The Riding Outfit is a five-piece set in Crimson Desert built entirely around your horse. Every piece stacks +1 Horse EXP Gain, which means faster Trust and Bonding Level growth with your mount. No two pieces come from the same place — three require winning races, one needs vendor Trust, and one requires a hidden back-alley shop. This guide covers every piece, exactly where to get it, and what you need to do first.
TL;DR
- The Full Riding Outfit has five pieces: Leather Riding Hat, Riding Attire, Riding Cloak, Master Trainer’s Touch Gloves, and Riding Boots.
- Leather Riding Hat: Buy from Fiona at the Saddlery in Demeniss — requires +100 Trust. Costs 37.18 Silver.
- Riding Attire: Win the Darkhorse Grand Prix at the Golden Plains in Demeniss — win 4 consecutive races.
- Riding Cloak: Buy from Sunmore at the Back Alley Shop in Saddlewind Ranch — requires +100 Trust (gift x10 Garnet or gems). Costs 76.88 Silver.
- Master Trainer’s Touch Gloves: Complete the “Race in Hernand” Faction Quest for House Serkis — near Bloomwood Ranch north of Howling Hill camp.
- Riding Boots: Complete the “Horse Fair Races” Faction Quest for House Byron — speak with the Apprentice Rider at the Demeniss Horse Fair.
- Full set gives +5 Horse EXP Gain total. Cannot be refined or fitted with Abyss Gears (as of launch — fully upgradeable since Update 1.06).
What Does the Full Riding Outfit Do
The Riding Outfit is a utility set — it is not designed for combat. Each of the five pieces gives +1 Horse EXP Gain, and wearing all five stacks to a total of +5 Horse EXP Gain. This is the most direct way in the game to speed up your mount’s growth — faster Trust gain, faster Bonding Level increase, and more efficient horse taming.
The Riding Attire (chest piece) is slightly different. Instead of a direct Horse EXP bonus, it unlocks a Whip ability (triggered with L2+R2 on PlayStation / LT+RT on Xbox) that makes horse taming significantly easier. It also reduces Horse Taming Difficulty, which is useful when catching wild horses early.
Additional individual bonuses across the set include Electric Shock Resistance (Hat), Frost Resistance (Cloak), Movement Speed (Boots), and Critical Chance (Cloak). The set is equippable by Kliff only.
The Horse EXP Gain cap is +10. With the full un-upgraded set at +5, you can pair it with Equestrian Abyss Gears to push it further. See our guides on legendary mounts and the best horse and horse gear guide for how this set fits into overall horse progression.
Piece 1 — Leather Riding Hat
How to get it: Purchase from Fiona at the Saddlery in Demeniss, just before the north gate out of Demeniss City.
Requirement: +100 Trust with Fiona. She will not sell the hat until you reach this threshold.
How to build Trust with Fiona: Gift her ores, materials, and books. Keep gifting until you hit +100 Trust. Once unlocked, the hat costs 37.18 Silver Coins — cheap compared to the Cloak.
Stats: +1 Horse EXP Gain, Electric Shock Resistance Level 1, and the Whip ability (L2+R2 / LT+RT) that makes horse taming easier.
Piece 2 — Riding Attire
How to get it: Win the Darkhorse Grand Prix at the Golden Plains in Demeniss.
How to start: Speak with the Host at the Golden Plains to enter the race event.
Requirement: You must win the race four consecutive times. A single win is not enough — you need four victories in a row before the Grand Prix is yours and the Riding Attire is awarded.
This is the most demanding unlock in the set. Make sure your horse is well-geared before entering. See our best horse and horse gear guide for the fastest setup before the races. You can also practice with our Harmonious Hooves challenge guide to sharpen your racing technique.
Stats: Unique Whip ability (L2+R2 / LT+RT) that reduces Horse Taming Difficulty. This is the only piece in the set that trades the +1 Horse EXP bonus for the taming ability instead.
Piece 3 — Riding Cloak
How to get it: Purchase from Sunmore at the Back Alley Shop in Saddlewind Ranch, east of the Hill of No Return in northwestern Hernand.
Requirement: +100 Trust with Sunmore. He only accepts expensive gifts.
How to build Trust with Sunmore: Gift him x10 Garnet (Ruby Garnet) for the fastest result. Epiodte, Diamonds, and Azurite also work as trust gifts. Once you hit +100 Trust, the Riding Cloak costs 76.88 Silver Coins — the most expensive piece in the set.
Saddlewind Ranch is described as a renowned horse ranch in Hernand — most of Hernand’s famous horses come from here. The Back Alley Shop is the underground/hidden vendor there, not the main saddlery counter. To farm gems for Sunmore’s Trust, see our guides on how to get Diamonds and how to get Azurite.
Stats: +1 Horse EXP Gain, Frost Resistance Level 1 (useful in Pailune’s cold regions), Critical Chance Level 1, and up to -10% Stamina Cost Reduction when upgraded — one of the best Stamina bonuses of any Cloak in the game.
Piece 4 — Master Trainer’s Touch Gloves
How to get it: Complete the “Race in Hernand” Faction Quest for House Serkis in Hernand.
Where to find it: Head north of Howling Hill camp in Hernand, near Bloomwood Ranch. You will find a Noble on horseback near Bloomwood Ranch who challenges you to a race. This is the Race in Hernand quest.
Unlock requirement: The quest usually appears after completing the Lord Amidst the Ruins quest chain in Hernand. If it does not appear, complete all of House Alfonso’s Faction Quest chains first — specifically House of Spears (starts at Inadequacy) and Transcendent Structure (starts at Peculiar Structure).
How to complete it: Race the Noble and his horse. Win the race to receive the Master Trainer’s Touch Gloves as your reward. The Noble is a competent rider — make sure your horse is fast and your stamina management is solid before you start.
Stats: +1 Horse EXP Gain, Attack 11, Movement Speed Level 1. The gloves are the only piece in the set with a direct Attack stat, making them slightly useful outside of pure horse-leveling builds.
Piece 5 — Riding Boots
How to get it: Complete the “Horse Fair Races” Faction Quest for House Byron in Demeniss.
Where to find it: Travel to the Demeniss Horse Fair, which is north of the “N” in “Demeniss” on the map. Speak with the Apprentice Rider there to start the quest.
Note: You may need to complete Chapter 8: Blood Coronation before this faction quest becomes available.
How to complete it: Race the Apprentice Rider. Win the race to earn the Riding Boots. This race is generally more straightforward than the Darkhorse Grand Prix, but still requires a capable horse.
Stats: +1 Horse EXP Gain, Movement Speed Level 2 (higher than most boots of this type).
Tips for Completing the Races
Three of the five pieces require winning horse races. Here is what to know before entering:
- Use your best horse. A fast, well-bonded horse with quality gear makes a significant difference. Before racing, check our best horse and horse gear guide and consider grabbing a legendary horse for a real edge.
- Stamina management wins races. Do not exhaust your horse’s stamina early. Only sprint on straightaways and let the bar recover through corners and turns.
- The Darkhorse Grand Prix requires four consecutive wins — this is the longest grind. Do not give up after one loss. Reset and go again.
- Equip the Riding Hat and Attire before races if you already have them. The Electric Shock Resistance and taming bonuses are not directly combat-useful in races, but having any set pieces equipped is a good habit.
- For more on horse management across the game, check out our guides on how to summon and swap mounts, how to find and tame wild horses, and all stable locations in Crimson Desert.
Is the Riding Outfit Worth Getting
For combat, no. The Riding Outfit cannot be used as a primary combat armor — it has no Abyss Gear slots at base (upgradeable since Update 1.06) and its Defense values are modest. For horse progression, it is absolutely worth it. The full +5 Horse EXP Gain from wearing all five pieces is the single most cost-effective horse buff in the game. It stacks with Equestrian Abyss Gears and makes levelling mounts noticeably faster.
The best approach is to treat it as a swap set — equip it when you are focused on horse activities (racing, taming, riding to build EXP), then switch back to your main combat armor before fights. That way you get the full progression benefit without the defensive tradeoff.
Also note that while you are working toward the Riding Outfit, taking care of your companion animals levels up at the same time — if you have not yet picked up a pet to follow you during horse rides and auto-loot nearby drops, our guide on how to get the Owl pet and the Jindo (Shiba Inu) dog guide cover two of the easiest companions to get early.
Quick Reference — All Five Pieces
- Leather Riding Hat: Fiona, Saddlery in Demeniss (north gate area) — +100 Trust via ore/material/book gifts — 37.18 Silver
- Riding Attire: Darkhorse Grand Prix, Golden Plains in Demeniss — win 4 consecutive races
- Riding Cloak: Sunmore, Back Alley Shop at Saddlewind Ranch (east of Hill of No Return) — +100 Trust via x10 Garnet/Epiodte/Diamonds/Azurite — 76.88 Silver
- Master Trainer’s Touch Gloves: “Race in Hernand” Faction Quest, House Serkis — Noble near Bloomwood Ranch, north of Howling Hill camp — requires Lord Amidst the Ruins quest chain first
- Riding Boots: “Horse Fair Races” Faction Quest, House Byron — Apprentice Rider at Demeniss Horse Fair (north of “N” in Demeniss) — may require Chapter 8 completion
For full horse and mount guides, visit our Crimson Desert guide hub. Related guides: every unlockable mount and vehicle, how to get Horse Plate Armor, how to dye armor, weapons, and horse gear, and how to use Wardrobes in Crimson Desert.
Crimson Desert is available on PC via the official site, Steam, Epic Games Store, PlayStation Store, and Xbox.
