If you’re always taking care of your horse (as you should) and you have kids, chances are two things are bound to happen. First of all, the kids will develop an interest in horses, up to the point where they would want to take care of them themselves. Second, if you’re being careful enough with their training, the kids can actually start helping you with your equine friend.
But, before you can trust your kids around horses, there are a few things that he or she needs to learn about them. This is in their best interest, and can be extremely important in preventing unwanted accidents. Remember that no matter how much you may love your not-so-little horses, they are still animals, and can be temperamental, especially if the people around them aren’t that friendly.
The first and foremost thing a child should learn is to respect the horse. After you’ve taught him that, he needs to learn about the practicalities involved in taking care of the horse. So what do you do, if you want him to safely understand and practice this, without actually putting the child at risk of being hit by the horse?
The obvious answer: horse care games.
Horse care games, or virtual horse care games (the kid won’t actually play care games with a live horse) are excellent online learning tools that can help everyone willing to get involved into the great art of equestrian care.
For this very purpose, we’ve put together a list of the three best horse care games we could find. We’ve ranked these games in respect to their difficulty, the amount of time each requires, as well as the accuracy of the tasks involved.
Recommended Read: The Complete Guide for Proper Horse Care
#1 Horse Care
Horse care is a game which can easily be found online at horse-games.org. It’s a very simple game, so we recommend it for those of you who want to teach your kids the very basics of what it means to take care of a horse.
It’s a small flash game that requires players to reach a certain amount of points in order to finish it. There are 4 total levels within the game, each a bit more difficult than the previous one. For each respective level you have a specific number of horses.
What are the objectives of Horse Care? First of all, you need to use the wide array of tools available to take care of your horse. Each horse has a little wooden board above its head that will display a specific need. You can give the horses grass, water, and horse food. Once you advance in level, you can also mop the floor when the horses make a mess, or you can wash the horse, or clean it with a cloth. Each horse has a health bar that drains in time as you fail to complete a task. If the bar empties, then you lose one life. You have a total of three lives for each level.
Horse Care Game Link: here
There is just one of the three amazing virtual horse care games we’ve chosen. So, let’s see what the others have to offer!
#2 Howrse
Howrse is an extremely complicated horse care game. It can be accessed at howrse.com. Compared to the previous game we’ve shown you, this one really is a cut above. If you want your kids to know exactly what caring for a horse involves, there’s no better game available.
Howrse is a browser based horse care game in which you get quests to solve in order to improve your horse. Before you even begin, however, you get to decide what type of horse or pony you want form all the available breeds. Then, after you’ve named your horse, and chosen its gender, you can proceed to take care of it. One cute thing to point out is that you can choose a horse even before you make an account.
Now, after you’ve done all this, you will be presented with a dashboard. This is where you take care of your horse. Sure, it’s not as pretty and animated as the previous game, but it’s far more accurate and rewarding.
Here’s what the dashboard contains:
- Your horse. In the middle of the screen, on a serene meadow background, sits your horse. It’s beautiful, isn’t it? As you progress in the game, your horse ages, and with its age it changes its appearance. One important thing to note is that you can play with a few animations, or you can change its coat, the landscape, and even change its For the last three, however, you need to pay with passes.
- Your wallet. In the top-right side of your screen there are two numbers, indicating the amount of Equus (in game credits) and of Passes (purchasable credits) that you have. These can be used for a variety of tasks.
- The care center. The care center is where you make your horse do different tasks like feed, drink, stroke, groom, carrot, etc. These improve your overall horse stats, which are displayed just below your horse.
- Equestrian center. Just below the care center is the equestrian center. Here you can see some interesting facts like the name of the ranch where your horse is stationed, how long he will stay there, and what the center provides you with.
- Tips box. Next up is a tips box where you can see random advice depending on your level of progress within the game.
- History box. Under the tips you will have a history box, displaying all previous tasks that you’ve completed.
- Horse Info boxes. To the right of the history box you will see standard information about your horse, as well as the items you have. Above this box there’s one with your horse’s skills, and one with its health, morale, and energy levels.
- To the right you have five other boxes. These are mission, rides, training, competitions, and breeding. Each of their functionalities will be unlocked as you progress. The training box, one of the most important, allows you to raise the horse’s skills.
Howrse Horse Care Game Link: here
Now that you’ve understood just how complex this game is, you can go right ahead and bring your kids, and you can even play together with them. Just be sure not to forget your real life horse.
#3 StarStable
StarStable is a bit less accurate that Howrse, yet it makes for a much more immersive experience. Unlike the previous two games, this one is a massively multiplayer online game (or MMO). It can be found at starstable.com.
This isn’t only a horse care game. It was built to offer you a wholly rewarding experience. Therefore, you not only have to care for your horse, but you can also train it, and, what’s more, you can actually ride it. Sounds pretty cool, doesn’t it?
In this open world experience, you get the chance to invite your friends in the game, and stroll around the beautiful landscapes that the game has to offer. The best thing is that all major breeds are in the game, and you can have as many horses as you want!
If you take good care of your horse, it will be able to perform well on the quests available. Besides quests, you can ride along with friends, and even go to racing events, if you like to do that.
The only things that make this game a bit irritating are its inaccuracies, the fact that the horses look more like ponies than actual horses, and the overall lack of authenticity. However, it’s a really fun game that is sure to spark up your kids’ love of horses.
StarStable Game Link: here
So what did you think of our list? Would you like to show any of these to your kids? Or do you feel the need to start playing yourself? If so, at least one of these games may actually help you improve the way you take care of your own horsy. So, go right ahead!
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