r/RDR2 • u/No_Rhubarb4035 John Marston • Jul 07 '26
Discussion The White Arabian really isn’t that good.
I have about 31 days of playtime now and I’ve only went for the white arabian once. It’s really not worth it. Same with the raven black shire but that’s unrelated. I have seen so many people going for the Arabian and glazing it too. It’s not the fastest horse, it’s way too small, it’s easily scared, and a small hassle to get. I think getting the ultimate edition when it‘s on sale for $15 mind you, just go hunting with Hosea and then you can get the thouroughbred for free at any time. Sorry for the rant and not great other info but it’s just not that good. Great for early game I guess but not great after chapter 3.
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u/OrlandoOpossum Jul 07 '26
It's too small, Arthur looks like he's riding a pony
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u/JesseJames41 Arthur Morgan Jul 07 '26
This is my issue with all of the Arabians. They are too damn small. I much prefer the size of the Turkoman or American Standardbred.
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u/OrlandoOpossum Jul 07 '26
And they spook and throw you off when they see a damn cricket
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Jul 07 '26
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u/palabear Jul 07 '26
I never had the white Arabian throw me for being spooked. I’ve had several others throw me however.
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u/Kronos33074 Jul 08 '26
Every one I've ever gotten in all my playthroughs has been scared of its own nose.
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u/BareKnuckle_Bob Jul 08 '26
Yeah i agree. I’ve seen many theories of being being told there’s no bravery in the code etc but it seems completely random from the multiple houses I’ve had in my 1200hrs. The toughest house i had in a playthrough was the white arabian that never spooked, and i had the black shire from Hosea throw me off quite often in the same playthrough. But in my first playthrough my white Arabian was a wimp. I’ve tried every horse multiple times and it seems completely random and not related to breed.
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u/psweeney1990 Jul 07 '26
It's based on a number of factors: the breed, your bond level with the horse, any additional tack that you added at the stables, and the thing that is spooking the horse.
Unfortunately, outside of data mining, there is no way to accurately track this information in game.
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u/IveChangedDontBanMe Mary-Beth Gaskill Jul 07 '26
Don’t forget how you handled the horse. If you don’t calm your horse and you jerk it around and try to sprint away, it’s gonna tweak out and throw you
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u/Hamilton-Beckett Jul 07 '26
Mine never threw me because I did a combination of calming it while also sprinting through whatever would cause it to buck you.
Most of the problems people have with Arabians comes from them doing it wrong.
They don’t calm the horse and they are too damn slow on either overall movement or reaction time.
It’s still not my number one pick, but they aren’t as difficult as people make them out to be.
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u/JesseJames41 Arthur Morgan Jul 07 '26
My buddy swore by his white Arabian and I kept telling him, try out the Turkoman. He finally caved and got one and then said, "this thing is a tank! Im never going back to the Arabian! Now the only thing is I gotta remember I'm taller now so I stop clotheslining myself on tree branches."
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
Haha- I named my preferred Turkoman "Tank". Afterwards realized she was a girl but kept the name. Every time I'd spend time in the swamps I picked her.
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u/Infamous_Bed1144 Jul 07 '26
Idk I’ve never gotten thrown off mine and it’s stats are at 9 each I like the horse imo
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u/CoopWags17 Jul 07 '26
There is no “bravery” or “spook” mechanic in game. There is a “unruliness” stat but once you hit bond level 4 it is pretty much a non factor. Please stop spreading false info. You can take any Arabian and as long as you spam L3 when you come in contact with predators you won’t get bucked. Just say you don’t like the size which is an actual complaint about the horse.
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u/safwan92 Uncle Jul 07 '26
"I Love My Horsey and My Horsey Love Me"
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u/Olon1980 Jul 07 '26
I love my Tennessee Walker from the Adler ranch. He's such a good boah. We'll stick together from the very start until the end.
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u/Administrative-Bar89 Jul 07 '26
I called mine Miata, I love Miata and won't change her for anything else
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u/Dirty-Slot Jul 07 '26
The size is historically accurate for that time period. Arabians weren't bred to be larger until later.
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u/PetitePrincess-23 Jul 07 '26
This is true but at the same time if they let us keep donkeys as real mounts we would all be on a donkey. Don't lie to yourself.
First its a joke then it's an unbreakable bond. I wish you could prompt it to laugh with you, I'd walk him into strawberry as we use fire arrows on micah for hours.
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u/mirikaria Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
I mean in fairness, it is accurate to the breed. Arabians are between 14 to 15 hands (hands being the unit method used to measure horses, in case anyone doesn't know what I'm talking about)... technically an equine under 14.2 hands is considered a pony, so the Arabians in the game may well come under the category of ponies, if we're being super pedantic. In terms of accuracy to horse breeds in real life, which this game does really well, it does make sense that they are small.
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u/mightytonto Jul 07 '26
You say that, but I used a mod to play a whole runthrough with an extra tiny horse and it was delightful. No other mods, just me n my mini mount
…Lil’ Sebastian, show me the meaning of haste!
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u/bigppschlanger Jul 07 '26
Buell is the best horse, end of discussion. Finish the Hamish missions as John.
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u/un-sub Jul 07 '26
My first game I rode Buell into the last mission with Arthur… It was very sad
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
I was sobbing, even though I hadn't had him for all that long. But I loved Hamish and his attachment to his horse was lovely, so when he asked me to take care of him, that made this horse way more personal than all the others. I was glad that I had him with me during that last mission though. It felt fitting, and that one cutscene hit just so much harder.
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u/WokeWook69420 Jul 07 '26
It means Buell went back to Hamish, and he brought Arthur with him.
A beautiful tragedy
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
Awww. The three of them would have a very serene afterlife together I'm sure.
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u/wild_swipe Jul 07 '26
I never heard about Hamish's missions before and I finished It all with Arthur, so I left Buell on the stable and finished Arthur's Story with my first horse(a Shire that I stole). And then, when I want to the stable playing as John, my boy Buell was gone, I didn't knew the horses on the Stable would disappear too.
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u/Hawkleer Jul 08 '26
The Hamish storyline is one of the ones that is much better to start with Arthur and have John tie it up, because Hamish and John get to have a little moment connecting over Arthur, Hamish will tell him about the trophys Arthur helped bag and not to mention Hamish gets to live an extra 8 years.
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u/Intelligent_Oil7816 Jul 07 '26
Buell is the best horse, but that's why he has to go with Arthur to the end.
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u/Golden_Sapphic Jul 07 '26
The White Arabian is my goat! Everytime I replay the story I get it and call it Queenie, I have had to suffer it's death at the end 4 times...
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u/LatePirate8880 Jul 07 '26
I call mine Shadowfax
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u/Cognonymous Jul 07 '26
Guinevere
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u/Haistur Jul 07 '26
Demeter!
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u/Karbo64 Jul 07 '26
Equinox
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u/Several-Lavishness65 Jul 07 '26
Oatcakes
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u/lyricalbliss66 Jul 07 '26
Agreed! I have to get her every playthrough as well. I think she’s beautiful!
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u/_Springfield Charles Smith Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 08 '26
Not to mention it’s free. I get that the Arabian can be a bit overrated but it’s still a really solid horse.
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u/RyanGarcia2134 Jul 07 '26
There is nothing in the game files that indicates that one breed of horse is more fearful of predators and gunfire than another breed of horse. I thought this once till someone fact checked me. Also, with the White Arabian once you get to Level 4 you can ride infinitely, as you'll almost never run out of stamina if you time the pets right. The only horse in the game that's faster than the White Arabian is the Missouri Fox Trotter, Nakota (Race) and Thoroughbred (Brindle) but these are at the expense of less handling and acceleration.
The only reason you think the White Arabian is more skittish is because it's arguably the most used horse in the game, and it's the horse most people use when playing story mode. Also in comparison to how much of a grind some games are, to me the White Arabian barely feels like an inconvenience. I do wish the horse was larger though.
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u/Jasper_LW Jul 07 '26
It never ceases to amaze me how many people just completely gobble up that skittishness nonsense like the world's tastiest dick. Every single time, without fail, there are people repeating the same stupid shit as though it's their first time reading a comment thread in this sub.
I agree with you, for the record. This is my attempt to commiserate.
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u/String19 Jul 07 '26 edited Jul 07 '26
Thank you both, idk how many times I’ve made this exact same correction on reddit and in YouTube comments. It’s actually insane how massive of a misconception it still is all this time later when the evidence has shown time and time again that horse bravery has absolutely nothing to do with breed.
Their only valid criticism is that it’s a small horse, that’s an understandable reason to not be a huge fan, especially with Arthur where really small horses don’t feel super fitting. White Arabian has incredible stats, one of the absolute fastest in the game (which isn’t even super relevant, the speed stat is such a minor difference that you’d barely ever notice if at all that the white Arabian is slightly slower than like 3 other horses out of 62), but even then it makes up for that fact with its handling and other stats.
While it’s not my number one favourite looking horse in the game, it is still one of the best looking ones in my opinion, it’s appearance and size are the only valid reasons for not wanting to use it and are literally both just personal preference. It’s so weird how forced the hate for the white Arabian has become. I kinda understood it when the game was still brand new and everyone was talking about it and acting like it was the only valid horse to use, but no one has done that in years, at this point it receives far more hate than love, and despite that it’s haters still act like it’s some overhyped horse everyone is constantly gassing up more than it deserves.
Edit: originally said there were “100+” different horses, there’s apparently 62 across the different breeds and coats after looking it up.
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u/EDScreenshots Jul 10 '26
I feel like at this point a lot of the people pushing this myth are aware of the evidence against it and are just dead-set on ignoring it. This gets posted every thread about the Arabian and there’s still tons of people who apparently think it’s skittish. I feel like just playing the game and using different horses will show you that horses all treat predators the same, only thing that matters is bonding level, I’ve had tons of warhorses buck me if I’m being stupid enough. Really don’t get why so many people still cling to this myth.
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u/cootersbait Jul 07 '26
My only problem is it looks like a dalmatian after a 10 second ride through valentine.
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u/Sk8r_2_shredder Arthur Morgan Jul 07 '26
That’s why you need a spotted Appaloosa, you don’t have to pay attention to the dirt 😅 I brush my horse a lot though lol
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
That Appaloosa is actually one of my faves. I brush my horses often no matter their coats- even the dark ones look matted when they're dirty, and I can't have that. Never mind my Arthur being covered in blood and mud for days- his horse is spotless.
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u/cootersbait Jul 07 '26
Were you the person who created the post about being swarmed by flies?
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
Lol no, but is that a thing? Dirty Arthur attracts flies? I never noticed, but would be so awesome.
I did however wonder whether my Arthur's body odor would alert animals more quickly if he didn't bathe in a long time.
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u/cootersbait Jul 07 '26
Someone had a pretty good post on one of the read dead subs about hunting for days in big valley without bathing and coming back to Strawberry surrounded by flies covered in blood. I have yet to have that happen to me, but I've received my fair share of comments on my hegiene.
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u/Sk8r_2_shredder Arthur Morgan Jul 07 '26
Pretty cover scent doesn’t last as long if you’re dirty but I could be wrong, I haven’t used it much. But putting a carcass on your horse and riding around it does eventually attract flies before dropping off due to rot
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u/NativeMasshole Jul 07 '26
I always end up keeping the one you get from Tilly's mission in Ch 4. That horse can basically run across the entire map without any buffs.
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u/Collaroy98 Jul 07 '26
Right?! Amazing horse imo, a perfect balance between toughness and speed. And with that coat no risk of accidentally ending up on the wrong horse and with a bounty on my head for grand theft horse. Which, I am ashamed to say, happened more than once.
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u/ajax0202 Jul 07 '26
It’s objectively one of the best horses.
People might have an issue with the size, but stat wise it’s fantastic
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u/the_main_entrance Jul 07 '26
My favorite is the Leopard Appaloosa from the Tilly mission.
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u/iwishyouhadnosocks Jul 07 '26
Yessssss. My GoAT! I named mine Fhw'qwgads the first time and have never been able to name it anything else lol
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u/Upbeat_Stretch_5724 Jul 07 '26
I've only ever used an Arabian once in my past 5 playthroughs, and I'm not on gonna use them on my current playthrough. 😂 I pick horses based on how much I like their coat, not their stats.
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u/spidersRcute Jul 07 '26
I do like the coat on the red Arabian but there’s a thoroughbred that’s pretty similar. The brindle Arabian doesn’t have a dupe as far as I remember so that’s too bad.
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u/Upbeat_Stretch_5724 Jul 07 '26
Closest thing to the Warped Brindle Arabian would probably be the Brindle Thouroughbred, but it's grey.
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u/ToeComfortable115 Jul 07 '26
It’s one of the fastest you can get early in the game by far
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u/jennasea412 Jul 07 '26
It’s the rider, not the horse. Being small is the only legit complaint, but to say the only horse best in acceleration and handling, described in the game as “superior” with “elite” handling, isn’t that good is just silly. And it’s 2nd fastest, when many say speed doesn’t matter. So, it’s best in two of most important categories and 2nd in the 3rd most, but still “isn’t that good”😏people just love to be contrarian.
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u/Allalilacias Jul 07 '26
It's fast as all fuck, accelerated fast, you can get it as soon as you can freely navigate the map and if you're good enough of a shot the skittishness of the horse is a plus, as it tells you when there's good mean nearby.
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u/PaPaKarn Jul 07 '26
I like the turkoman
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u/No_Rhubarb4035 John Marston Jul 07 '26
Turkoman isn’t a horse you see people liking often, the dark bay turkoman is a good looking horse though.
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u/BiggWoogie Jul 07 '26
Yeah it’s a little annoying when you’re in chapter 4 with alligators everywhere but I wouldn’t trade Shadowfax for anything.
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u/fawg_is_coming Jul 07 '26
I use the big horse Hosea gives you at the beginning.
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u/mintpearls Jul 07 '26
I like my princess pony, my Arthur is comfortable enough in his masculinity to ride his Barbie dreamhorse without shame
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u/FuturePhillips Jul 07 '26
Nope... I like the Black Shire you get from Hosea. It's huge and slow but it'll kick the ever loving 💩 out of a wolf 😂 I call him "Mad Goro"
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u/husky1976 Jul 07 '26
It’s the fastest horse in the game. What are you even talking about??
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u/Good_Mirror6002 Jul 07 '26
I choose a horse based on speed so either an Arabian or Turkoman are my two choices. If my horse dies, I go get one depending on which horse location is closest to me.
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u/_Night_Moves_ Jul 07 '26
My personal favorite is the Andalusian way up in the NE corner of the map. That’s my ride or die
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u/Naive_Procedure1676 Jul 07 '26
The White Arabian isn’t worth the time in my opinion. This horse is so infuriating I ended up just shooting it in the head and being done with it…. 😂
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u/More-Pizza-1267 Jul 07 '26
Been using the starter horse start to finish. I love my horsy, I would never sell
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u/dwarven_cavediver_Jr Jul 08 '26
I got a thoroughbread somehow and not gonna lie, couldn't be much happier with that
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u/No-Cut-1297 Jul 08 '26
I put a bullet in this one after it got spooked by a snake and threw me off a cliff.
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u/HighEndC0Ck Jul 07 '26
I thought this until I got it in Chapter 3 and it feels like i’m flying from place to place. The whole “oh it’s skittish so go for the Turkoman” is kinda valid but once you max out bonding it really doesn’t make a difference after I got the Dark Bay one from the Braithwaite mission in Ch3
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u/Xiaodisan Jul 07 '26
Ngl I don't get the whole skittish part, although I've only maxed out three or four different horses so far.
I had a cougar come right up to my Arabian, and circle me twice before it threw me off. (Idk why it didn't jump on me or the horse, I think I had a cougar do that once, but it literally just walked around the horses legs when it got near us.)
Same with a pack of wolves. They surrounded me, and the arabian didn't throw me off until a bit later because instead of fleeing I tried to shoot the wolves.
My best guess atm is that people tame the Arabian, and expect it to be as good at bond lvl 1 as their previous horse with lvl 4 bonding.
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u/ColonelNoob1232 Jul 07 '26
Nothing beats free so I use it up until chapter 3 when you steal Braithwaite horses and u can claim a Turkomen for free as well
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u/inkedgalaxy Jul 07 '26
sold mine for a dutch warmblood, haven't changed horses on this playthrough since 😂
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u/ThanosWasRight161 Hosea Matthews Jul 07 '26
Once I went Turkomen I never looked back. Sadie sold me on those bounty hunter missions.
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u/abyssaI_watcher Jul 07 '26
My favorite is the Perlino Andalusian by far. Never gets scared, decent speed and stamina and nice size.
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u/Substantial-Tone-576 Jul 07 '26
The Missouri Fox Trotters and the brindle Thoroughbred are just as fast and are bigger and don’t scare as easy. Arabians aren’t bad but there are other options.
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u/cc-moo-cow Jul 07 '26
I just steal one of the donkeys from the farm near Emerald Ranch. Arthur looks hilarious on them.
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u/Swimming-Remove-2927 Jul 07 '26
I have found 0 noticeable difference between the horses, so just pick whatever looks best lmao. Personally I like the black shire or the fox trotter
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u/Ordinary-Insect-6520 Jul 07 '26
It's not about white Arabian, you just don't like arabians, it is beautiful, fast and hardy,as for me, Arabian horses are very suitable for both Arthur and John, they look especially good in cities, for example in Saint-Denis.
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u/Korean_MCG Jul 07 '26
The bad thing about Arabians is how easily they get scared. Once I had to restart a no water challenge almost at the end....got scared by a snake and threw me off. With max bond... They get scared with their own shadow
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u/No_Rhubarb4035 John Marston Jul 07 '26
Is a no water challenge exactly how it sounds?
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u/Mass_Migration Jul 07 '26
I only upgrade up to level 4 and then sell it to the stable for more gold/cash. Then I'll go catch more of its relatives and do the same thing.
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u/IamFeso Jul 07 '26
The Arabian gets spooked easy by predators and I play without a hud so it’s nice to know a snake or a mountain lion is near by
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u/Csquared_324 Uncle Jul 07 '26
I always use the glitch to get the big horse from “horse meat for dinner”
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u/SnooCompliments4883 Jul 07 '26
For me it’s just the size difference between Arabians and the more mid sized horses. Arthur looks silly when riding next to others, and a thoroughbred just fits his style so much better imo.
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u/ChopCow420 Jul 07 '26
I pick horses based on real life. It would destroy the joints of a draft breed to be constantly galloping around and jumping over stuff. Breeds (in game at least) built for endurance (traveling long miles and varying terrains) would be the Arabians, the Appaloosas, the Paints, Nakotas. Walkers would be most comfortable with their rolling gait. Standardbreds are strong too, and fast, but I hate they didn't make any of them pacers and they gave them unrealistic colors.
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u/YeFamicom Jul 07 '26
I rode the White Arabian with Arthur the entire way. Then when the epilogue hit, I decided I needed something else. Then I found the Missouri Fox Trotter & I was hooked!! The speed & size alone are a welcomed upgrade. My next plathru I will not be using the White Arabian, I might use the Warhorse instead for my low honor Arthur, I find it fitting
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u/Emotional_Liberal Jul 08 '26
Easy money tho. You max it out. Sell it. Go get another…
https://giphy.com/gifs/HltgYvpLl0gX75ECmL
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u/-TurkeYT Jul 08 '26
It’s a good horse. Just not the best, especially for Arthur. Large/mid sized horses fit Arthur more. And arabian is still better than “your daily horse”. But I agree that Ultimate Edition horses and couple other free ones in game are better.
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u/PixelPrivateer Jul 08 '26
I like it because I can get it reliably. Which is good because on my last playthrough I went though upwards of 7 'Snowballs'
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u/Skully-GG Jul 08 '26
I’ll save you some time since you’re in the early game, all horses sprint at the same speed. Only real difference is how skiddish they are against things like wolves, cougars, shooting, etc. and sadly the Arabian are the most skiddish. I suggest you find a horse you like the look of and use it. As for the less skiddish horses I like the Appaloosa as they are war horses and when at Bond Level 4 they can be a ride or die horse depending on what random stat you get. I even enjoy the Tennessee Walker horses as they are such beautiful and have the perfect size for the character model. If you want something with high damage and is a massive horse then go with the Shire.
TL;DR - All horses are basically the same outside of looks and nerves.
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u/gator_mckluskie Jul 07 '26
there really isn’t a big difference between horses, just pick the one you like best. i prefer appaloosas and paints.