To feed your horse in Red Dead Redemption 2, stand next to it, hold the focus button (L2 on PlayStation, LT on Xbox, right mouse button on PC) and press the button beside “Feed”, which is D-pad Right on a controller. From the saddle, hold the item wheel button (L1, LB or Tab), tab across to the horse items and pick a food instead. Either way you need horse food in Arthur’s satchel. Below we cover the controls on every platform, which foods do the most for the least money, how often to feed, and why too much food is its own problem.
This guide covers Story Mode in the current build of Red Dead Redemption 2 on PS4, Xbox One and PC (Steam and the Rockstar Games Launcher). PS5 and Xbox Series X|S players run those versions through backward compatibility, so the console buttons are identical, and as of this writing Rockstar has not announced a native current-gen version.
Feeding Controls on PlayStation, Xbox and PC
| Platform | Feed on foot (while focused on the horse) | Feed from the item wheel |
|---|---|---|
| PS4 and PS5 | Hold L2, then D-pad Right | Hold L1, tab with R1 to the horse items |
| Xbox One and Xbox Series X and S | Hold LT, then D-pad Right | Hold LB, tab with RB to the horse items |
| PC, keyboard and mouse | Hold right mouse button, then the Feed key the prompt shows | Hold Tab, then R to reach the horse items (per player guides) |
| PC, controller | Hold LT, then D-pad Right | Hold LB, tab with RB |
Launch-era control lists describe D-pad Right on horseback as “hold to check horse cargo; feed horse (while locked onto horse)”. On PC, the prompt in the bottom right corner always shows your current binding, so trust it over any list if you have remapped keys.
How to Feed Your Horse on Foot
This is the quickest method when you are already standing beside your horse, for example at a hitching post or in camp.
- Carry some horse food. Hay, carrots, apples and similar items sit in Arthur’s satchel. If you have none, the Feed option has nothing to give.
- Dismount and walk up to your horse’s side.
- Hold the focus button while looking at the horse. A list of horse interactions appears in the bottom right of the screen.
- Press the button beside “Feed”. Arthur hands the horse its food and its cores refill.
If the Feed prompt is greyed out, PC players on Steam report that it usually means another action is still finishing. Wait for a pat, a calm or a brushing to complete, step back to the horse’s side, and try again.
How to Feed Your Horse While Riding
You do not have to dismount. The item wheel works from the saddle and, per player guides, while you stand next to the horse too.
- Hold L1 on PlayStation or LB on Xbox (Tab on PC) to open the wheel.
- Tab across to the horse section with R1 or RB. Player guides put this on R on PC, and the bottom of the wheel shows the key.
- Highlight a horse food and release the button to use it.
This is also the menu that holds your horse brush, so you can feed and clean in one stop. Our guide to brushing your horse walks through that side of it.
The Best Horse Food in RDR2 and What It Costs
Not every snack does the same job. The community wiki’s provision tables rate each food by how much of the horse’s two cores (health and stamina) it restores, and list these stable prices:
| Food | Effect on your horse, per the wiki | Stable price, per the wiki |
|---|---|---|
| Hay | Greatly restores both cores | $0.25 |
| Carrot | Greatly restores both cores | $0.50 |
| Beets | Greatly restores both cores | $0.65 |
| Classic Oatcakes | Greatly restores both cores | $4.00 |
| Corn | Moderately restores both cores | $0.40 |
| Apple | Slightly restores both cores | $0.40 |
| Celery | Slightly restores both cores | $0.25 |
| Sugar Cube | Slightly restores the stamina core only | $0.25 |
| Peppermint | Slightly restores the stamina core only | $0.35 |
On those numbers, hay is the best value by a distance: the cheapest item on the list does as much as the most expensive. Player guides draw the same line between meals and treats. Hay, oatcakes and apples keep a horse fed for longer, while sugar cubes, peppermints and wild plants such as Common Bulrush and English Mace give a bond boost with little real nutrition.
You can also forage. The wiki notes that fruit, vegetables and mushrooms you pick in the wild can be fed to your horse, and Steam players point to wild carrots as a free top-up between towns.
Medicine and stimulants are a separate tier. Per the wiki’s stable list, Horse Medicine ($1.50) fully restores the health core and Horse Stimulant ($2.50) fully restores the stamina core, each with a small fortify on top, and the Potent versions ($3.00 and $4.00) fortify more. Save those for a hard ride or a fight. And always carry a Horse Reviver for emergencies: our guide on how to call your horse explains how to save a downed horse with one.
How Often to Feed Your Horse, and the Overfeeding Trap
Feed when the horse needs it, not on a timer. Player guides that transcribe the game’s help text say you get a warning when your horse starts to become hungry, and the horse’s cores sit beside Arthur’s in the corner of the screen, so a shrinking core is your cue.
The catch is weight. Per the community wiki, horses gain and lose weight based on how much they eat each day, on a scale from malnourished through thin and fit to obese. A horse that is either overweight or underweight loses a little top speed. Overfeeding a horse that is already full is how you end up with the slow one.
Two easy habits keep it in check:
- Feed one proper meal when the cores dip (hay or a carrot) rather than a stream of snacks.
- Visit a stable now and then. The wiki says the stable owner almost always comments on your horse’s weight when you walk in, which makes it a free check-up.
Why Feeding Matters: Cores and Bonding
A well-fed horse simply performs better. The wiki notes that horses gallop slower when their health and stamina cores are empty, and a dirty horse drains those cores faster, so feeding and brushing work as a pair.
Feeding also builds your bond, which runs from level 1 to 4. A higher bond stretches your whistle range, steadies the horse around gunfire and predators, and unlocks moves such as rearing and the skid stop. Feeding before a long ride is a good habit too, since the cinematic camera auto-ride in our fast travel guide is long, unattended riding.
Feeding Your Horse in Red Dead Online
Red Dead Online uses the same feed prompt and the same item wheel. The difference is ownership: per the community wiki, only horses you buy and keep at a stable can be bonded, while stolen and wild horses are temporary, so feeding a borrowed horse builds nothing long term. Check Rockstar’s Red Dead Online page for current horse events and discounts.
For more help looking after your horse and everything else, browse our Red Dead guides hub, or if your hunting trips need a fitter horse, see our guide to perfect pelts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you feed your horse in RDR2 on PS4 and PS5? Stand beside it, hold L2 to focus on it and press D-pad Right to feed. From the saddle, hold L1, tab with R1 to the horse items and pick a food.
How do you feed your horse on Xbox? Hold LT while looking at the horse and press D-pad Right, or hold LB and tab with RB to the horse items in the item wheel.
What is the feed button on PC? Hold the right mouse button to focus on the horse and press the key shown beside Feed. From the saddle, hold Tab and press R to reach the horse items, per player guides.
What is the best food for your horse? Per the community wiki, hay, carrots, beets and oatcakes greatly restore both of your horse’s cores, and hay is the cheapest of them at a stable.
Can you feed your horse too much? Yes. The wiki says horses gain weight from what they eat, and an overweight horse loses a little top speed. Feed when the cores drop, not constantly.
Can you feed your horse mushrooms and wild plants? Per the community wiki, fruit, vegetables and mushrooms picked in the wild can be fed to your horse, which makes foraging a free way to top it up.