Best Saddles & Stirrups (& How to Get Them)

If players want to get the best possible performance from their horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, then they are going to need to equip the best saddle and stirrups. There are countless saddles and stirrups, but the best of the bunch will offer players an immense increase in stamina, speed, and a reduction in drain rate.

The best saddle in Red Dead Redemption 2 will provide players with an immense performance so that they can beat any race, counter any lawman or bounty hunter, and reach their destination with the wind behind them at incredible speeds.

Purchased Stirrups will not work with Pre-Purchased Saddles from the Trapper.

1

Panther Trail Saddle

The Best Saddle That Only Needs a Perfect Panther Pelt

• How to Get: Trade x1 Perfect Panther Pelt to the Trapper (Found in South Lemoyne, near Old Harry Fen)

The Panther Trail Saddle is arguably the best saddle in Red Dead Redemption 2 due to its stats as a pre-purchased saddle. All players need for this saddle is a perfect panther pelt, and then they already have everything they need to dominate the competition. With so little required for this saddle, it’s a no-brainer when it comes to actually equipping this on your favorite horse.

The Panther Trail Saddle beats out the competition with its superior stats, boasting a massive increase to speed and acceleration, stamina regeneration, along with a reduction in stamina drain rate. No saddle compares to this beauty.

2

Bear Dakota Saddle

An Exceptional Saddle That Needs Just One Perfect Bear Pelt

• How to Get: Trade x1 Perfect Bear Pelt to the Trapper (Found near O’Creagh’s Run and in West Elizabeth)

The Bear Dakota Saddle is acquired after players manage to nab themselves a perfect bear pelt, and considering that’s all players need, they are already on their way to success. The Bear Dakota Saddle provides great stats for players, allowing them to easily negate the impact of stamina drain rates for the attribute and core.

Along with a slower drain of stamina, players can also enjoy a greater recovery of stamina regeneration along with a faster movement for the horse itself, providing a great performance for players all thanks to one bear in the wild.

3

Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle

A Great Saddle That Requires 10 Perfect Snake Skins

• How to Get: Trade x10 Perfect Snake Skin to the Trapper (Found South in Lemoyne, near Catfish Jacksons and in rivers like Bluewater Marsh and Kamassa River)

The Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle might be a tad harder to grab as a pre-purchased saddle due to the fact that it requires a whopping 10 perfect snake skins, and considering horses are skittish around snakes and they are so low to the grass that they can be hard to spot until Arthur gets bitten by one, this is a hard challenge to master.

However, those who do manage to grab all 10 perfect snake skins will be able to purchase the Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle, which is not the best of the pre-purchased saddles, but it’s certainly a fine choice indeed. The stamina regeneration is exceptional, as is the core Health drain decrease, and core Stamina drain decrease.

4

Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle

A Great Saddle for the Price of One Perfect Alligator Skin

• How to Get: Trade x1 Perfect Alligator Pelt to the Trapper (easily found in the Byou Nwa, Lemoyne)

The Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle will perhaps be the easiest saddle that players can craft at the Trapper, since it just needs one perfect alligator skin. Considering the Trapper is located in Saint Denis, and the outskirts of Saint Denis contains the Bayou Nwa, players are never going to be out of alligators to hunt.

The abundance of alligators makes crafting the Alligator Ranch Cutter Saddle all the easier, and the saddle itself provides great stat bonuses to the horse to warrant a faster performance as well as a more reliable trail at high speeds due to its increase in stamina.

5

Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle

Obtain One Perfect Boar Pelt for a Good Saddle

• How to Get: Trade x1 Perfect Boar Pelt to the Trapper (easily found in the Byou Nwa, Lemoyne)

The Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle is extremely easy to obtain, as perfect boars can be found almost anywhere in Lemoyne, but more easily near the Bluewater Marsh and upper region of the Bayou Nwa near Saint Denis. Such an easy animal to hunt with a rifle provides the Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle with just one pelt.

With the Boar Mother Hubbard Saddle, players are going to have an easy saddle to obtain that also has great stats that they can grab from as early as Chapter 2, upgrading the performance of their horse with stats to increase the stamina and health regen of the horse, along with faster speeds.

6

Gerden Vaquero Saddle (Improved)

A Superior Saddle for HP Cores

• How to Get: Purchased from any Stable for $85

While the Strenger Roping Saddle (Improved) might offer the best possible protection for core HP drain, the Gerden Vaquero Saddle (Improved) also gets the job done alongside great stats for the more important stat: Stamina. With the Gerden Vaquero Saddle (Improved), players will see an advantage to their health and stamina cores, as well as their stamina regeneration rate.

This saddle is best used on horses that don’t exactly have the best health cores, as although the increase to stamina regeneration is nice to overwork any steed, having a sustainable resource for the health core is essential for keeping horses alive, and it’s relatively cheap.

7

Gerden Trail Saddle (Improved)

The Best Saddle for Stamina and HP Drain/Regen

• How to Get: Purchased from any Stable for $80

The Gerden Trail Saddle (Improved) is a more expensive variant of the stock version, but far superior in every way. Gerden Trail Saddle (Improved) provides the best core stamina drain, core HP drain, and stamina regeneration for the saddles that are not pre-purchased, meaning it can be best used alongside the best stirrups.

Having the Gerden Trail Saddle (Improved) might not provide the same effects as the pre-purchased saddles, but it’s cheap and effective, and doesn’t require players to hunt perfect pelts so that they can use it.

8

Hooded Stirrup

The Best Stirrups in Red Dead Redemption 2 for a Faster Horse

• How to Get: Purchased from any Stable for $36

The Hooded Stirrup are without a doubt, the best stirrups in Red Dead Redemption 2. The one objective of the Hooded Stirrup is to increase the power of the horse for any challenge that awaits by upgrading the speed and acceleration rate, along with a reduction to the core drain rate for stamina.

The Hooded Stirrup boasts the best performance for speed, acceleration, and drain rate, and for such a low price of $36. Players who purchase the Hooded Stirrup are in for an easy and good time, but customized stirrups can only be used on saddles that are not pre-purchased like the animal pelt saddles.