horse's speed to travel across Red Dead Redemption 2 's large world map . If you want customization options that consistently make your horse faster, look into what Stirrups you can get.
13 Nuevo Paraiso Saddle
Gain A Special Saddle Right Away
Nuevo Paraiso | -12% | -12% | +12% | +1 | Purchase the Special or Ultimate Edition |
The Nuevo Paraiso Saddle is one you get from purchasing the Special or Ultimate edition of Red Dead Redemption 2. This Saddle is given to you from the start of the game, giving you a great piece of equipment to use early in your adventure. You don't need to spend any money or gather rare resources to craft Nuevo Paraiso, so it can be a fantastic item to use before you get a stronger Saddle.
Nuevo Paraiso is far better than some of the other Saddles you can get early, allowing you to save money on other important gear. While upgrading Saddles later on will get you better ones in the future, you can save up for those improvements ahead of time by using Nuevo Paraiso as a placeholder. Like other pre-purchased Saddles, you will have to get it from the Trapper NPC first before you can start using it.
12 Lumley Ranch Cutter Saddle (Improved)
Stay Alive For Longer While On Horseback
Lumley Ranch Cutter Saddle | -12% | -14% | +14% | $75.00 |
One of the best earlygame Saddles to improve is the Lumley Ranch Cutter, which boasts slightly better HP Drain and Stamina Regen than other horseback equipment. This Saddle is great for those struggling to survive firefights while on their steed. Since you can get this Saddle earlier in Red Dead Redemption 2, it is something worth getting to prepare for missions where you need to be upon your mount while shooting.
Speed is not as much of a focus with the Lumley Ranch Cutter Saddle, as it tends to favor a more reckless playstyle. This Saddle can be great when you're about to rob a train, or go up against a Gang Hideout in Red Dead Redemption 2 where many of your enemies have horses of their own. Since earlygame gear can offer only limited protection, this Saddle can at least make you last longer in fights when you get overwhelmed.
11 Kneller Dakota Saddle (Improved)
Focus On Light Stamina Recovery For A Cheap Cost
Kneller Dakota Saddle | -16% | -12% | +14% | $72.00 |
Another strong purchased Saddle is the Kneller Dakota, which focuses on Stamina preservation more than HP protection. Notably, this is one of the cheapest Saddles to improve when compared to the other ones you can purchase in Red Dead Redemption 2. As a result, it can be a great one to get before the earlygame ends as you transition to more challenging areas during the game's story.
Most Saddles work best when complimenting a particular horse you've tamed. For example, the Kneller Dakota Saddle can be used with a horse with high Stamina to synergize with the item's best stat effects.
This Saddle is better for exploration and escaping fights rather than combat with various enemies. The Core HP Drain on this Saddle is low, so don't expect to survive longer while using this piece of equipment if you get into a shootout. However, if you need to get from one place to another fast, this Saddle can be a good tool to cut down on travel time as you try to reach new areas.
10 Gerden Vaquero Saddle (Improved)
Have Your Horse's Stamina Recover Fast
Gerden Vaquero Saddle | -16% | -14% | +16% | $85.00 |
The Gerden Vaquero Saddle is one of the many pieces of equipment for your horse you can buy from different vendors throughout the game. From the stock of certain salespeople, you can buy this item for $51.00, but you can improve it later to make its bonuses stronger. This Saddle prioritizes Stamina Regeneration, allowing your horse to recover faster as you gallop around the map's various landscapes.
Since this Saddle is a purchased gear piece for your steed, you can add other customizations like Stirrups. While Bedrolls, Horns, and Blankets are purely cosmetic changes to your horse's appearance, Stirrups to improve your mount's speed cannot be added alongside every Saddle. No matter which of the horse types in Red Dead Redemption 2 you're using, every gear part you add can make it better.
9 Stenger Roping Saddle (Improved)
Prevent Your Horse From Dying
Stenger Roping Saddle | -12% | -18% | +16% | $78.00 |
Another upgraded equipment gear piece is the Stenger Roping Saddle for those looking to enhance their steed's health. Originally costing $47.00, this item helps keep your horse alive from enemy gunshots or the claws of dangerous animals you encounter on your travels. Like Arthur, horses use an HP Core that drains when the creature is attacked, leading to the animal's death when it reaches 0.
Several missions require you to get into combat while riding your horse throughout Red Dead Redemption 2 's story. Try to anticipate when these missions happen to switch out your Saddle for one with higher Core HP Drain so you can survive a firefight longer.
Unlike the main character, horses do not get to respawn when they die, so there's always a risk of losing your favorite mount during combat. Saddles do not increase a horse's max health but rather improve its defenses to reduce the total damage it takes from enemy attacks. The extra benefits to Stamina from this Saddle make it far stronger than other horse equipment in Red Dead Redemption 2.
8 Gerden Trail Saddle (Improved)
Enhance All Stamina Stats
Gerden Trail Saddle | -18% | -12% | +16% | $80.00 |
The Gerden Trail Saddle acts as a foil to the Stenger Roping Saddle, trading Core HP Drain for a better Core Stamina Drain instead. At the end of the day, the main purpose of a horse is to get you from Point A to Point B fast as you explore the open world. When horses have improved Stamina and better Stamina recovery, they can always get you wherever you want to go much faster than you'd expect.
As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator TagBackTV , you can check to see the stats between the stock and improved versions of a purchased Saddle through the menus in your Stable.
This Saddle is an upgraded version of the stock Gerden Trail Saddle, which costs $48.00 to purchase from vendors in the game. This Saddle is perhaps the best among the standard ones in Red Dead Redemption 2 since it focuses on improving your horse's most important qualities. Unfortunately, it does not enhance the speed of your mount, unlike the special pre-purchased Saddles you can obtain.
7 Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle
Collect Animal Parts To Craft A Powerful Saddle
Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle | -20% | -22% | +20% | +2 | Perfect Boar Pelt x1 |
Pre-purchased Saddles like the Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle improve your horse's Speed and Acceleration Rate stats on top of the normal buffs of the equipment. Those looking for the fastest horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 should consider using these types of Saddles to boost their mount's agility. Having a swifter mount can help you outpace enemies who pursue you on horseback or get to locations faster.
All the pre-purchased Saddles give you -50% Stamina drain as part of their passive bonuses. The only exception is the Nuevo Paraiso Saddle, which you can only get by buying the Special or Deluxe version of the game.
This type of Saddle, and others like it, can only be acquired by using the right crafting materials with the NPC Trapper. You have to collect resources to make pre-purchased Saddles, usually from the Perfect Pelts of animals. As you can see in the above video by YouTube creator YoungBrothers, you only need to bring back the required material to Trapper once you have it to get the Saddle for free.
6 Cougar McClelland Saddle
Mountain Lion Pelts Can Improve Endurance
Cougar McClelland Saddle | -22% | -20% | +20% | +2 | Perfect Cougar Pelt x1 |
The Cougar McClelland Saddle is only slightly better than the Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle since it sacrifices Health for Stamina. Once again, Stamina is the most important aspect of a horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, so you'll want equipment that improves those traits. Pre-purchased Saddles cannot be used with Stirrups, but keep in mind that the speed buff these Saddles provide is usually better than other horse gear.
This time, you need a Perfect Cougar Pelt to craft the Saddle rather than a Perfect Boar Pelt like before. As anyone who completed the Herbalist challenges in Red Dead Redemption 2 can tell you, tracking down and hunting animals can be difficult if you don't know where to look. Try to explore mountainous regions to find cougars whom you can harvest Pelts from and refine them into the item you need back at your camp.
5 Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle
Reptile Skin Can Improve Durability
Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle | -20% | -24% | +22% | +2 | Perfect Alligator Skin x1 |
The more dangerous the animal, the more powerful the Saddle you can make using parts harvested from it. The Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle is the first of a few pre-purchased Saddles that establish that idea, with stronger Core HP Drain and Stamina Regen for your horse. Hunting down an Alligator near bodies of water may be dangerous, but the material given to Trapper for this Saddle makes the risk worth it.
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This Saddle has very high HP Core Drain compared to most Saddles, even other pre-purchased ones. Equipping this Saddle to your mount allows you to last much longer in fights, so think about using this item when engaging with strong enemies. If you need to hunt down other dangerous animals for other pre-purchased Saddle parts, you may want to use the Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle to make that process easier.
4 Bear Dakota Saddle
Heavier Pelts Create A Stronger Horse
Bear Dakota Saddle | -24% | -22% | +20% | +2 | Perfect Bear Pelt x1 |
One of the most balanced Saddles you can get from Trapper is the Bear Dakota Saddle, an equipment piece that does a little bit of everything. While it does prioritize reducing Stamina drain, the stat improvements to HP Drain and Stamina Regen are far better than any Saddle you could buy from a vendor. With the normal pre-purchased Saddle speed boost, your horse won't have to worry about too many dangers.
3 Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle
Hunt Down Snakes For This Saddle
Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle | -24% | -22% | +24% | +2 | Perfect Snake Skin x10 |
The Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle boasts an even better spread of stat improvements than the Bear Dakota Saddle, with the same buff to Core HP drain but more emphasis on Stamina bonuses. However, while this Saddle may be a jack-of-all-trades, that also makes it a master of none. This Saddle will undoubtedly be stronger than anything you can purchase from a vendor, but it is not the absolute best one you can find.
Unlike many of the other pre-purchased Saddles from Trapper, you need to have more than one Perfect Skin to get this item. 10 Perfect Snake Skins are needed to obtain this Saddle, which can be difficult to craft due to how elusive snakes can be to find. One of the coolest animals to hunt in RDR2 is easier to find from some of the locations shown in the above video by YouTube creator Craig Thomas.
2 Beaver Roping Saddle
Maximize Your Horse's Health
Beaver Roping Saddle | -20% | -26% | +24% | +2 | Perfect Beaver Pelt x1 |
Despite the smaller bonus to Core Stamina Drain, the Beaver Roping Saddle more than makes up for this underwhelming stat change with a huge boost to your horse's defenses. No other Saddle in the game can keep your horse alive longer than this piece of equipment. With only one Pelt being needed to get this item from Trapper, it can be fairly easy to acquire due to the abundance of Beavers you can find on your map.
If you are struggling to find Beavers or particular animals needed for pre-purchased Saddle parts, try to remember what their favored habitats might be. For examples, Beavers tend to make dams close to or within various bodies of water.
1 Panther Trail Saddle
Make Your Horse Always Recover Fast
Panther Trail Saddle | -26% | -20% | +24% | +2 | Perfect Beaver Pelt x1 |
Once again, prioritizing the reduction of Stamina Drain will help you in the long run, making the Panther Trail Saddle the best gear you can equip for your horse. Although your horse may not last as long in direct conflict with enemies, it can easily outpace anything chasing you for a quick escape. The recovery of Stamina and preservation of the same resource during a fight can mean the difference between life and death.
Open-world exploration is less tedious with a horse whose running doesn't drain Stamina as fast, especially as you need to reach areas further and further away from your current location. The ability to recover Stamina fast also gives you more bursts of speed when you need it in horseback firefights. The best Saddles in Red Dead Redemption 2 are the ones that make your mount able to adapt to more situations.
Source: YoungBrothers/YouTube, TagBackTV/YouTube, Craig Thomas/YouTube
Released October 26, 2018
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