Red Dead Redemption 2: Horse - can it die? Red Dead Redemption 2 Guide and Walkthrough

On this page of the Red Dead Redemption 2 guide, we have described what can happen to a horse if it loses all health points (can it die?). You will also learn how to protect an animal from injuries and how to bring it back to life.

Last update: 23 September 2022

A horse is the most basic mean of transportation in Red Dead Redemption 2. What is more, the game allows you to bond with your mount and unlock new abilities. Check this page to learn if your horse can die and how to protect your horse from potential damage.

Yes, you can lose your horse permanently in Red Dead Redemption 2, even when you have unlocked all bonuses from reaching maximum bond.

Below you can find the most frequent situations that can cause damage to your horse:

1. Hitting a tree or other indestructible obstacle while moving in full gallop. Don't run at full speed when, i.e. you are moving through a thick forest.
2. Being under fire.
3. Getting attacked by a bear, a wolf or other predator.
4. Falling from great heights. Be very careful when you are going through mountains - some chasms are hard to notice. Overall, it is best to avoid jumping down. Instead, you should look for places where you can descend without any problems.

The situations described above can lead to one of the two results:

1. Your horse is gravely injured. You can still safe the animal if you have the item described below.
2. Your horse has died. You can't bring the animal back to life.

Horse Reviver allows you to heal a heavily wounded horse. Otherwise, the only solution is to kill your animal. Horse Reviver can be purchased at stud farms and general stores - the picture above shows the general store found in Valentine, the first town in the game. One bottle costs around 10 dollars. A small cost considering that you can lose your horse permanently.

Additional note - You can also "cheat" the game when you lose a horse. Open the pause menu, go to the Story tab and select the Load Game option. Load an auto or manual save from the moment before you lost your mount (provided that you have a save from before this incident). Your horse will be still alive. The only thing you lose here is a bit of progress made since the last save done when you lost your horse.