Red Dead Online
Red Dead Redemption 2
Undead Nightmare
Red Dead Revolver
Red Dead Redemption - Story Mission GuideWild Horses, Tamed Passions
John learns how to catch and break horses for MacFarlane's Ranch.
- Fastest Time: 10:00
Meeting Drew MacFarlane
John heads into Bonnie's house where she's sat having tea with her father, Drew.
John and Drew are introduced, then sit down to discuss John's reason for being there. "So... my daughter informs me that you're here on some secret mission to remove some undesirables from the county" says Drew.
"Something like that. I'm grateful for your hospitality, sir" replies Marston.
"Ah ya know we've lived here for 30 years now. Came here from the East. The land had never been settled. For 10 years we fought the Indians. Tough men. Then we had outlaws and we had drought, and we had smallpox, terrible winters, cholera. I've buried more of my children than I've raised"
Drew also has quite a problem with the government...
"When I hear about this so-called Federal Government, sending out agents to covertly murder and control people, then I start to worry. I mean, alright, Williamson is a menace and men like him are the plague, but isn't a government agent a worse menace? In all that symbolizes, I mean".
Bonnie interrupts the heavy debate, asking John if he'd like to join them on "daddy's favorite pastime, apart from political discourse that is".
"What is?" asks John.
"Breaking in horses. Come on. I hear you're a pretty decent rider. For a city dweller, that is" explains Drew.
They head outside where Bonnie remembers to grab something for John.
Then hands him a lasso, telling him "You're going to need this, Mr. Marston".
Horse broken
Head over to the horses and "Mount your horse" which is marked with a blue blip.
Once you're on, you're told to "Follow Mr. MacFarlane" who is now marked with a blue blip.
Follow them out of the ranch to the West, towards the herd of wild horses. John and Drew will rant a little more on the way but Bonnie breaks it up. You'll find the herd South-West of the MacFarlane Ranch.
You'll be told to equip your new lasso from the weapon wheel on the way as the game explains you can "Hold L2 to draw your lasso".
Run over to the herd, holding L2 to draw and aim the lasso then when you get within 20 feet or so, press R2 to throw the lasso towards a horse while continuing to hold L2.
The game instructs you to "Lasso a wild horse". When you successfully throw the lasso, the horse will be stopped in its tracks and usually stand up on its hind legs.
You're then told "To start horsebreaking, dismount your horse and get on the lassoed horse". Keep holding L2 as you quickly make your way towards it. The faster you get there, the better or it can end up breaking free or knocking you over. You can hold the R1 button to restrain the horse and prevent it from bolting, but the best course of action is to get off your horse as close as you can to the lassoed horse and mash Triangle to get straight onto the new horse.
Thankfully the MacFarlane's will also lasso the horse to keep it steady for you, but it's a valuable lesson to learn for future horsebreaking endeavors.
Once you're on the horse, you'll take part in a horse bucking mini-game. The horse will dance around trying to throw you off, and your objective is to shift your weight to counter it, staying centered on its back until it finally calms down.
The game explains you should "Use the left analog stick to stay centered. Balance yourself to prevent being thrown. You will flail your arms wildly when you re about to be thrown".
You don't need to hold the analog stick in any permanent direction, just be prepared to constantly flick the stick to the left and right in order to keep John balanced. You need to keep him centered on the horse, so if you see him start to lean more to the left or right, counter it. Generally you'll just move left and right constantly, but it depends on the horses' movement so you'll need to be somewhat reactive.
Once the horse has realized you're not going anywhere, it'll stand on it's hind legs before dropping to all four feet and then relaxing under your control.
After the first horse is broken, climb down and you're told to "Get back on your horse" which is marked with a blue blip as Drew lasso's the new horse and sets off to take it back to the ranch.
Now it's time to do it all over again, this time with Bonnie. "Lasso another wild horse". Follow the horse head icon on the radar to find them.
Follow the same process, first lasso a wild horse. Bonnie will also throw her lasso around it, making it look like some kind of monster from a sci-fi movie.
Climb onto the restricted horse and stay balanced as you break and calm it.
After successfully breaking it, Bonnie will lasso it again and set off back towards the ranch with it in tow behind her. Get on your horse again and follow as she compliments your skills.
Drew is waiting by the Corral and waves you over on arrival telling John "Well done, Mr. Marston. These are fine horses".
Drew then tells Bonnie "Amos was saying some fine horses were spotted outside of Armadillo".
She tells John "Let's go, Mr. Marston. We could really do with these horses. C'mon, Mr. Marston, let's head for Armadillo".
It's a trap!
Follow Bonnie towards Armadillo as John asks Bonnie why she was never married. "You sure ask a lot" she replies, inquisitively.
"I'm just surprised, that's all. You must've been quite a catch" says John.
"The fact that you're talking in the past, says it all" retorts Bonnie.
Continue past Mescalero and you'll meet up with some ranch hands at the bottom of the road.
Bonnie's plan is to trap the herd in the canyon where it gets narrow.
When you near the herd, she'll tell you to stay with the horses and drive them to the canyon when she gives the signal. She and the hands run ahead to set up the trap.
When the yellow waypoint appears, get behind the herd and they will start running. Steer them towards the waypoint by moving right to make them go left and vice versa. This is very similar to herding cows but not as easy.
You'll probably encounter some obstacles at Hanging Rock but try your best to get a few of the horses moving towards the canyon and the others will follow.
When they get to the canyon entrance, a cutscene will kick in.
The wild horses run into the canyon, straight into their trap.
The ranch hands are able to stop the horses and climb on to begin breaking them.
Bonnie tells John "Looks like we got the lot of them. What magnificent animals they are..."
Suddenly one of the horses bucks and throws off the ranch hand.
"Hey, the stallion's getting away! Chase him down and bring him back!" calls out Bonnie as the horse runs towards the other end of the canyon.
Get back here!
Run past the ranch hands and try to catch up to the golden stallion, remembering not to use all of your horse stamina in one go.
Once outside the small canyon it will run in circles around a flat area with cacti. Simply stay inside the circle it makes and lasso it when it passes by.
For the third time in the mission, you'll need to break the horse.
It shouldn't be anything too different to what went down before although this is one of the best horses in the game, so you might need to be slightly quicker with your balancing reflexes.
Once the horse has been successfully broken, it'll climb up onto it's hind legs.
Make your way back to Bonnie at the entrance to the canyon.
Approach her as you arrive.
Bonnie says "Thanks for your help today, Mr. Marston. We got some fine horses. You know, why don't you keep that stallion as your own. As a thank you from all of us".
"Thank you, ma'am. He's a fine animal" responds John.
After the mission you'll receive your Honor and Fame rewards, while also being told "You have broken the Kentucky Saddler: a rare and agile horse".
Shortly after, you're told "New items are now available to purchase from stores!".
Because you broke a rare three-star horse, the deed is now available to purchase from the General Store which will allow you to make it your permanent mount, however you'll need to fork out up to $1,500 (or $750 with a high honor level discount) before you can get your hands on it. Otherwise just take it to a hitching post to ensure you keep it.
The Kentucky Saddler is one of the fastest horses in the game and has good stamina, so it's worth considering making it your mount from now on.
Gold Medal Tips
- Run to your horse and follow the MacFarlanes to the herd. Stay ahead of them and find the herd when it says to look at them.
- Run in and lasso the first horse you can.
- To break a horse, just stay centered on it using the left analog stick. Tap left and right as needed, don't hold it.
- After you break the first one get back on your horse and then run to the herd for another.
- Stay ahead of Bonnie back to the ranch and then follow her to the next herd after the cutscene.
- Note: Nudging the broken horse Bonnie takes back to the ranch can cause it to run back & forth across the road and then stop Bonnie for a second or two.
- For the last herd, you don't need to wait for the signal. Get near the herd and the waypoint will appear after a few seconds. Do your best to navigate around Hanging Rock and hit "up" to make the horses move faster.
- The stallion can be quick so make sure your lasso is out when you try to catch it. Run to Bonnie after you break it.
Mission Rewards
- Weapon Unlocked: Lasso
- Mount Unlocked: Kentucky Saddler
- Horse Deed Unlocked: Kentucky Saddler ($1,500 base price)
- +50 Fame (only for Gold Medal)
- +150 Honor
- Mission Unlocked: A Tempest Looms
A storm is rolling in and Bonnie needs your help getting the cattle back to the ranch. Get the herd home safely before they become hamburgers. - Stranger Side-Mission Unlocked: American Appetites (Part 3) - If other parts have already been completed
People keep disappearing near Hanging Rock. Investigate where these lost souls have gone.