How to Tame the White Coat Arabian, the Best Free Horse in Red Dead Redemption 2

The easiest way to get the best free horse in Red Dead Redemption 2 is to tame the white coat Arabian west of Lake Isabella, and I did it on my first attempt. The method comes down to saving before you approach, creeping up on the horse very slowly, and rocking the controller against its movements once you are mounted.

This guide covers the location, the approach, the breaking process, what to do if it goes wrong, and one piece of advice I cannot stress enough about keeping this horse alive.

Save scum before you go near the white coat Arabian

Before you even get close to the white coat Arabian, save the game fully. This is called save scumming. If you have played something like Skyrim, you will know the idea: make a save now so that if the attempt goes badly, you can simply load it and try again.

Do this before anything else. It is your safety net for the rest of the process.

The Arabian waits just over a ridge west of Lake Isabella

Once you have saved, head to a little ridge to the west of Lake Isabella. The horse is located right on the other side of that hill. That is where you will find the white coat Arabian, which I consider one of the best horses in the game.

I know there are other horses you can actually purchase, but this is the easiest one to get for free.

Creep up on the Arabian slowly with your fists out

When you are at the location, stay very calm and slowly creep up on the horse. It is going to be pretty difficult, but the steps are simple: pull out your fists, creep up on him slowly, and get ready to press L2.

Wait until he starts to get a little bit spooked, and keep inching forward. You have to do it really slowly. As I put it, "you don't want to spook him too much because he will run away." There have been many times I have tried to get this horse and he just did not like it at all, so be very calm with him.

Once you are close enough, calm him down and start patting him. I patted him for a bit to keep him in place before jumping on. I am not really sure if petting affects anything, but I did it anyway because I was not quite ready to mount yet.

Rock against the horse's movements to break it

Now jump on. The trick is to hold back on the left trigger and rock left and right as the horse moves. If the horse moves left, rock right. If the horse moves right, rock left. You also have to press square, so just keep doing all of that.

My attempt nearly went wrong. We almost had it, and then it slipped. Things like that are unexpected and they will happen, but if you just mount him again and keep trying, you will get there. I kept at it and successfully broke the white coat Arabian on my first attempt.

With the horse broken, go and find your other horse. Take the saddle off it and put that saddle on your new white coat Arabian.

If the taming fails, reload or sleep for two to three days

If you were not able to get it done, this is where the save scum pays off. Load the save you made earlier and try again.

If save scumming does not work, you will have to go off the mountain and sleep for two to three days. Once you have done that, you should be able to go back up to the same spot I described above, near Lake Isabella, and you will be in business.

Rename and customise the Arabian at your nearest stable

Next, travel to the stable closest to you. Mine was Valentine, but any nearby stable will do. There you can rename the horse and upgrade it however you want, and you can upgrade the saddle as well.

Personally, I changed the mane into a mohawk, changed the tail, and of course upgraded the saddle. How far you go depends on how much money you have.

Always carry Horse Reviver for your white coat Arabian

One thing I will say: you are going to want Horse Reviver. If this horse is killed, it is dead forever and you will have to get it all over again.

"I can't stress this enough": have Horse Reviver on you, or else this horse will be dead.

Did petting the horse before mounting make any difference to your taming attempt, or is it just for show?