The best saddles in Red Dead Online

Nacogdoches and the runners up.

Screengrab via Rockstar

What are the best Saddles in Red Dead Online?

There are a plethora of Saddles and Saddle upgrades to get your head around in Red Dead Online. In this list, we’ve outlined what the best sales in each major category are. Take a look at the stats on each one and decide whether it suits your play style or not before buying it.

Nacogdoches Saddle

Stamina Regen Rate: +20%
Stamina Drain Rate: -35%
Stamina Core Drain Rate: -18%
Health Core Drain Rate: -20%
Price: $512

The Nacogdoches Saddle is the best in Red Dead Online. It unlocks early at rank 35. At $512, it’s one of the most expensive Saddles in the game. Price-wise, it falls behind the role Saddles and the gold-only Special Saddles, and at the rank it unlocks, costs more than most horses you can buy. It is the best Saddle and worth the investment if you have the money. It’s the only Saddle that adds three bars of speed and acceleration and reduces the stamina drain rate by 35%. This statistic is independent of the stirrups and will stack with added stirrups. It is not the only Saddle that adds a drain rate reduction, but the only one that can also have the stirrups added. Considering how early it is unlocked and that it does not cost gold, it makes it the best Saddle available in Online.

There are a couple of downsides to the Nacogdoches Saddle: the core drain rates are pretty poor. It is outmatched in terms of regeneration rate and core drain rates by many other Saddles. The second is a matter of opinion: the Saddle is ugly, and the few good color options it has do not make up for the terrible pattern and design. Both are worth the extra boost to stamina.

Role Saddles

All of the Role Saddles are worth buying. On average, the core drain rates are very good, and their stamina regeneration remains one of the best. They’re also the most expensive Saddles in the game. They are not the Nacogdoches Saddle and will not decrease the stamina drain, but you will not notice it with the use of Hooded Stirrups. We use several of them with Hooded Stirrups, and the stamina is still almost infinite with soothing.

The Role Saddles’ stats vary based on the role. The Trader Saddle is a good all-around Saddle with strong stats overall, while the Bounty Hunter Saddle prioritizes stamina regeneration over the other stats, and the Collector Saddle has the best core drain rates but a low stamina regeneration rate. They’re all top-tier Saddles — regardless and depending on your preference — that are worth the cost.

Foxmore Saddle (Best Naturalist Role Saddle)

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -32%
Health Core Drain Rate: -22%
Stamina Regen Rate: +30%
Price: $570

The Foxmore Saddle was introduced with the Naturalist update and is only available if you have the Naturalist role. It is the most expensive Saddle, even if paying with gold bars, it is more expensive than the highest-priced special Saddle. It’s no Nacogdoches Saddle, but it is worth the cost. The core drain rates are above average, and the regeneration rate for the stamina is very strong. Paired with the Hooded Stirrups, it is a worthy contender to the Nacogdoches Saddle. It only adds the standard two speed to your horse, but it is a beautiful Saddle that happens to be very good. Once the Hooded Stirrups are added, the stamina is still nearly unlimited with most Saddles. While the Nacogdoches Saddle is the best in Red Dead Online, if stamina is your main concern, worry about the stirrups more.

Ivers Saddle (Best Moonshiner Role Saddle)

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -34%
Health Core Drain Rate: -24%
Stamina Regen Rate: +24%
Price: $550

The Ivers Saddle is from the Moonshiner role and only available to Moonshiners. The core drain rates on the Saddle are better than those on the Foxmore Saddle, but the stamina regeneration rate is only average for the higher tier Saddles. It is expensive, coming in at $550. This Saddle is one of the better-looking ones, preferring a scenic design over an unusual pattern.

Delgado Saddle (Best Bounty Hunter Role Saddle)

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -22%
Health Core Drain Rate: -22%
Stamina Regen Rate: +32%
Price: $525

The Delgado Saddle is from the Bounty Hunter role and only available to those with it. It is one of the best-looking Saddles in the game with an understated black, red, and gold design. It goes well with darker horses. Appearance aside, the core drain rates are good, and the stamina regeneration rate is very good. It’s lower-priced than Foxmore Saddle for a slightly higher stamina regeneration rate and the same health core drain rate. As with all the Saddles, the stamina drain rate is negligible when paired with the Hooded Stirrups.

McKinney Saddle (Best Collector Role Saddle)

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -34%
Health Core Drain Rate: -34%
Stamina Regen Rate: +20%
Price: $525

The McKinney Saddle is the Collector Saddle and only available if players have the Collector role. Of the Role Saddles, the McKinney Saddle doesn’t offer much in terms of stamina regeneration. It is only 20%, the same as the Nacogdoches Saddle. It does have the best core drain rates of the Saddles, saving some money on horse feed. It looks great on every horse since it relies on accessories more than color or design.

Fletcher Saddle (Best Trader Role Saddle)

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -28%
Health Core Drain Rate: -28%
Stamina Regen Rate: +26%
Price: $525

Like the horse for the Trader role, the Saddle is well-rounded but doesn’t excel in any particular area. The drain rates are good, but not ideal, while the stamina regeneration rate is also fairly strong. It’s a good all-around Saddle. While it doesn’t have impressive stats in any one area, it also doesn’t sacrifice any stats. It’s also a good-looking Saddle that doesn’t clash with any particular horse breed or coat.

Special Saddles

Special Saddles are the best Saddles in the game’s single player section and quality Saddles in Red Dead Online. Special Saddles have a 50 percent reduction in stamina drain built into the Saddle. However, Special Saddles use presets and cannot be added to with stirrups. The 50% reduction is the same as the Hooded Stirrups, making them equal to a comparable Saddle with the max stirrups equipped. While they’re only slightly above average Saddles when it comes to stats, they are far better looking than most other Saddles, which makes them worth the cost.

Bear Dakota Saddle

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -24%
Health Core Drain Rate: -20%
Stamina Regen Rate: +22%
Price: 16 Gold Bars

The Bear Dakota Saddle is good if you have the gold for it and like the design. One of the few that uses a fur seat and works on most horses. It is slightly worse than the Fletcher Saddle when it comes to stats, but you will save money by not needing to buy stirrups to go with it.

Beaver Roping Saddle

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -20%
Health Core Drain Rate: -26%
Stamina Regen Rate: +24%
Price: $340

The Beaver Roping Saddle has good stats for the cost, making it one of the cheapest top-tier Saddles available. It doesn’t have the best design in the Special Saddles category but has a good regeneration rate for the price. Its drain rates are comparable to the higher-priced Role Saddles.

Panther Trail Saddle

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -26%
Health Core Drain Rate: -20%
Stamina Regen Rate: +24%
Price: 18 Gold Bars

The Panther Trail Saddle is the best-looking and happens to have great stats. It still falls short of the Role Saddles, but only by about two percent for the lowest stats. If you were to buy any of the Role Saddles with gold, they would be equal to 21 gold bars. It’s still cheaper for similar quality and better appearance.

Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle

Stamina Core Drain Rate: -24%
Health Core Drain Rate: -22%
Stamina Regen Rate: +24%
Price: 20 Gold Bars

The Rattlesnake Vaquero Saddle is similar to the Fletcher Saddle and has decent stats. None are too low, but in turn, none are great. While it’s a matter of opinion, the Saddle is good-looking but falls short in appearance compared to the Panther Trail Saddle.

As with all things in Red Dead Online, the stat differences make little difference. Pick a Saddle you like, add the Hooded Stirrups, and ride.

Saddles in Red Dead Online, explained

At the base level, Saddles are necessary for riding and calling your horse. If your horse is not saddled, it cannot come to you from the stables, and you’ll be left to ride shamefully across the wild west with Scrawny Nag. Saddles do more than let you ride your horse. The best Saddles significantly reduce stamina drain and core drain. The best Saddle adds an extra notch of speed.

Stirrups are important. The best Saddles, for all they do, will not go far without the best stirrups. As soon as you’re able, buy the Hooded Stirrups for any and all Saddles. The Hooded Stirrups greatly reduce stamina drain—the effect stacks with the Saddle’s effects. The stamina reduction provided by Saddles and stirrups is key, but stamina can be recovered by soothing your horse. Every 15 seconds on a fully bonded horse, you can press the soothe key to regain some of the stamina bar. If you have the hooded stirrups and a higher-tier Saddle, you will have nearly unlimited stamina.

About the author

Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp

Jamie Moorcroft-Sharp is a Staff Writer at Gamepur. He's been writing about games for ten years and has been featured in Switch Player Magazine, Lock-On, and For Gamers Magazine. He's particularly keen on working out when he isn't playing games or writing or trying to be the best dad in the world.