Are the horses decent?

[Dobydog]

I want the game very badly, but from stuff on Youtube and just reading about it, are the horses really that interesting? Can you teach them tricks and stuff, or work on anything resembling dressage, or is it all just focused on show jumping and racing? Can they build muscle like the sims can, or are there muscle sliders in CAS? I'm aware that this is just a game, but even the horses rearing when getting tacked up looks so irritating!! Just asking all of this because I wanna know exactly what I'm getting. Even being able to have horses in the game is huge, I don't want any annoyances to surprise me. Lol x(

[fraroc]

The horses are very good in the game. Definetly what we were expecting, but I felt that the horses were a bit of the main focus of the EP, I mean the only way you could get Dogs and Cats if you don't do the limited edition code thingie is by CAS or Adoption via PC and Telephone, where you can buy a horse anytime you want at the equestrian center.

[WoohooAndTheCity]

Do they poop?

[KaiRuh]

I mean the only way you could get Dogs and Cats if you don't do the limited edition code thingie is by CAS or Adoption via PC and Telephone, where you can buy a horse anytime you want at the equestrian center.

This applies to the limited edition as well.

I like the horses in my game, but I really wasn't expecting anything from them because it wasn't something that really excited me (and I know next to nothing about horses). The main focus does seem to be racing and jumping, but there are other things that they're good for (such as gardening).

[RoseCity]

Do they poop?

There's no visible poop that I've seen, but you have to periodically clean the box stall which results in a bag of horse poop in the sim's backpack. Which the sim can use for fertilizer.

[eskie227]

Sorry, no dressage. Just jumping and racing, and a RH event of cross country racing. BTW, even the jumping events run like races inside a RH. You can take jumps to train your horse at an outside horse "park", but there are no visible riding competitions. There are some odd graphics, like the saddle "spin", as well as some odd glitches.

In mine, (I can't speak for others), the horse "glides" back to the beginning off the jump course to start over, sliding across the ground, rather than walking or trotting. No tricks, although they will tap their feet to music if you play an instrument or set up an outside stereo for them (watching the horse tap, the dog howl, and the cat yowl along to your sim on guitar still amuses me).

You do get to interact and "train" wild horses, and you can use your horse in place of a car around town.

It is not a hardcore equestrian simulation, but this is for a general audience. You do get dogs and cats, which offer some really nice interactions, if hardly lifelike renderings.
You also get minor pets, which are like fish in a fish tank; nice to collect, not much to do with them, although you can play with them, unlike a fish (which at least you can cook). You can't even bury the poor turtle when it goes belly up, just clean out the cage. And don't forget, there ARE UNICORNS. :D

Overall, I think it's among the best of the EPs to date (LN being my other favorite, hate Generations, and find WA still too buggy to travel and get back to an intact base game). If Hidden Springs is 2200 points, or $22USD, or a monthly compilation $20-30, then at $40 this is a freakin' bargain from EA. Are there annoyances? Sure. That's true of Sims3 and every EP to date. That's what mods and working cc are for. :)

[WoohooAndTheCity]

There's no visible poop that I've seen, but you have to periodically clean the box stall which results in a bag of horse poop in the sim's backpack. Which the sim can use for fertilizer.

That's good to know.

[clockworkapple]

This applies to the limited edition as well.

I like the horses in my game, but I really wasn't expecting anything from them because it wasn't something that really excited me (and I know next to nothing about horses). The main focus does seem to be racing and jumping, but there are other things that they're good for (such as gardening).

ooh, really? i haven't come across this yet

[WoohooAndTheCity]

ooh, really? i haven't come across this yet

Someone mentioned horse poop as fertilizer.

[Zokugai]

The fertilizer is actually a very good one, by the way. Better if it's unicorn, not horse. I've seen people saying their unicorn-dung fertilizer actually turned plants into life fruit bushes.

If what you're debating is whether you should get the game, the answer is yes. The few issues with it are ones that could be pretty easily modded (for instance, the saddle spin).

[birdyfly]

If you're wondering if you should get the game, here are a couple things that might help you with that decision (since what everyone wants in a game varies).

Lazy Gamer Pets Review (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02eN2a85Q9U&feature=channel_video_title)
Let's Play: The Sims 3 Pets (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8Leu69DYUw)

Personally, I like the game, but I haven't added any of my CC objects back into the game yet due to waiting to see if the rig fix will be updated to fix beds as well.

With the horses, I haven't played with them much, if at all, but I am greatly enjoying playing as a cat and dog.
Even though I haven't played with the horses, I do feel that they are a great addition to the game since it is something that has never been introduced in the Sims franchise outside of custom content.

[Srikandi]

I'm having a lot of fun with horses, but if you're a horsey person looking for super-realism, you won't get it... any more than you get it from your human sims ;) I'm kinda surprised that a lot of animal lovers seem to have had high expectations for the accuracy of the TS3 treatment of animals, when they KNOW how (non-)realistic Sim humans are!

My most recent horse adventure, btw, involved a sim impulsively buying a horse in Egypt, as transportation (they're great for off-road travel). He was able to do that because I have Twallan's traveller mod, and I placed an equestrian center in Egypt. Of course, the horse came home with him from Egypt... and this particular sim lives in Bridgeport, in an apartment ;) Luckily this apartment complex has a very understanding landlord, apparently... my Sim was able to convert the garage and put a stall in there. I also installed the small versions of the Equestrian Center and horse training park in the Bridgeport mountains. There were some... interesting moments involving stairs and subways (animation glitches, as you might expect), and I had to place a few hitching posts around (those provide water and food as well), but generally, having a horse in the city works out pretty well ;)

I haven't added any of my CC objects back into the game yet due to waiting to see if the rig fix will be updated to fix beds as well.

The Rigfix will not be updated to automatically fix beds. Beds must be fixed manually, because they are more complex objects. Instructions are here if you want to do your own: http://sims3.the-prof.net/forums/index.php/topic,1472.0.html

Or just wait till your CC beds have been updated by the creators :) Lots of creators have updated all their stuff by now.

[birdyfly]

Thanks, Srikandi. :)

I tend to break everything I touch when it comes to modding, so I will probably just wait until the creators update the beds.

[AngryBunny.]

I've been around horses my whole life - trained them, competed with them, owned them. I have a pretty good knowledge about the equestrian world, and I can honestly say that the Sims 3 representation of horses is absolutely laughable. I mean, obviously we don't expect the EA creators to spend all their time and energy creating all new content and interactions to make horses authentic because that would be impossible. They would have to dedicate an entire expansion pack to horses, which obviously wouldn't appeal to everyone. Sims 3 horses are BASIC. You can't do tricks or ground training. You can't make specialised feeds. Your horses never gets sick. There is no farrier service. If you think the horse spinning when he gets untacked annoys you, wait until you see your sims ride! I have a sim who rides at 'international' level and they still flop around in the saddle like a sack of potatoes. They even mount the horse from the wrong side! Come on EA, did you not do ANY research?! :P

Training is entirely concentrated on show jumping and racing skills. You build your horse's show jumping skills by jumping different types of jumps. I rather like this aspect as your horse can jump more complex jumps as his jumping skill increases. When you start out training your horse can only jump small cavalletti's and will refuse larger jumps. He then moves on to oxers and wall jumps as his skill increases. Race training is boring. All you do is gallop around between markers and this increases his racing skill. You can compete in cross country which combines the show jumping and racing skills (i.e. there is no extra training feature for this). There are 3 levels of competition - beginner, advanced and international. Obviously as your horse becomes more skilled he can compete in the higher level competitions, and thus get more reward money. You also get trophies, which is cool!

Horses don't build muscle like sims. Changes to a horse can only be made in CAS. One feature that makes up for this though is that you can change your horse's coat/mane/feathering at any time during gameplay. This is a god-send if you own a stud farm. One of my foals was born with an all-black mane and an all-white tail. Uh... wtf? That would never happen in real life haha. Breeding is a lot of fun. It's always exciting seeing what colour foal you will get. I've gotten some gorgeous, true-to-life coloured foals. I've also gotten some butt-ugly-crime-against-nature foals whose genetics would never work in real life, but hey, what do you expect in a game?

Overall, the expansion is lacking in horse authenticity, but if you love horses as much as I do, that just doesn't matter because they're still fun to have in the game :)

[simsample]

They even mount the horse from the wrong side! Come on EA, did you not do ANY research?! :P

That one really annoys me, too! :lol:

One of my foals was born with an all-black mane and an all-white tail. Uh... wtf? That would never happen in real life haha.
http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/img/5/2/8/4/8/MTS_simsample-1246019-Bay.JPG

http://thumbs2.modthesims2.com/img/5/2/8/4/8/MTS_simsample-1246020-Dun.jpg

:P I'm kidding, I know what you mean. Some of the wild horses have plaited tails too (and the way it's plaited bothers me, don't they know horses have a bone in their tails?)

But, once your sim gets a reasonable riding skill, it's fun as heck to gallop around the neighbourhood!

[RoseCity]

My sim mounts from the correct side, although when she first started riding she was mounting from the right (which I think was supposed to be a beginner's mistake). She should face the rear of the horse and turn the stirrup towards the front, however, to be more correct.
I also think she's developed a pretty good seat as her riding skill has advanced - I don't see her flopping around at all anymore. http://wheineman.com/merri/Mounting.jpg

I love this horse - I think they did a great job on the bay coloring.

[cameranutz2]

They even mount the horse from the wrong side! Come on EA, did you not do ANY research?! :P

Also agree with that. Noticed it right off. Either they were too lazy to have the Sim move to the correct side or they had no idea it even mattered.

[KajaB]

No no no! x_x Theres no right and wrong side! Makes uneven saddles, rider muscles and horse's back muscles. One should always variate between the two if you even have to get up from the ground. /horsenerd rant over.

[KajaB]

Disagree. Really. Would you like to tell me *why* you should always mount on the left side?

[RoseCity]

I actually agree with you - I was just saying in my post that EA does have the sims mounting from the traditionally correct side as opposed to what was being stated.

[KajaB]

Ah, hope restored somewhat xD
I have no idea why people defend the left side rule so fiercely.
The only reason I can think of why it should be done is when the horses were used in the army and all the soldiers had to get up from one side to keep things orderly.
But that doesnt apply here.
And the only other reason I have ever gotten is "Because we have always done that"

[acid_fairy]

There is a correct side to mount horses?! I never knew this. Why?

[KajaB]

There isnt. There is a traditional side and there is no reason for it.
There are on the other hand good reasons to variate :)

[simsample]

If I tried to mount from the other side, I think I would end up backwards. Perhaps that's why it happens to the sims? :lol:

[aeval99]

Stupid question of the day: I haven't bothered with the horses yet (except for trying to keep them out of my parks) --- Is there any way to get the dung without having to have the horse? Can I just visit one of the equestrian lots and help myself?
There is a correct side to mount horses?! I never knew this. Why?
I had no idea either, and I used to take lessons. Although the lessons mostly consisted of me getting the horse ready to ride and then cleaning it up afterwards with a short interval of terror in between.

[Zokugai]

Stupid question of the day: I haven't bothered with the horses yet (except for trying to keep them out of my parks) --- Is there any way to get the dung without having to have the horse? Can I just visit one of the equestrian lots and help myself?

I had no idea either, and I used to take lessons. Although the lessons mostly consisted of me getting the horse ready to ride and then cleaning it up afterwards with a short interval of terror in between.
I suppose theoretically if you knew a sim who owned a boxstall and a horse that used it regularly enough to make it dirty (which is why I doubt the Eq Center would help) you might be able to use the clean interaction on it to "steal" his fertilizer. But you'd have to hope that unattended horses will just use the stall autonomously, which seems like a pretty big reach.

Some of the wild horses have plaited tails too (and the way it's plaited bothers me, don't they know horses have a bone in their tails?)

No, no they don't. Look at the unbraided tails. There is clearly no bone in there because EA doesn't know anything about horses beyond "they have four legs and you ride them somehow."

[porkypine]

In real life I can't ride a horse worth a darn. they like to go whevere they want and rub me off on the nearest branch. :P However, my sims LOVE galloping around town and don't get rubbed off. :lol: )

[Zokugai]

In real life I can't ride a horse worth a darn. they like to go whevere they want and rub me off on the nearest branch. :P However, my sims LOVE galloping around town and don't get rubbed off. :lol: )

That's because "obnoxious murderous beast" isn't a trait in the Sims the way it is in real life. Coincidentally, half the horses I know in real life have that trait, someone should really start randomizing their rolls...

[aeval99]

I suppose theoretically if you knew a sim who owned a boxstall and a horse that used it regularly enough to make it dirty (which is why I doubt the Eq Center would help) you might be able to use the clean interaction on it to "steal" his fertilizer. But you'd have to hope that unattended horses will just use the stall autonomously, which seems like a pretty big reach.
Unfortunately, it would appear your are correct. All of my attempts to "liberate" the local dung have been unsuccessful, and somewhere along the way I seem to have acquired a horse. So, my next question is...has anyone seen a mod for buyable dung...and how the heck do I get rid of a horse??? :blink:

[WoohooAndTheCity]

So, my next question is...has anyone seen a mod for buyable dung...and how the heck do I get rid of a horse??? :blink:

Shit don't cost a thing.

[KajaB]

I can easily make horse fertilizer buyable for you with an xml mod, how much would you like it to cost? Note, it will be without an icon in the shop but works just fine.
It would use the Ingredients xml file, so if you have any other mods that change that, typically all fruits buyable mods and such, it would be easier to just edit that mod to include the buyable fertilizer.
Bottom line is two mods cant edit the same file :)

Also, take your horse to the Equestrian Center and sell it :)

[aeval99]

I can easily make horse fertilizer buyable for you with an xml mod, how much would you like it to cost? Note, it will be without an icon in the shop but works just fine.
It would use the Ingredients xml file, so if you have any other mods that change that, typically all fruits buyable mods and such, it would be easier to just edit that mod to include the buyable fertilizer.
Bottom line is two mods cant edit the same file :)

Also, take your horse to the Equestrian Center and sell it :)
That would be awesome. I have no idea how much the going rate for dung is these days. I wonder how many plants can be fertilized by each, er, unit? What form does it come in?

I can't believe I'm having a discussion about the value of poo. :faceslap:

[CinderEmma]

Hm, I just googled fertilizer prices and it seems like a bag is between $5-$40. So I would say 5-10 simoleons would make sense, but I'm not sure the size of the dung. What do you guys think?

[WoohooAndTheCity]

Hm, I just googled fertilizer prices and it seems like a bag is between $5-$40. So I would say 5-10 simoleons would make sense, but I'm not sure the size of the dung. What do you guys think?

Go all out. Sell bags of poop the size of Bob Newbie's head.

[Zokugai]

Go all out. Sell bags of poop the size of Bob Newbie's head.

Realistically that'd be a very small bag of poop. Fertilizer's sold in bags the size of dog food bags, I think.

http://i.ehow.com/images/a07/4j/85/do-numbers-fertilizer-bag-mean-800x800.jpg

[CinderEmma]

^ That's why I think 5-10 simoleons is appropriate, since this dung isn't just deco :P
And I almost typed neopoints, too much Neopets I think XD I guess since I can't play sims right now, I'm replacing my internet focus :P I even played Sims Social to deal with the sim withdraw XD

[AngryBunny.]

Wow. I didn't expect so much controversy to come out of what I said!

Just to clear things up: I agree that there really is no "right" or "wrong" way to mount a horse. You can mount from whichever side you like, although if you're an English rider it's universally accepted to mount from the near side (I don't know much about Western, so maybe it's different?). I'm not exactly sure WHY that is, but I think someone once told me about it stemming from medieval times to help Knights when they had their amour on? I've mounted from the right many times in real life, but not unless I have to. If you're mounting a new horse, or a horse that you don't know well, I think you should always mount from the near (i.e. left) side. I train new horses to accept being mounted from any which way (Just realized that could be taken the wrong way. Stop being so dirty.), so I'm not saying it's a forbidden practice, but I suppose the 'horse-woman' inside of me screamed "WRONG!" when I saw my Sim doing it. I sent her straight to the Equestrian Centre for a damn riding lesson!

I admit that I was wrong about my Sims mounting from the off side every time. I noticed soon after I posted that she had actually mounts from the left now and no longer resembles a sack of potatoes when riding. Here she is with one of her prized stallions, Captain Jack :)

She actually has an alright riding position!
http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/690/screenshot11p.jpg

Well... most of the time.
http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/4374/screenshot21bw.jpg

Sorry to the OP, I think we've gone a bit off topic here. Conclusion: YES the horses are decent :P

[J. M. Pescado]

You want know the reason for mounting from the left side? It's a purely military practice. Your sword is carried on your left side, so you can draw it with your right hand. If you mount from the right, it causes awkwardness. This is also the reason traffic used to be on the left: Because your sword is on the left, and so if traffic were on the right, your sword would bang into people on the other side.

Sims, of course, no longer have swords, and traffic is on the right in Simlandia, so mounting from the left means you're standing in incoming traffic while you do it. Since people these days are now swordless, and traffic is the other way, there are certainly practical concerns for not having a preferred side now, but those concerns were obviously secondary to that of not banging your sword into your horse every time you get on and off.

[KajaB]

That would be awesome. I have no idea how much the going rate for dung is these days. I wonder how many plants can be fertilized by each, er, unit? What form does it come in?

I can't believe I'm having a discussion about the value of poo. :faceslap:

Here it is :)

[BGatot]

Just curious, how did you accidentally end up with a horse? I don't know if it's even possible. Then again, my sims never had much luck with wild horses. The best they got to do was to pet the thing, and somehow the next attempt to pet it was unsuccessful.

To be on topic, I think the horses are reasonably decent, and better fleshed out than the dogs and cats. Though I know nothing about horses, my interest is more of the horseless carriage variety. I suppose someone who is very familiar with them will find many things that's wrong with EA's horses.

[aeval99]

Here it is :)
Thank you so very much, KajaB. You went above and beyond the call of duty there and it is much appreciated.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/aeval99/smileys/udawoman.gif

I'm not sure how I ended up with a horse. I sent one of my Sims to learn to ride while I was messing about with the other ones and a dog, trying to keep them busy while I was building them a new house. I must have bought a horse when I thought I was just picking one to ride. Apparently, multi-tasking whilst mainlining Godvia chocolate liqueur can cause confusion. Who knew? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/aeval99/smileys/huh.gif

[KajaB]

Thank you so very much, KajaB. You went above and beyond the call of duty there and it is much appreciated.http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/aeval99/smileys/udawoman.gif

I'm not sure how I ended up with a horse. I sent one of my Sims to learn to ride while I was messing about with the other ones and a dog, trying to keep them busy while I was building them a new house. I must have bought a horse when I thought I was just picking one to ride. Apparently, multi-tasking whilst mainlining Godvia chocolate liqueur can cause confusion. Who knew? http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v35/aeval99/smileys/huh.gif

Oh no problem at all :lol:
Xml mods are the easiest thing you can do and I like helping out :)

[desco]

My horse got an all new coat color and markings when he aged up into a senior. Now I'm not too familiar with horses but...that doesn't seem like a normal happening for any animal.

Has anyone else encountered this?

[cameranutz2]

My horse got an all new coat color and markings when he aged up into a senior. Now I'm not too familiar with horses but...that doesn't seem like a normal happening for any animal.

Has anyone else encountered this?

I was just wondering why my foals are born with odd markings. One had a bulls eye(?). The other a bulls eye and a ribbon???

If anyone knows why either of these happen please share 'cause I find it a bit annoying.

And thanks, Pescado, for clearing up the reason for mounting a horse on the left. :)

[Howabominable]

I adopted a foal with polkadots. I think it's kind of cute that they have weird markings, personally.

[AngelicScot]

I think that overall the horses are reasonably represented. I do have slight issues with the short, choppy gait and the way the tails are represented. <shrug> It could be worse.

[clearblueskies]

Of course, the horse came home with him from Egypt... and this particular sim lives in Bridgeport, in an apartment ;) Luckily this apartment complex has a very understanding landlord, apparently... my Sim was able to convert the garage and put a stall in there.

That is hilarious! :rofl:

[AngelicScot]

Another thing that feels strange is the fact that the horses manes don't move when they gallop or jump. I don't find it surprising at all, since sim's hair doesn't move when they run. Somehow, I just keep expecting it to happen, and when it doesn't, it seems weird.

[KajaB]

Another thing that feels strange is the fact that the horses manes don't move when they gallop or jump. I don't find it surprising at all, since sim's hair doesn't move when they run. Somehow, I just keep expecting it to happen, and when it doesn't, it seems weird.

And stay put when they put their head down :faceslap:
Makes screenshots of grazing horses look weird :|

[Celebriton]

I like the horse very much. It's very refreshing.

The bad side is......although Appaloosa Plain build for horse riding, it's still not a very efficient to replace car with horse. It's a very time consuming for mount and dismount the horse, not to mention about some auto-dropping interaction for occasionally fail-route.

[Zokugai]

Another thing that feels strange is the fact that the horses manes don't move when they gallop or jump. I don't find it surprising at all, since sim's hair doesn't move when they run. Somehow, I just keep expecting it to happen, and when it doesn't, it seems weird.

I've always missed Sims 2 hair animations in Sims 3. Every time I got a new hairstyle I used to spin the sim around for like five or ten minutes just watching the hair swoosh back and forth. Was looking forward to that on horses... ):