Appaloosa

The Appaloosa is a horse breed in Red Dead Redemption 2. Half of the coat types will need to be tamed from the wild. Appaloosas tend to have higher stamina, average health, and speed, but lower acceleration. Its handling gives it moderate reactivity and agility.

Description

Appaloosas are classed as work horses. They can be identified by their compact frame and spotted or speckled coat. The Blanket, Leopard Blanket, and Few Spotted are found in the wild (with the latter having a lower spawn rate), while Leopard and Brown Leopard coats are purchasable in stables. Their willing and manageable temperament leads to easy handling. Additionally, this breed of horse is healthy, with a reasonable amount of Speed and great Stamina; perfect for ranch work.

Catalogue Description

The Appaloosa is a hardy and willing horse with great endurance. They have strong legs, a short thin mane, and hard striped feet. The bloodline runs back many centuries with the characteristic coat pattern seen among cave drawings. Suitable for many kinds of equestrian activity, they are at home on any farm, and are the preferred breed among many workers.

Coat styles

Coat	Base Value (in $)	Health	Stamina	Speed	Acceleration	Source
Blanket	130.00	3	4	3	3	Wild
Brown Leopard	450.00	5	6	4	3	Tumbleweed stable
Leopard	430.00	5	6	4	3	Van Horn Trading Post stable
Leopard Blanket	130.00	3	4	3	3	Wild
Few Spotted	130.00	3	5	3	3	Wild
Scarred Blanket	N/A	3	3	2	2	Random encounter with members of the Murfree Brood.

Special variants

Taima

The horse of Charles Smith throughout 1899. Charles lends this horse to Arthur Morgan during the mission "Outlaws from the West", due to the absence of the latter's usual horse, meaning that this is the first horse ridden by the player in the game. Taima has a "Grey Snowcapped Spotted" coat and can be found within the gang's camp; it is one of the few horses to not get skittish when approached. "Taima" is a word of Meskwaki origin, which can be translated as "sudden crash of thunder", or simply "thunder."

Gwydion

The horse of Josiah Trelawny throughout 1899. Gwydion has a "Brown Leopard" coat and can usually be seen at the gang's camp. Additionally, Gwydion's coat can be found at the stable in Tumbleweed during the epilogue, for the player to purchase.

Nell IV

The horse of Uncle throughout 1907. Nell IV has a "Few Spot Buckskin" coat and can be found at Beecher's Hope. Though she seems to be a draft horse like a Suffolk Punch, she is referred to as an Appaloosa in-game. She appears to have a very distinct mustache on her face; while this is common among draft horses, it is exclusive to Nell IV. In the mission "Home Improvement for Beginners", Nell IV is used alongside Charles Smith's horse, Falmouth, to pull down the shack which previously stood on the land at Beecher's Hope.

Others

In Red Dead Online, the horse Lee commandeers in the mission "Where Your Morals Lead You" is a unique Appaloosa that has a "Black Snowflake" coat. In the game files, the horse has 4 points in speed and acceleration.

Trivia

The Few Spotted has a significantly lower spawn rate than the other wild Appaloosas, which can make it hard to find. To combat this, players should consider taming either a Blanket or a Leopard Blanket and ride it to Appaloosa spawn areas. As horses of the breed variant currently being ridden will not spawn, the chance of finding a Few Spotted is increased as only that and the other wild variety can spawn in such circumstances.
The in-game Appaloosa model appears to be based on the modern-day Appaloosa, which has been essentially diluted into a Quarter Horse with Appaloosa markings. The Appaloosa in Redemption 2's historic setting would have been a small and wiry Indian Pony, more similar in form to the Nokota.
A Leopard Appaloosa can be stolen during the first mission of "The Ties That Bind Us". In where the player is taking down bounty posters in the town of Rhodes, a man will be hostile, fighting for one of the posters. He will be riding a Leopard Appaloosa that can be stolen and stabled.