Riding is an important part of the game because it allows you to train your horse, improve its stats, build confidence, and prepare for competitions. However, you need to manage your horse’s strength carefully while riding, as running out of strength can end your ride.
In this guide, we will explain how riding works, how to control your horse’s speed, how to handle scary obstacles, and how to complete different training courses. We will also cover the available trails and competitions so you know which activities are best for improving your horse.
Whether you are just starting out or preparing for advanced competitions, understanding these mechanics will help you get better results and avoid unnecessary injuries or failed attempts.
Horses of Hoofprint Bay Riding Guide – Training, Trails
There is no open world in the game. You can only enter riding mode by going to the training paddock, riding out on trails, or entering a competition.
Once you start riding, the game loads a new scene where you control your horse’s movement. The riding gameplay uses a side-scrolling 2D view with a set starting point and finish line.
You can control your horse using the following keys:
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Arrow keys | Control your horse’s gait |
| Space | Jump |
| S or Down Arrow | Praise your horse |
There are four different gaits:
- Walk
- Trot
- Canter
- Gallop
While riding, you will see colorful bars showing your horse’s confidence, strength, and exercise. Pay close attention to the strength bar because it determines how long your horse can maintain faster gaits and continue jumping.
Your horse loses strength when galloping, cantering, or jumping. It recovers strength when moving at a gait slower than canter. The rate at which strength decreases depends on your horse’s endurance stat.
Horse Speed and Gait Changes
When your horse does not have full confidence, it may occasionally try to change its gait without your input. These automatic changes happen more frequently when confidence is lower.
You will see an indicator when this happens:
- Blue Backwards Arrow: Your horse will try to slow down. Press the forward key once during the time window to prevent the change.
- Orange Forwards Arrow: Your horse will try to speed up. Press the backward key once during the time window to prevent the change.
Some personality traits also affect these behaviors. Energetic horses tend to try to speed up, while chill horses tend to slow down. Rebellious horses may still try to change gaits even when their confidence is full.
Jumping Mechanics
Your horse’s current gait determines its jump height and distance.
- Canter: Produces a higher but shorter jump. This is useful for obstacles that require more height.
- Gallop: Produces a lower but wider jump. This is useful for obstacles such as water jumps.
You need to choose the correct gait before reaching an obstacle. Using the wrong gait can make it difficult to clear certain jumps.
Training Results and Mistakes
At the end of a training session, you receive a training overview. You pass the training if you finish within the time limit and do not make too many mistakes.
Depending on the training type, the game may count the following mistakes:
- Refusals
- Falls
- Knocked rails
- Missed gates
Your riding performance also affects your horse’s health and confidence. Falling frequently can cause your horse to get injured. Failing obstacles or gates reduces confidence, while successfully completing jumps and gates increases it.
You can also praise your horse after successfully asking it to change gaits. To praise, press S or the Down Arrow shortly after the successful gait change. There is a cooldown, so you cannot repeatedly praise your horse without waiting.
How to Handle Scary Obstacles
Some trail courses contain scary obstacles. Objects used in confidence training can also frighten your horse if its confidence is not full.
When your horse encounters something scary, it may slow down, stop, and display either a curious or frightened reaction.
If Your Horse Becomes Frightened
When your horse looks frightened, you need to back up to prevent it from spooking and bolting. After that, slowly approach the scary object again.
If Your Horse Becomes Curious
If your horse displays curiosity, praise it repeatedly. Once it returns to a neutral stance, slowly move forward until you pass the scary object.
Handling these situations carefully is important because forcing your horse forward while it is frightened can lead to problems.
Managing Horse Strength
Strength management is one of the most important parts of riding. Your horse loses strength when cantering, galloping, and jumping, so you should avoid using faster gaits continuously.
If the orange strength bar becomes completely empty, your ride will end.
The game also provides warnings to help you manage your horse’s strength:
- Red Exclamation Mark: Appears when your horse reaches the lowest marker on the strength bar.
- Yellow Exclamation Mark: Appears when you attempt to jump an obstacle that your horse does not have enough strength for.
When your horse’s strength drops below the lowest marker, it becomes more likely to fail jumps. You will also need to time your jumps much more precisely because there is less room for error.
Advanced courses may include obstacles that require your horse’s strength to remain above the second marker on the strength bar. Staying above this marker gives you a higher tolerance when jumping.
The best approach is to use slower gaits whenever possible and save strength for important obstacles.
Training
The game offers several types of training courses in the riding arena, including:
- Lunging
- Show Jumping
- Cross Country
- Caprilli
Arena training generally focuses more on increasing strength than endurance. Trail rides also count as training, but they focus more on endurance gains.
There are also activities that provide exercise without counting as training or increasing strength and endurance. These include:
- Walking the horse
- Confidence training
- Free lunging
You can use these activities when you want to focus on improving your horse’s confidence.
Competition License Training
Some training courses are marked as competition license courses. Your horse must successfully complete the required course before it can enter competitions in that discipline.
For example, completing Caprilli Training 1 successfully qualifies your horse for Caprilli competitions.
Riding Arena Upgrades
As you upgrade your riding arena, the backgrounds and obstacles improve visually. The arena starts with basic DIY obstacles made from items such as tires, shovels, and barrels. Later upgrades introduce medium-quality obstacles and eventually competition-quality equipment.
Riding Arena Training Courses
The following table shows the available riding arena courses, their stat gains, exercise costs, and competition license requirements.
| Training Course | Arena Stage | Discipline | Strength Gain | Endurance Gain | Exercise Cost | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavaletti Training | 1 | SJ | +3 | +2 | +12 | None |
| Caprilli Training 1 | 1 | Caprilli | +3 | +2 | +12 | Caprilli |
| Caprilli Training 2 | 2 | Caprilli | +5 | +3 | +16 | Caprilli |
| Show Jumping Training 1 | 1 | SJ | +5 | +3 | +18 | SJ |
| Show Jumping Training 2 | 1 | SJ | +7 | +4 | +24 | SJ |
| Show Jumping Training 3 | 2 | SJ | +8 | +4 | +25 | SJ |
| Show Jumping Training 4 | 3 | SJ | +9 | +5 | +30 | SJ |
| Cross Country Training 1 | 2 | XC | +3 | +6 | +23 | XC |
| Gridwork | 2 | SJ | +6 | +2 | +15 | None |
| Rhythm Training | 2 | Caprilli | +4 | +2 | +12 | None |
| Lunging Walk-Trot | 1 | Lunging | +1 | +1 | +5 | None |
| Lunging Walk-Trot-Canter | 1 | Lunging | +2 | +1 | +8 | None |
| Lunging Transitions | 1 | Lunging | +3 | +2 | +12 | None |
| Lunging Random Short | 2 | Lunging | +3 | +2 | +11 | None |
| Lunging Random Long | 2 | Lunging | +6 | +3 | +20 | None |
| Lunging Free | 1 | Lunging | +0 | +0 | +10 | None |
| Leading | 1 | Leading | +0 | +0 | +5 | None |
| Confidence Training 1 | 1 | Confidence | +0 | +0 | +2 | None |
| Confidence Training 2 | 1 | Confidence | +0 | +0 | +2 | None |
Trail Rides
Trail rides are another way to train your horse. Unlike riding arena courses, trails focus more on endurance gains than strength gains.
Different trails are available in the Forest, Beach, and Mountains. Some trails require specific upgrade packs or a Cross Country license.
Forest Trails
| Trail Name | Upgrade Pack | Strength Gain | Endurance Gain | Exercise Cost | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forest Walk | Home Trails | +0 | +0 | +5 | None |
| Mushroom Trail | Home Trails | +1 | +3 | +10 | None |
| Mossy Trail | Home Trails | +2 | +4 | +15 | XC |
| Lush Leaves | Advanced Forest Trails | +2 | +5 | +17 | XC |
| Waterfall Ride | Advanced Forest Trails | +3 | +5 | +20 | XC |
| Cross Country Training in the Forest | Cross Country Training in the Forest | +3 | +5 | +20 | XC |
Beach Trails
| Trail Name | Upgrade Pack | Strength Gain | Endurance Gain | Exercise Cost | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beachside Stroll | Beach Trails | +0 | +0 | +7 | None |
| Public Beach | Beach Trails | +2 | +4 | +15 | None |
| Through the Dunes | Beach Trails | +2 | +5 | +17 | None |
Mountain Trails
| Trail Name | Upgrade Pack | Strength Gain | Endurance Gain | Exercise Cost | License |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mountain Hike | Mountain Trails | +0 | +0 | +10 | None |
| Mountain Peak Trail | Mountain Trails | +2 | +5 | +17 | None |
| By the Ravine | Mountain Trails | +3 | +5 | +20 | None |
Competitions
There are four competition levels in the game:
| Competition Level | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| Beginner | B |
| Novice | N |
| Intermediate | I |
| Advanced | A |
The competition names and abbreviations may differ depending on your localization settings.
To unlock the next competition level, your horse must win the current level. For example, you need to win a Beginner competition before entering the same discipline at the Novice level.
Once your horse wins the next higher level, it can no longer compete in the lower level of that discipline.
Competition Types
There are three main competition disciplines:
- Caprilli
- Show Jumping
- Cross Country
Caprilli only has Beginner and Novice levels. It is designed as a more beginner-friendly competition type, and even the starter mare can win it.
Show Jumping and Cross Country are more challenging. You will generally need to breed or buy better horses and train them properly before attempting these competitions.
How Competitions Work
Competitions use riding mechanics similar to regular training. You need to manage your horse’s strength by switching between canter and gallop at the right moments.
However, you also need to complete the course quickly and avoid mistakes to beat the NPC times. These times vary slightly at random.
One important difference is that riding arena training courses always follow the same layout, while competitions have a randomly generated obstacle order every day.
This means you cannot rely on the same riding strategy for every competition. You need to pay attention to the obstacles ahead, choose the correct gait, and save enough strength for the more demanding sections of the course.
Tips for Better Riding Performance
Keep these points in mind when riding or preparing for competitions:
- Watch the strength bar and avoid letting it become completely empty.
- Use slower gaits to recover strength between demanding sections.
- Choose canter for obstacles that require higher jumps.
- Use gallop when you need a lower, wider jump.
- Pay attention to the blue and orange gait indicators when your horse has low confidence.
- Back away when your horse becomes frightened by a scary obstacle.
- Praise your horse when it displays curiosity and returns to a neutral stance.
- Avoid frequent falls because they can cause injuries.
- Complete the required competition license training before entering a discipline.
- Prepare your horse for advanced competitions by improving its stats through training.
Conclusion
Riding is more than simply controlling your horse’s speed and jumping over obstacles. You need to manage strength, maintain confidence, choose the correct gait, and learn how to handle different obstacles.
Arena training is useful for improving strength, while trail rides are better for building endurance. You should also complete the required license courses before entering competitions.
Once you understand these mechanics and learn how to manage your horse’s strength, you will have a much easier time completing training courses and progressing through the competition levels.