Howrse is a great game for anyone who loves horses. It’s pronounced just like horse, and deals with equines as the name suggests. Let me tell you a little bit about it.
If you’re tired of the same pixelic horse game, turn to this. Some people on Horseland have been complaining about it, that it was better before. Howrse is always undergoing changes for the better. Their beta testers are not puppets and won the rights through a contest. Moderators carefully manage the forums where questions are answered. These mods are selected by the creator of Howrse.
Unlike Horseland, there are no pics to upload/buy. Colors are generated, some rarer than others, but the colors exist in real life. So do the breeds. Some of the popular horses are Arabians, Thoroughbreds, Paints, and Quarter Horses. There are ponies, too: Newfoundland, Welsh, Connemara, and Highland. Everyone who starts out gets a free horse that you design, and 100% pure. Whether or not you pass on the purity is up to you. Every pure horse is out of and by (or related to) Ouranos and Gaiia. These horses are not owned, but generated. Horses are sold for cheaper prices at auction, and if you have three karma, private auctions.
Breeding is not difficult, although it requires more money and preparation, such as the equestrian center your mare is at having a vet. Better stallions have higher stud fees. Some of the most expensive studs have rare colors, green stars, and high skills.
The rarest colors are roan, buckskin, strawberry roan, and mouse gray. Colors vary on some breeds. Training is not endless clicking, but a more interesting way of choosing the amount of time you want to ride or train your horse. Saddles and bridles are needed to enter competitions, which cost nothing to enter but instead you can win a certain sum from a pool! Competitions involve trotting races, galloping races, show jumping, and cross-country. These shows take away some energy, however. In addition to tack, in order for your horse to compete it has to be shod as well. Some are better than others. Some never come off and add a bonus!
Another unique thing about this game is that there is little real money involved. There are no such things as platinumm, premium, or upgraded accounts. Everyone can have an equestrian center and everyone can access special parts of Howrse after a certain time. There are riding tests so you actually learn! These not only enable you to enter parts of Howrse unavailable until you pass, but to get a job, such as groom, saddler, vet, and riding instructor. The only thing you have to pay for are passes, which are very cheap. Even if you don’t purchase them through PayPal, passes are easy to gain and can even be bought with Howrse’s currency, Equus. Passes can be used at the black market to buy bonuses, such as immortality, twins, and faster training.
Horses are sold via auction or, after 90 days of membership, private sales where there is no bidding. Some of the horses in the private auctions cost passes, too, because passes have been spent on them or they are very nice stock. Greenstars (dealing with high genetic potential) and horses with high BLUP (which actually exists!) tend to be more expensive.
Contests are common on Howrse. This article is even for one going on as I type rapidly! So are new additions. One is the Unicowrn, a rare howrse that is selling for a lot in the private sales. You can win prizes as well, such as passes and horses.
Howrse is a game for everyone who likes horses in any way. Log on today! Personally, I think it’s one of the best horse games on the net. Register by going to howrse.com. Until then, I hope to see you around….
~WindSunSky~
RSS Feed