How to brush your horse

As any good cowboy knows, animal husbandry is the cornerstone to a wholesome life on the prairie.
Arthur Morgan, Dutch, and Co aren’t really the settler type though, so it’s lucky that an equine friend is just as useful for outrunning the law as pulling a plough. Here’s how to brush your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, so you can not only keep their coat clean and shiny, but their health and stamina cores full too.

How to brush your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2

There are a few reasons to keep your horse’s mane and tail brushed in Red Dead Redemption 2.
First, brushing your horse isn’t just for show, doing so regularly will increase your bond with your horse, giving you access to special skills like rearing, skid turns and stops, and drifting. Because it doesn’t cost anything, brushing is one of the quickest low-touch ways to bond with your noble steed.
Second, when your horse is dirty it damages its stamina core, meaning it’ll get tired more quickly. You’ll know this is happening because a red brush indicator will start to flash inside the horse’s stamina wheel.

Lastly, the horses in RDR2 are super cute and look amazing – so brushing them is a great way to get up-close-and-personal to enjoy the animation of how they breathe and idle.

You can brush your horse both on horseback and on the ground.
On horseback:
  • Hold the left shoulder button (L1 on PS4) to open the weapon wheel.
  • Then press the right shoulder button (R1 on PS4) twice to get to the horse menu.
  • Hold the right stick over to the right to highlight your brush, then release the left shoulder button to use the item.
On the ground:
  • Move close to your horse and target it with the left trigger.(L2 on PS4)
  • Press left on the d-pad and you’ll brush your horse.
  • Keep pressing left to keep on brushing your horse continuously.
You gain access to the horse brush for free by completing Hosea’s quest “Exit Pursued by a Bruised Ego” at the Horseshoe Overlook Camp in Chapter 2.
Looking for the perfect stallion? Then check out our guide on where to find the best horse in Red Dead Redemption 2.

Is this all that we’ve got about Red Dead Redemption 2 here on VG247? Neigh! Take a look at our full guide for more, including tips, Cheats, and where to find the best weapons.