A player pulls a horse in front of a sprawling hillside in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Image via Rockstar Games

Best Saddles in Red Dead Online, ranked

Time to saddle up.

John Wildermuth

Published: Jul 24, 2024 12:24 am

While taming the right horse is necessary for traveling around the world of Red Dead Online, equipping your trusted steed with the right gear is equally important. Saddles are a great way of visually customizing your horse, while also providing significant buffs to their stamina and health.

8) Belanger Saddle

An image of the Belanger Saddle from Red Dead Online. — An early-game upgrade. Image via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-15 percent	+11 percent	-11 percent	N/A	$217	None

If you have just entered the world of RDO and don’t know which Saddle to purchase, the Belanger is a great starting place. For just $217 you’ll equip your horse with a decent boost to their general stats.

The best stat this Saddle provides is a decrease to your Health Core Drain Rate, meaning your horse will be physically tougher. During this portion of the game, though, it’s typically advantageous to purchase a new horse instead of an upgraded Saddle.

7) Gerden Vaquero Saddle

An image of the Gerden Vaquero Saddle in Red Dead Online. — For higher level players. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-14 percent	+16 percent	-16 percent	N/A	$94	Level 42

If you would rather level up than spend large sums of money, the Garden Vaquero Saddle is a respectable choice. For the small cost of just $94 you can purchase a Saddle with nice stats, and it can even be upgraded with Gold Bars.

Overall, this Saddle provides a steady increase over the early-game Belanger Saddle. By the time you reach level 42, however, you should focus on spending your time and money on Saddles unlocked through Professions.

6) Delgado Saddle

An image of the Delgado Saddle from Red Dead Online. — A stylish Saddle for a Bounty Hunter. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-22 percent	+32 percent	-22 percent	N/A	$525	Become a Bounty Hunter

While the Delgado Saddle offers decent stats, it’s also the first Saddle on the list that requires a Profession to buy. In RDO, Professions are jobs that help you generate large amounts of money, but you can only join these Professions by spending a premium currency called Gold Bars.

In this instance, the Delgado Saddle can be unlocked by becoming a Bounty Hunter, and then spending Job Points in the progression menu. While the visual appearance is striking, there’s another Saddle unlocked through the Bounty Hunter Profession that offers much more.

5) Ivers Saddle

An image of the Ivers Saddle from Red Dead Online. — Moonshinin’ has some perks. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-24 percent	+24 percent	-34 percent	N/A	$550	Become a Moonshiner

If you are looking to open a bar in RDO, then consider becoming a Moonshiner. On top of creating your very own alcohol, you’ll also gain access to the Ivers Saddle. This green and red Saddle may be visually jarring for some players, but it offers respectable buffs to your horse. There are more expensive Saddles that provide better stats, so we recommend picking the Ivers Saddle only if you love its visual appearance.

4) Foxmore Saddle

An image of the Foxmore Saddle from Red Dead Online. — For animal lovers everywhere. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-22 percent	+30 percent	-32 percent	N/A	$570	Become a Naturalist

Naturalists are one with nature, finding ways to sedate animals and test them for cutting-edge scientific purposes. This Profession comes with the swanky Foxmore Saddle, the perfect option for protecting wildlife while looking stylish.

On top of the aesthetic of the Foxmore Saddle, it also features powerful stats. While the Health Regeneration may be lower than others, it makes up for it with seriously high Stamina Regeneration. This is perfect for chasing down skittish animals in the forest—but make sure your horse doesn’t take too much damage.

3) McKinney Saddle

An image of the McKinley Saddle from Red Dead Online. — Perfect for Collectors. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-34 percent	+20 percent	-34 percent	N/A	$525	Become a Collector

Since Collectors spend most of their time on the road, it’s no surprise the McKinney Saddle ranks so highly. This job-specific Saddle lets you speed across the map, with high stats in all categories except for Samina Drain Rate.

To unlock this saddle you’ll have to fork over a sizeable amount of money, and already be employed as a Collector. The Collector Profession tasks the player with traveling around the map to find rare collectibles, which can then be sold to Madame Nazar for cash.

2) Upland Saddle

An image of the Upland Saddle from Red Dead Online. — Nothing is more expensive. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-24 percent	+30 percent	-30%	-65 percent	$625	Become Bounty Hunter rank 20

The Upland Saddle has the best stats in the entire game, allowing your horse to regenerate health and stamina almost instantaneously. Furthermore, the Saddle features a hefty decrease to the drain rate of your health and stamina cores, so you won’t have to worry about feeding your horse as often.

The Upland Saddle comes with stirrups already pre-equipped, meaning you cannot upgrade your Stamina Drain rate beyond -65 percent. Furthermore, this Saddle is difficult to unlock, as it’s not only the most expensive but also requires you to reach rank 20 in the Bounty Hunter profession. To become a Bounty Hunter you’ll have to spend Gold Bars, then track down hundreds of Wanted Criminals to raise your rank.

1) Nacogdoches Saddle

An image of the Nacogdoches Saddle from Red Dead Online. — The best in the game. Screenshot via Dot Esports.

Health Core Drain Rate	Stamina Regen Rate	Stamina Core Drain Rate	Stamina Drain Rate	Cost	Requirements
-20 percent	+20 percent	-18 percent	-35 percent	$512.50	None

At first glance, the Nacogdoches Saddle has stats that appear to fall behind others, but its robust customization options keep the Saddle securely in the top spot.

Most notably, the Nacogdoches Saddle has a base Stamina Drain Rate that can be further upgraded by purchasing Stirrups. By spending your hard-earned cash on the Hooded Stirrups, you can boost the Stamina Drain Rate to –85 percent. This means you can gallop across the entire map on your trusty steed without worrying about the horse’s stamina running low.

On top of this massive stat increase the Nacogdoches Saddle is also incredibly easy to unlock. You don’t need to join any RDO profession to purchase this great Saddle, though you will have to hand over some cold hard cash.

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Author

John Wildermuth

John is a graduate from the University of California, Los Angeles and wields a degree in English. He is constantly staying up to date on the latest and greatest games, and has been writing about gaming for over a year now. When he is not playing games, he can be found reading sci-fi and fantasy books or working on ceramics.