Horse levels in Crimson Desert are its Trust level: raise Trust by riding the horse, petting it, and feeding it until it reaches the max level of Trust 5.
Your horse may already have gained levels without you realizing it, because the level-up notice is easy to miss during normal travel. Open the horse screen from your Inventory to check its current Trust Level, then keep building Trust through the three things that matter: riding, petting, and feeding.
Horse level means Trust in Crimson Desert
In Crimson Desert, the visible horse level is the mount’s Trust Level. You can find it by opening your Inventory and selecting your horse, or by switching over to the horse tab from the inventory screen.
KEY!Trust 5 is the max horse level shown for this progression. Once a horse reaches Trust 5, it has access to the listed Trust-based skill unlocks and does not keep leveling past that point.
When a horse gains Trust, the notification can appear on the left side of the screen. If you have been riding often, your mount may have leveled while you were focused on exploration or combat.
How to check and raise your horse’s Trust Level in Crimson Desert
Use the horse screen to check Trust, then combine riding, petting, and feeding to push the same mount toward Trust 5.
STEP 1/9
Open your Inventory
Open the Inventory menu while your horse is available.
STEP 2/9
Go to the horse screen
Switch to or select the horse tab from the Inventory screen.
STEP 3/9
Read the Trust Level
Check the Trust Level shown on the horse screen to see the mount’s current level.
STEP 4/9
Ride the horse around
Use the horse while traveling, since riding builds Trust slowly but steadily.
STEP 5/9
Pet the horse
Stand near the horse and press the shown pet prompt, such as A on controller, to gain Trust from interaction.
STEP 6/9
Open your Inventory for feed
Open Inventory and find a horse feed item such as Hay.
STEP 7/9
Take out the feed
Hold the shown button on the feed item to use Take Out.
STEP 8/9
Drop the feed near the horse
Drop the feed with the shown prompt, such as Y, so the horse notices it and eats.
STEP 9/9
Let the horse eat
Wait for the horse to eat the dropped food, which adds more Trust toward its next level.
Video help
Riding, petting, and feeding build Trust
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Ride | Use the horse for travel to gain Trust slowly over time. |
| Pet | Interact with the horse directly each in-game day for Trust gains. |
| Feed | Give horse feed from Inventory, or take it out and drop it near the horse. |
Riding is the slow background method. It is the easiest one to keep active because you only need to use the horse while moving through the world, but it should not be your only method if you want levels quickly.
Feeding uses horse food from your inventory and is the most item-dependent method. Useful feed items include Hay, Oats, Apples, Sugarbeet, and Sugar Cubes, with Trust gains from feeding landing around three times per day before extra feeding becomes wasteful.
Level the horse you actually use: stored horses do not gain Trust, so keep your target mount out, ride it, pet it, and feed it daily.
Horse skills unlocked by Trust Level
| Trust level | Unlocks |
|---|---|
| Level 2 | Dash |
| Level 3 | Drift, Back Kick |
| Level 4 | Spring |
| Level 5 | Swimming III, Quick Start, Double Jump |
These unlocks are why Trust 5 is the real target. The higher levels add movement options rather than just a bigger number on the horse screen, so staying consistent with daily petting and feeding pays off once you start using the mount everywhere.
Horse Trust mistakes to avoid
A horse left stored at a stable will not gain Trust from sitting there. If you want a specific mount leveled, take that horse out and use it instead of swapping constantly or leaving it parked.
Feeding can also be picky. If the Feed Horse option is greyed out, try mounting the horse first, or use the take-out method: remove the feed item from Inventory and drop it near the horse. Be careful when other horses are nearby, because the wrong horse can eat the dropped food.
Do not burn time or items by spamming petting and feeding after the daily Trust gains stop. There are also stable-reset petting tricks floating around, but treat them as unstable behavior; they may rely on a reset bug and may not survive patches.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the max horse level in Crimson Desert?
The max horse level is Trust 5. At Trust 5, the horse has reached the top Trust level and gains the final listed skill unlocks: Swimming III, Quick Start, and Double Jump.
Why is the Feed Horse option greyed out?
The option can be greyed out if the horse is not in the right state for direct feeding. Mount the horse first and try feeding from Inventory again, or take out the feed item and drop it near the horse so it can eat.
Does a horse level up while stored at a stable?
No. A stored horse does not gain Trust. Take out the horse you want to level and build Trust by riding it, petting it, and feeding it.
What food can you feed a horse?
You can feed horses items such as Hay, Oats, Apples, Sugarbeet, and Sugar Cubes. Hay can be bought from a Saddlery.
Is the stable petting reset trick worth using?
It is not worth building your routine around. The stable reset method may depend on a bug or exploit, so the steady method is to ride your horse, pet it each in-game day, and feed it up to the daily Trust gains.
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