Game Guide

Time and Date

In Equestrian Festival, one week in real time is equivalent to one month in game time. Therefore, horse age 1 year every 12 weeks. There is no speed aging in Equestrian Festival.

Amateur vs Professional

On the joining form, you can choose to be either an amateur or a professional. What does that mean? Amateurs will only be able to ride on the amateur circuit, and professionals the same on the professional circuit. At any time, you may step up from being an amateur to being a professional or choose to step down from being a professional to being an amateur.

As An Amateur...

If you choose to be an amateur, this means that you will only have to pay a flat boarding fee and a training fee to a boarding stable. You can choose from any of the boarding stables available, but you should compare the costs between each barn to see which is the best selection (Note: Paying a training fee will /not/ improve your horse(s) although it will be a mandatory fee). Choosing to be an amateur may be the wise choice for new members as you will be able to get your feet on the ground and earn some money. Amateurs and professionals may own the same amount of horses, but each must keep to their own circuits for showing. Amateurs also have a higher starting bank account than professionals do.

As a professional…

Choosing to be a professional rider will be an expensive choice. As a professional, you may open up your own barn (you will automatically get a barn, five stalls, and ten acres upon reaching professional status). Because facilities are costly, you may have to take out loans from banks or even go into debt while expanding your farm. Though it is pricey, it may pay off should you become a boarding stable and will have additional income coming into your account. Professionals can only show on the professional circuit and may not cross over into the amateur classes unless they step down from being a pro.

Horses

After you join, regardless if you are an amateur or a professional, you will start with four horses. They will be created randomly, but will have varied stats. Upon receiving your horses, you can either keep to choose them or try and sell them if you don’t like them.

All horses come with a set of stats. It will tell you what their scope, style, conformation trainability, and speed are like and whether or not they are a hunter or jumper. These are not “push-button” stats that will tell you exactly what you want to know. Just like in real life, you will have to use your own judgment in some cases to decide what they should show in. In any horse or pony, one stat will be completely random and possibly false.

For now, we just have the generic “Warmblood” and “Pony” as breeds. You are more than welcome to add a more specific breed to them on your websites such as Welsh Pony, Hanoverian, etc.

Showing

Equestrian Festival is not your ordinary hunter/jumper game. Most games run off for a randomizer for show purposes. In Equestrian Festival, we run off a program called EqFest that was programmed for the exclusive purpose of this SIM. The way a horse performs on the course will depend on how good his stats are and if he is entered appropriately to his stats. For example, a jumper with good stats will not perform will if he is entered in a hunter class because he is not suited for the hunters, and vis-versa.

Each division will be divided into four separate classes. For hunters it is be Hunter Round I, Hunter Round II, Under Saddle and Model and for jumpers it is Regular, Power, Speed, and Gambler’s Choice.

Each month hosts at least one horse show broken up into two portions - jumpers and hunters. On some months, more than one major horse show is listed on the schedule. For these months, amateurs and professionals must choose which horse show to enter their horse in, because showing in 2 major shows per month is considered over-working your horse on Equestrian Festival.

Horses have different divisions they can show in depending on their age. The restrictions are as follows:

Yearlings: Hunter Breeding only
Two-year-olds: Hunter or Jumper Suitability only
Three Year olds: Baby Green Hunters, Pre-Schooling Jumpers, Green pony only
Four Year Olds: Pre-Green Hunters or Schooling Jumpers Only
Five Year Olds: First Year Green, Second Year Green, Green Conformation Hunters, or Level 1 Jumpers Only
Six and Up: No Restrictions

Breeding

Equestrian Festival has a roster of game studs that are available to any member at any time. Mares may be retired from showing at the age of three to be bred. Stallions do not have to be retired from showing at all to be bred, but must be at least age three produce offspring. Just like in real breeding, mares are in foal for eleven months before giving birth. Foals are born as yearlings and cannot be ridden until they are three.