Horses, horses, horses. Some of us like them, and then there’s some of us who think they’re the be-all and end-all of animals.
Now, I’m not shaming the horse girlies (or boylies) out there, but I think even you’d agree there’s a reason they’re deemed a sort of lifestyle animal. No surprise then that the introduction of horses to The Sims 4 made such waves.
So if you’re having trouble with The Sims 4 horses, here’s some of our suggestions!
Horsing around
Training horses in the Horse Ranch expansion has been dubbed one of the most difficult things to do in The Sims 4 – as many fans have attested (deeming a paid expansion ‘hard work’ is usually the realm of Euro Truck Simulator players after all).
This largely comes down to the fact that if you want to get all the their attributes to the maximum (and why wouldn’t you?) it’s all about training day in and day out.
This is the main crux, and the main issue for many. But while there’s no way to expedite it short of mods, there are some things you can do to mitigate it.
Tip: Ride intensively
Once your Sim gets a high enough horse-riding skill, they’ll unlock the option to take their stallion (or mare) on an ‘intensive’ ride. This can tire out the animal more, but means they’ll raise their stats much more quickly. Use it with care, but do use it if you’re grinding stat increases!
Tip: Be skilful
Speaking of which, riding is a key skill to increasing your horse’s stats. No duh, I hear you say. But it’s important to remember that it’s not just your horse that’s responsible for increasing their skills. Be sure to have your Sim interact with other horse-loving Sims to glean some of their knowledge, and focus on having the most skilful rider take on the job of training.
Tip: Learn to love your horse
Finally, you’ll want to try and ensure Sims doing the training have the right traits. Specifically, the horse lover trait. Now if you’ve got the DLC you probably already know this, but horse lover drastically increases both the friendship bond you have with a horse and how quickly your Sim learns the riding skill. As a fringe benefit it’ll also cheer up your horse-loving Sim just being around horses.
Like I said, there’s no easy way (short of cheats or modding) to get your horse as well-trained as it can be. But if you use these tips you should take most of the pain out of the grind. And hey, it might be that having your Sim live their best life on the ranch is exactly what you’ve been hoping for.
A lifelong Maxis fan who grew up with SimCity 3000 and the lesser-known DS titles in the Sims catalogue, Iwan brings the obscure knowledge of things that have been and will be when it comes to The Sims.
