Riding

This page is about the basic Riding characteristic (Passive Skill). For details on its use, see Travelling.

General Information

The Riding skill is required to ride any permanent mounts. It is learned from Trait: Riding Characteristic, and is auto-applied upon acquisition.

There are three Riding Traits available:

Riding - Basic riding skill allowing a character to ride mounts for up to +62% mount speed, depending on the mount.
Apprentice Riding - Boosts all travelling mount speed to +68%.
Journeyman Riding - Boosts all travelling mount speed to +78%.

Dwarves and Elves can get the same quest from Dwalin in Frerin's Court during their introduction.

All races can obtain this skill from [1] A Little Extra Never Hurts -- Part 2, bestowed by the blacksmith Skardí Bendblade in Mossward.
- New Beornings, High Elves, and Stout-axes are advised to use the Wrapped Horse Whistle to make the journey to Mossward safely.
- It is not necessary to have purchased Before the Shadow expansion to obtain this quest from Skardí.

Players with a VIP Account can also acquire this skill for free by completing the level 20 quest Proving Your Quality, given by Éogar at Hengstacer Farm, north of Bree.^{[22.3S, 52.3W]}

The skill can be bartered from Mithril Traders in the starting areas for 10 .

From Level 5, any character can purchase this skill from the LOTRO Store. It can be purchased on its own or as part of packages:

Item		Uses	Points
Riding Skill	Basic Riding skill required for riding mounts up to +62% speed.	Single Character	95
Apprentice Riding Trait	Upgrades your mounts to have +68% speed. Includes basic Riding Skill, Apprentice Riding Trait, and Smell the Roses.	Single Character	995
Apprentice Riding Trait (Account)	Upgrades your mounts to have +68% speed. Includes basic Riding Skill, Apprentice Riding Trait, and Smell the Roses.	Account-wide	1995
Journeyman Riding Trait (Account)	Upgrades your mounts to have +78% speed. Includes basic Riding Skill, Apprentice Riding Trait, Journeyman Riding Trait, and Smell the Roses.	Account-wide	2995

This skill is required to participate in Festival Horse Races during Special Events.