Will your trusted mount survive the barrens, or will the wild claim another rider in Red Dead Redemption 2?
Below you can find the most frequent situations that can cause damage to your horse:
- 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.
- Being under fire.
- Getting attacked by a bear, a wolf or other predator.
- 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:
- Your horse is gravely injured. You can still safe the animal if you have the item described below.
- 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.
How to revive a dead horse in Red Dead Redemption 2
Horses in Red Dead Redemption 2 can be revived only if they are in a downed or critically injured state, not fully dead.
Reviving a downed horse
Approach the injured horse and check the interaction prompt in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Use a Horse Reviver item (purchased from stables or general stores like the one in Valentine) by holding the revive button, such as “E” on PC or the equivalent on consoles.
Stock up on multiple Horse Revivers in your satchel beforehand, as the option will be grayed out without them.
Fully dead horses
No in-game item revives a horse that has died permanently from excessive damage, falls, or autosave after death. Reload a prior manual save, quit to the main menu immediately after death to load an earlier autosave, or start over with a new horse from stables or the wild.
Bonded horses carry higher risk, so whistle to call them away from danger during combat.
Where to buy Revive Horse Medicine in RDR2
Horse Reviver (also called Horse Revive Medicine) in Red Dead Redemption 2 is sold at stables, general stores, doctors, and fences.
Primary purchase locations
Stables across the map, marked by horseshoe icons (like Valentine Stable early in the game or Clemens Point), stock Horse Reviver for about $2.50 each.
General stores (e.g., Valentine General Store) and doctors also carry it reliably once unlocked in Chapter 2.
Fences sell it after completing the “American Distillation” mission, alongside crafting pamphlets for Special Horse Reviver.
Inventory limits and tips
You can hold up to 20 in your satchel; buy in bulk to stay prepared.
For free alternatives, loot bodies, check crates at places like Rathskeller Fork (respawns after session reloads in Online), or craft Special Horse Reviver using its pamphlet found east of Mattock Pond.
