There's going to be a lot of traveling in Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, and if you don't want to run into any problems while going from one end of the map to another, you'll want to improve your Horsemanship skill. Not only does this make your horse more stamina-efficient when riding at full speeds, but a high Horsemanship skill can also keep you from getting unseated during mounted combat.
The moment you get your first horse in KCD2 is the moment you start training your Horsemanship. However, this is one of the slowest skills to level up. If you're looking for a way to speed this process up, here are a few things you can try.
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How to Get Horsemanship XP in KCD2
You'll earn XP for your Horsemanship skill simply by riding your horse over long distances. The easiest way to do this is to set your horse to follow a road and just let it run forward. This method is completely hands-free since you don't need to press any buttons to get your horse moving. However, take note that this is going to take a long while if you don't supplement the process with other sources of XP.
If you can, try to get some books from scholars. Look for the 
Life in The Saddle I series of books and read them to get some Horsemanship XP. If you get the Cushion perk from the Scholarship tree, you'll be able to read books faster than usual as long as you're sitting down in a comfortable spot. Additionally, keep an eye out for skill trainers roaming the world. You may find someone who's willing to teach you a few tricks on horse riding.
Defeating enemies while on horseback will also net you Horsemanship XP. If you plan on riding across the countryside, bring a polearm with you and deal with any surprise bandit encounters without dismounting.
Brew XP Potions
What many players might not know is that you can get potions that increase your XP gains by a whopping 50%. This potion is called Henry's Fox — "Henry" here is used as a quality tag (like Weak or Strong), and you can only get potions of Henry quality once you get the Secret of Secrets perk in the Alchemy tree. You need to have a level 16 Alchemy skill to learn this perk, and since you're the only one in the game who can make potions of this quality, you'll need to power-level Alchemy.
Brewing Henry's Fox potions is a little more complicated compared to simpler recipes like Marigold Decoctions. The ingredients you need for it are harder to get as well. Still, crafting a batch of these potions is well worth it if you plan on leveling up any skill.
Useful Horsemanship Skills
If you ever find yourself in a horse race, we recommend getting the following perks to help you win (and earn more XP in the meantime):
- Headstart - Spur your horse twice from a standing position, and it will immediately start galloping with a speed bonus.
- Ride Like the Wind - Slower stamina consumption while galloping.
- Final Stretch - Spur your horse when it is nearly out of stamina to gain some stamina back.
- Roadrunner - Consume less stamina while running on roads.
Wearing spurs on your boots will also provide a bonus to your Horsemanship skill. The amount depends on the quality of the spurs you wear.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
- Released
- February 4, 2025
WHERE TO PLAY
- ESRB
- Mature 17+ / Use of Alcohol, Blood and Gore, Sexual Content, Strong Language, Intense Violence, Partial Nudity
- Developer(s)
- Warhorse Studios
- Publisher(s)
- Deep Silver
- Engine
- CryEngine
- Number of Players
- Single-player
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
- PC Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- Xbox Series X|S Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- PS5 Release Date
- February 4, 2025
- Platform(s)
- PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, PC
- Genre(s)
- RPG, Action-Adventure, Open-World
- X|S Optimized
- Yes
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
