RDR2 Horseman Challenges — All 10 Ranks

How challenges work

• They unlock in order. Rank 4 only appears once rank 3 is done — you cannot skip ahead.
• Nothing is missable. All 90 challenges can still be finished in the epilogue.
• All 90 are needed for 100%. See the full checklist.

All 10 Horseman ranks

1. 1. Horseman 1 Kill 5 rabbits from horseback Standard
2. 2. Horseman 2 Jump over 3 obstacles in 15 seconds Standard
3. 3. Horseman 3 Ride from Valentine to Rhodes in under 5 minutes Timed ride
4. 4. Horseman 4 While mounted, drag a victim 3,300 feet with your lasso Standard
5. 5. Horseman 5 Trample 5 animals while on horseback Standard
6. 6. Horseman 6 Ride from Strawberry to Saint Denis in under 9 minutes without touching water Timed ride
7. 7. Horseman 7 Kill 7 enemies from horseback without dismounting Standard
8. 8. Horseman 8 Kill 9 predators from horseback Standard
9. 9. Horseman 9 Ride from Van Horn to Blackwater in under 17 minutes without touching water Timed ride
10. 10. Horseman 10 Break every wild horse breed Standard

The three timed rides

Ranks 3, 6 and 9 are the only ones on a clock. Two of them also forbid touching water, which is what actually fails most runs — not the time limit.

Horseman 3 — Valentine to Rhodes, under 5 minutes

No water restriction, so take the direct road south. This one is a warm-up; almost any horse with stamina 4+ manages it.

Horseman 6 — Strawberry to Saint Denis, under 9 minutes, no water

The first ride where the water rule bites. Nine minutes across that distance leaves no room for detours, so plan the dry crossings before you start the timer.

Horseman 9 — Van Horn to Blackwater, under 17 minutes, no water

The hardest of the three, and the one people search for. Seventeen minutes sounds generous until you realise the only dry crossing of the Upper Montana River is the dam at Owanjila — which is well north of the direct line and adds serious distance.

A workable checkpoint chain:

1. Van Horn Trading Post
2. Butcher Creek
3. Emerald Ranch
4. Flatneck Station
5. Riggs Station
6. Upper Montana River
7. Owanjila Dam
8. Great Plains
9. Blackwater

What resets the run: dismounting, falling off, or stopping for a shootout. Ride around trouble rather than through it. A fully bonded Arabian covers this in roughly 11–15 minutes, so the margin is real if you do not lose the horse.

Which horse to use

For the timed rides, stamina matters more than top speed — you spend the whole ride at a gallop, and a horse that runs out throws you, which resets the challenge.

Best stamina

Arabian (Rose Grey Bay) has the highest stamina in the game at 7 base, rising to 10 at bonding level 4. That is the horse for Horseman 6 and 9.

Fastest top speed

Only four coats reach speed 7. Note how much less stamina the cheap ones carry:

The Nokota and Thoroughbred are cheap and quick but only carry stamina 3 — fine for Horseman 3, risky over seventeen minutes. Compare all 60 coats.

Horseman 10 — break every wild horse breed

Not timed, just long. You need to tame a wild example of every breed that spawns in the world, which means covering every region. The stats table lists every breed so you can tick them off as you go.

The other eight categories

Horseman is one of nine. The rest are Bandit, Explorer, Gambler, Herbalist, Master Hunter, Sharpshooter, Survivalist, Weapons Expert — ninety challenges in total.