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.
If you are looking to take on a quest and need horse upgrades, then check out some of the best saddles available in Red Dead Online.
8) Belanger Saddle
| 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, then 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. However, during this portion of the game it’s typically advantageous to purchase a new Horse instead of an upgraded Saddle.
7) Gerden Vaquero Saddle
| 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 some nice stats, and it can even be upgraded with Gold Bars.
Overall, this Saddle provides a steady increase over the early-game Belanger Saddle. However, by the time you reach level 42, you should focus on spending your time and money on Saddles unlocked through Professions.
6) Delgado Saddle
| 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 does offer some nice 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
| 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
| 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
| 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 is 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 some great cash.
2) Upland Saddle
| 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.
Sadly, 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
| 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.
