Like many gamers who have plunged headfirst into the impressively immersive world of “Red Dead Redemption 2,” I have been scarred for life by the death of my horse.

In “Red Dead Redemption 2” you play as Arthur Morgan, an outlaw roaming through the American wilderness in 1899. Needless to say, your horse is pretty essential to tooling around looking for trains to rob.

I named my first horse Minty, and since the game rewards bonding with your horse by giving it improved health and stamina, I spent time dutifully brushing him, patting him, and feeding him sugar lumps.

Then the unthinkable happened. While beating a speedy retreat from the law, I rode Minty headlong into a tree. Then into another tree. Then off a small cliff.

As Minty lay dying, the game informed me I could not revive him, and I had to put him out of his misery. The experience was traumatic, but I was comforted to find out that I'm not the only one to lose my horse in unfortunate circumstances.


The cinematic camera is deadly for horses.

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"Red Dead Redemption" has a feature which switches the camera angle to look like an epic, sweeping movie. The only problem: It makes steering a little tricky.


Actually a lot tricky...

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Especially when trains come out of nowhere.

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But even in regular camera mode, some people still had difficulty

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Unlike "Skyrim" horses, "Red Dead" horses aren't so good with steep drops

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And Arthur Morgan's horse isn't the only one prone to sudden death

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To add insult to injury, some players are accidentally punching their horses — although to be fair these horses give as good as they get

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https://twitter.com/CharleyyRachael/status/1056142773605281792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw


And the horses aren't the only ones at risk

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https://twitter.com/jfwong/status/1056257497185415168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw


And to top it all off: Your horse might spontaneously combust

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This is the result of a glitch rather than irresponsible riding, but it seems at least some horses have survived the ordeal.


And for those whose horses died in more conventional circumstances, social media is littered with tributes to fallen stallions.

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https://twitter.com/justinmakescode/status/1056641451738705920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw