Caring for your equestrian additions in The Sims 4 Horse Ranch expansion pack involves a variety of training methods. While some skills are essential for daily interactions, others offer specialized opportunities to earn income. This guide delves into each of the four horse skills, explaining their importance, how to train them, and what each skill level unlocks.
The Importance of Horse Training
In The Sims 4 Horse Ranch, your horses can be trained in four distinct skills. Most of these are active training disciplines, but one, Temperament, develops passively as your horse socializes and bonds with Sims and other animals.
Understanding Horse Skills and Their Impact
| Skill | Effects |
|---|---|
| Temperament | Improves a horse’s socialization with Sims and animals, reducing the likelihood of bucking when ridden. |
| Agility | Enhances a horse’s movement fluidity, crucial for competing in Barrel Racing. |
| Jumping | A competitive skill focusing on timed jumps over increasingly taller bars. |
| Endurance | Allows horses to train for longer periods without becoming fatigued. |
If you prefer not to train your horses yourself, you can utilize the Community Boards scattered throughout town to send your horses for training. Generally, horses with higher Temperament skills are more adept at socializing. These are the ideal horses for riders new to horse ownership, as they are typically friendlier and more docile.
Developing Your Horse’s Temperament Skill
The Temperament skill is often considered the easiest to develop, as most interactions with your horse contribute to its growth.
Virtually all social interactions with your horse will help build its Temperament skill. Regularly engaging in Friendly or Funny interactions will gradually make your horse more temperate. Beyond basic care and spending time with your horse, you don’t need to dedicate specific training sessions to Temperament; it develops passively as you nurture the bond between Sim and horse. This passive development makes it easier to focus on other skills.
Enhancing Your Horse’s Agility Skill
The primary method for improving your horse’s Agility skill is by training them on the Barrels. Purchased as a set, training on the Barrels involves your horse running around the two barrels, honing its ability to make sharp turns.
Several options are available for Barrel training:
- “Practice Barrels”: This is the most basic training, suitable for beginner horses.
- “Race Barrels”: This option significantly increases the pace and is only accessible after achieving Level Five Agility.
- “Intensely Train”: Similar to intense workouts for human Sims, this provides greater skill gains at the cost of your horse becoming easily fatigued.
Standard riding will not improve a horse’s Agility; this skill requires dedicated training using the Barrels. For Sims focused on competitive riding, agility is paramount.
Improving Your Horse’s Jumping Skill
To excel in the Jumping skill, your horse needs to practice jumps regularly. This can be facilitated using Horse Jumps, which can be placed on your home lot or community lots in Chestnut Ridge.
In the early stages of Jumping skill training, horses may be hesitant to jump and might frequently knock down the bar.
Horses will attempt jumps repeatedly unless they knock the bar down. If this occurs, you will need to manually reset the bar by interacting with the jump setup. You can ride your horse during practice to improve your own Horse Riding skill, or you can instruct the horse to practice independently if you are occupied with other tasks. As horses advance in their Jumping skill, you can increase the difficulty by adding more bars after reaching Jumping Level Five. This allows for a more challenging and rewarding training experience.
Building Your Horse’s Endurance Skill
The most effective way to build Endurance, and indeed any physical skill for your horse, is through consistent practice. For horses, this translates to riding them as frequently as possible.
Whether you use them for transportation around town, for training at home, or simply for a leisurely ride, the more you ride, the better they will become at enduring subsequent rides. Much like improving your Sim’s Riding skill, Endurance is a relatively passive skill. Simply ride the horse and observe its skill bar increase as you trot through town. This not only improves your Sim’s riding abilities but also enhances the horse’s capacity to be ridden for extended periods. Consistent riding is key to unlocking the full potential of your horse’s endurance.
In conclusion, mastering these four horse skills in The Sims 4 Horse Ranch is crucial for unlocking your horses’ full potential, whether for competitive events, earning Simoleons, or simply enjoying a deeper bond with your virtual equines. Consistent training, varied practice, and attentive care will lead to well-rounded and capable horses.
