My Horse Ranch/Breeding Program

[EquineSim]

Like most people on this awesome forum, I too play the Sims 3. I have Ambitions, World Adventures, High End Loft and Pets. The thing
with Pets is I cant install it for another two weeks (long story) but I have been doing research and then some so I know some things :-)
I'm only really interested in the horse aspect of it, so if anyone has any tips on starting a Sims horse ranch for real (ie not just reading and dreaming about it), that would be good to know. I've been riding all my life so actual 'horse sense' isn't a problem, but rather running a Sim ranch,
or 'Sim sense'.    Okay I am coming off as retarded nerd, but I have played the Sims for as long as it has been around, since Sims 1
and so forth but I have never ran a Sim ranch and I'm curious as to what is easier, one Sim or two, and how big the stalls actually are and things.   :-)

[EquineSim]

hey guys been sat reading through all the comments last night.. took me a canny few hours to get through them all hehe!

enyway im gonna start u my own breeding ranch now. im hoping to stat breeding champion race horses.. not sure on the breed yet though. im gunna have a look on what breeds are best for racing.. got any ideas?

well ill put i picture up of my family and ranch when iv finished :)xxx

I'm looking forwards to seeing the ranch you build, Katie, it'll be good to have some more inspiration now marymarsh isnt here.

[simlishlol]

I'll have to put up a picture of my Dynasty ranch, which is on my house lot. Once it's finished, that is. Been building up the house so I haven't been focusing my money towards the ranch yet.

[EquineSim]

Sounds cool!  I have done the house part of my ranch, now I have to wait one week to install pets and build the rest.  Exactly how big are the stalls?

[heatherliz2002]

Hi everyone
I'm new to this forum and I've enjoyed reading this thread over the last couple of days.  I've checked out Carl's guides several times, but had never taken a look at the forums until now, and I'm so glad I did!  I loved the forums on the Sims 2 website, but have found the one on the Sims 3 website to be disappointing, so I haven't posted at all the whole time I've been playing the game, and I've missed discussing it with other players!

I'm an equestrian in real life (have been since I was a little kid), so obviously I was thrilled when Pets came out and we could have sim horses!  As someone mentioned earlier in thread, I do wish there was dressage, as that is my discipline!  I've had so much fun building horse farms, breeding, competing, etc, but there are still things I haven't tried yet, like adopting a wild horse.

One thing I've really enjoyed is having my sim work with "project horses" as this was something I did with my riding instructor when I was growing up.  My trainer would purchase a horse who needed re-training (sometimes ones who had been mistreated, some who hadn't been correctly trained in the first place), and rehabilitate them before finding them new owners.  To translate that to the game, I have my sim start out with modest funds and a relatively small lot with only one stall.  I have the sim adopt a horse from a shelter, train it, and eventually sell it.  As the sim's skills increase and she sells more horses, she's able to get better and better horses, and expand/move to a larger farm (I usually switch over to buying horses from the equestrian center once she has some money, starting with the cheapest and working my way up), until she eventually has a really nice horse who she competes until they are a champion, and then breeds.  I play with aging on and have my sim have one child who eventually takes over the farm (I like the multi-generation aspect of the game).  I just started a new family and I'm working on a new strategy that I'll post about once I've gotten a little farther.

Sorry for such a long post, I'm just so excited to have found a place to talk about horses in the sims!

[EquineSim]

I only have to wait till this thursday then I can install pets! I'm so excited I actually have a project horse in real life, a sixteen hand six year old appy called Duke. Sorry I know its off topic, but I just had to share that.   I think the Sims is a great game and I can't wait to have pets

[heatherliz2002]

I hope you enjoy Pets!  I've had more fun with it than any other expansion.

[EquineSim]

I am enjoying it immensely!!! Today was my first my first day with it and I played for eight hours. Fantastic.

[Telsey]

Are many still doing the horse breeding?  I just found this thread and it is fascinating.  I so want to have a horse ranch.  I know nothing about ranches though so building one is something I can't even conceive.  I don't know where to begin.  Anyone know of a large ranch on the exchange that is safe to download? 

[Korva]

I've fiddled with horses a bit but am only now about to start a horse-focused household myself. My biggest suggestion would be: reserve a lot of space for a nice, big pasture for your horses. This is to avoid pathing problems; they need quite a bit of room just to move around due to their size, especially when there's more than one horse around. It also gives them room to exercise and socialize without having to leave the pasture. There are no traffic accidents or such in this game -- thankfully! -- but personally I still get twitchy when I see horses running freely around town. Not to mention this can result in the horse being anywhere but where you want it to be when your Sim wants to go for a ride or to a competition. :p With a nice big pasture containing all the essentials, you can "lock to pets" the gates and know your horses will stay horses safe and happy at home.

You only really need horse stalls for breeding (and fertilizer, if you make the horses pee in the stalls), so if you're starting with 3 horses, don't worry about having to buy and find room for 3 stalls.

Stalls and hitching posts are also maintenance-free infinite sources of hay and water, while normal troughs have to be refilled and normal hay bales/stacks need to be spread out and are then (literally) consumed. So you can decide what you want to use depending on whether you want to spend a extra little time, work and money on "realistically" feeding the horses or not.

[heatherliz2002]

I still play horse farms on a regular basis.  I agree with having a large pasture area, and utilizing the pet lock on the gates.  I'll usually put cavalletti (the poles that the horses can start learning the jumping skill with) in the pasture, along with a couple of the hitching posts (for easy access to hay and water) and the ball the horses can play with.  Then I have a separate area for the big jumps, and another for the racing posts.  It helps to spread everybody out.  One other trick I use is that when I have a horse who doesn't need any more training (like the stallion for my breeding program after he's maxed all his skills/skill journal challenges), I have them spend a lot of time in their stall.  It helps to keep them out of the way.

I'm pretty sure it's mentioned earlier in this thread, but there are basically two types of barns/stables you can build.  A row of stalls open to the outside (often called a shed row), or an enclosed barn with a central aisle and the stalls facing each other on either side of the aisle.  If you build the second type, just make sure you are making your "aisle" is wide enough (placing the stalls far enough away from each other) that the horses have room to maneuver.

I haven't downloaded anything from the exchange, so I can't help you there, but you should give building it a try- it's really not too hard once you get started.  If you want to save space, you can put your sims' living quarters on the second floor of the barn Instead of building a separate house.  It helps to leave enough room for all the horsey stuff. 

[Telsey]

Thanks for the ideas.  I didn't know about the hitching posts.  I have played a little with a horse but not a whole group and then only as a pet type thing.  But on reading this thread it just sounds like such fun to have a breeding program and to train them.  I did think I'd like an apartment above the stables.  It just seems easier to be close to the horses.  I just can't do a decent barn.  Well, the roof is my main problem.  I can't stand playing with ugly lots.  LOL  I have all this thread so I know what I want, just not how to go about getting it.  I took screen shots of some lots so I can have something to go by.  I like the ones where there is an outside pasture right outside the stable that I could lock breeding pairs in but so they can get outside too.  I appreciate the help.

[warr2098]

I have started a ranch due to this topic, I am starting with the normal beginning amount of money now, so I will build my ranch up eventually. I hope to have several generations of horses and sims on this lot, but the sims will only be there to care for the horses. I am exited to see the genetics that get passed down, but I'm proud to present my ranch so far!
Outside: (I built a horse ranch/ training ground next door to make life a lot easier 


Inside:

My Founder Sim riding one of her two horses, Dash.

I'm quite proud of my starting home, it turned out quite nice! I went for the, You want posh things but you can't afford them so your furniture is rotten, look 
I'm also proud to announce that the other horse, Bounce, is pregnant! 

[heatherliz2002]

Looks like a great start!  I like to build it up gradually too, rather than using money cheats.  It's a fun challenge!  You'll have to post a pic of your first foal.

[marystar]

hi
I'm new to playing Sims and I was wondering if anyone could give tips on building a good ranch?