Red Dead Redemption 2 Horse Poops into Camp Stew — Viral Clip Sparks Wild Community Experiments
A short Reddit video has sent Red Dead Redemption 2 players down a very specific rabbit hole: a horse appears to poop into the camp stew, the food is served, Abigail reacts with disgust and then vomits. The clip has drawn attention fast, with the post earning more than 35,000 upvotes within a day, and it’s prompted players to re-check exactly how realistic Rockstar made horse behavior in the game.
- What the viral clip shows and why some players think it’s staged.
- Player tests that confirm horses can poop in cutscenes and under other conditions.
- Community threads and videos about brushing, frequency tests, and stepping in manure.
- Which in-game systems respond to dirt and hygiene — and which do not.
The viral clip and how real it is
First, the clip: a Reddit short shows a horse defecating into the camp stew, the stew being served, and Abigail gagging and throwing up. The sequence is funny, and many viewers wondered whether Rockstar actually coded that kind of chain reaction. At the same time, Rockstar is known for fine detail — for example, the studio once inspired discussion over whether horses in RDR2 were modeled with realistic anatomy; see this write-up for context: https://aftermath.site/you-are-error-horses-red-dead-redemption-2-horse-testicles.
However, concrete limitations exist. NPCs in the game do not naturally vomit; that behavior requires a mod. Also, if camp members strongly dislike food you prepare, they typically refuse to eat it rather than immediately retch. In short, parts of the viral sequence are staged or at least assisted by player modification.
Player discoveries and videos
Horses can poop during cutscenes
Interestingly, players have documented that horses will defecate during cutscenes. This was captured in a short video that shows a scripted scene where a horse relieves itself mid-cutscene, which confirms the game engine allows those events to run during cinematic moments.
Brushing and the “Why does my horse always poop when I brush it” thread
Community threads have discussed whether brushing makes horses poop more often. One GameFAQs thread asked, ” Why does my horse always poop when I brush it ?” Players reported seeing a correlation, and other users uploaded experiments based on the idea.
Stranger uses: player experiments and crude stunts
Some players used these mechanics for stunts. For example, someone hogtied an NPC and tried to make a horse poop on them by brushing the animal repeatedly. That video shows the community exploring the limits of what’s possible in-game.
Frequency tests and watching horses
One player recorded horses for an hour to measure how often they relieve themselves. The test found varied timing: two horses went at roughly the same time while a third did not. Feeding and other care variables affect those intervals, so frequency is not fixed.
Stepping in manure — does it matter?
Another test checked whether the game responds when Arthur steps in horse droppings. The result: nothing notable happens. There is no special animation, penalty, or explicit “dirty” status tied to stepping in manure in that experiment.
Poop physics and terrain effects
That said, Rockstar added small details. On some surfaces, poop deforms underfoot. For example, on plain earth the droppings can squish when you walk through them. Separately, logs and other objects can attract flies in certain spots, adding minor visual detail.
Other oddities and final notes
Some players made horse poop into entertainment, including a widely viewed ASMR-style video that focuses solely on droppings. Meanwhile, the hygiene system does prompt NPCs to comment on Arthur’s appearance, such as saying he does not smell great. However, the hygiene mechanic does not appear to track whether the player has interacted with feces — stepping in or being covered by manure does not automatically trigger those remarks.
To sum up: players confirmed several real behaviors — horses can poop in cutscenes, brush-induced pooping is commonly reported, and poop can deform on certain terrain — but the viral gag where a character vomits immediately after eating camp stew relies on staged or modded behavior. Still, the clip and the experiments behind it show how closely the community watches RDR2’s small details.
