Red Dead Redemption

Spurred to Victory
Complete 20 story missions without switching to a new horse at a hitching post. (Secret) (Missable)

I made the solution mainly for those who are having to replay to get the achievement so I made it as fool-proof as I could. After hearing from more players it seems my solution is verging on paranoid lol. But after trying 3 times to get the achievement, that's how I felt. It probably comes down to simply - Never hitch any horse to a hitching post.

If you are starting a new game and you follow these guidelines, this achievement will unlock after mission 21. Otherwise, check to see if you have at least 20 missions left in the game and make sure to follow the guidelines. Here is a link to a mission list. http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Red_Dead_Redemption_missions

TA member teamwrk has verified that missions replayed from the Stats > Missions menu ***DO NOT*** count toward this achievement.

Guidelines
*Do not hitch any horse, including your own, to a hitching post. The game will force you to do this a couple of times at the beginning. No worries, this will not reset the counter. ***A few players have told me that they hitched the stallion without resetting the counter but I still recommend playing it safe and staying away from hitching posts.

*Always whistle for your horse when allowed. Do not take a horse from a hitching post, not even your own, unless the game forces you to do so. If you see your horse is hitched, just whistle and it will come. ***This may or may not be necessary but I think it's better to be safe than have to replay 21 missions over and over again.

*You will get a new horse during a mission with Bonnie. During the mission you will break a stallion (the Kentucky Saddlebred) and Bonnie will tell you to keep it. You can continue on using the Kentucky Saddlebred as this will not reset your counter.

*On the Seth mission when he tells you to steal a horse, instead mount your own horse and point your weapon at the law officers or lasso one of their horses. When you get your bounty, ride away and they will follow. ***This may not be necessary but it's an option if you don't want to chance it.

*If your horse dies, reload your most recent game-save. Save often!!!

*Do not use any horse deeds

Additional Tips
If this is your first play-through and you will be doing side missions and such, make sure you use your campsite to save often. Challenges do not auto-save until completed, so save after any progress you make with challenges.

If you are starting a new game just to get this achievement and want to get through as quickly as possible, use your campsite to fast travel to mission start locations and skip cut scenes. It will still probably take a 2 1/2 - 3 hours.

There are three save slots to choose from when you start a new game. Be careful not to save over a game you want to keep.

Good Luck!

Below are comments that I thought were relevant in specific situations.

** just a little addition that may not have been made entirely clear, I started the game with the war horse, when you get the stallion for the bonnie mission, do not use the deed to get your war horse back, otherwise the counter resets, I ended up getting the achievement with the war horse on mission 27
Posted by minus15T on 13 May 11 13:18:21

** I didnt see it mentioned in other comments, but if you allow your honor to drop to Desperado, when you whistle, a Dark Horse will respond. If you save with that horse, your counter will reset as well. I highly recommend that anyone attempting this achievement keep using the Kentucky Saddler for the duration as it is very easily recognizable and during many of the Act 1 missions it is unlikely that you'll come across any civilian riding one or randomly hitched to confuse you. +1 for the thorough guide (except for the dark horse mention!)
Posted by SGT Impaler on 03 Jun 11 11:47:07

The new easiest way is to just tie your first horse to a hitching post and then don't ever tie another one to a hitching post for the remainder of the game. This way it doesn't matter if your horse dies or if you use any horse deeds because as long as you never tie another horse to a hitching post it only registers that first and therefore, 20 missions later you get the achievement. Taking a horse from the hitching post because of a mission doesn't count as you having tied it up so don't worry when they put your horse on a post for you. It only counts if you actively tie it the hitching post yourself.

Using this solution and THRACE 462753's guidelines above, you should have no problems with this one.
(Taken from http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/Spurred_To_Victory)

I was obsessing over this achievement, convinced that I had blown it several times, but I ended up getting it after the minimum 21 missions. I got it despite the following: 1) Being forced to change to a new horse (the stallion) after lassoing it. 2) Riding a different horse out of the burning barn at the MacFarlane Ranch. 3) Jumping on the sheriff's horse--attached to a hitching post, no less--as a diversion during the first Seth mission. Apparently, nothing that happens during a mission has any impact on the achievement. I also did a horsebreaking job at Ridgewood Farm in between missions, and it had no impact.

Echoing the advice of others, until you get the achievement: 1) Always dismount and never hitch your horse to a hitching post. However, after you save your game at a safehouse, your horse will rematerialize at a hitching post. 2) ALWAYS WHISTLE for your horse, even if the horse is at a hitching post, to avoid accidently getting on the wrong horse. The horse will come when you whistle, even if at a hitching post. 3) Save often. If your horse dies, which can happen, just reload a prior save.

I was obsessing over this achievement, convinced that I had blown it several times, but I ended up getting it after the minimum 21 missions. I got it despite the following: 1) Being forced to change to a new horse (the stallion) after lassoing it. 2) Riding a different horse out of the burning barn at the MacFarlane Ranch. 3) Jumping on the sheriff's horse--attached to a hitching post, no less--as a diversion during the first Seth mission. Apparently, nothing that happens during a mission has any impact on the achievement. I also did a horsebreaking job at Ridgewood Farm in between missions, and it had no impact.

Echoing the advice of others, until you get the achievement: 1) Always dismount and never hitch your horse to a hitching post. However, after you save your game at a safehouse, your horse will rematerialize at a hitching post. 2) ALWAYS WHISTLE for your horse, even if the horse is at a hitching post, to avoid accidently getting on the wrong horse. The horse will come when you whistle, even if at a hitching post. 3) Save often. If your horse dies, which can happen, just reload a prior save.

i got this after doing 21 missions. cant be stated enough but DO NOT hitch any horse you get. I whistled for my horse every time i could and never had a horse get killed.

FOR the Bonnie mission where you obtain the new horse, simply get it and never hitch.

if it helps from being tempted to do so get off horse away from the action and run up to objectives to avoid risk of it being killed or hitched, etc. i did random selection of missions no particular order unlocked after mission num 21 finished where i escorted Seth's wagon to tumbleweed to find map piece

This solution contains spoilers.

It took me exactly 21 missions to get this achievement and it was all at the beginning.

I did all the Bonnie missions. I always whistled for my horse. I even walked away a bit when it was right in front of me and then whistled for it. I kept the original horse I got at the beginning and after breaking in the Kentucky horse I just hopped off and whistled for my original horse.

I also did all the Marshal missions including 'Hanging Bonnie MacFarlane'. I also did Seth missions up until he got his glass eye. I did all the Wells missions but I stopped before doing the 'The Sport of Kings and Liars'. I did a few Irish ones (up until you rescue Shaky the stutterer).

My horse didn't die once. I did plenty of reloads and retry checkpoints on missions. I was always being good and had my goodness maxed out by the time I got this achievement.

Good luck! Hope this helps.