My Horse Ranch/Breeding Program

[AriaGirl77]

Ok, I'm totally not a horse person, so far I've only worked with cats/dogs and birds.  But this looks like a lot of fun!  Gettin' ready to start my horse ranch!

[MaryMarsh]

Oh, do, AriaGirl. I guess I've played every profession and gone for every LTW in Sims 3, and I was getting well burnt out on the game until Pets arrived. Now because I'm working with horses and have any number of long-term goals beyond those provided in-game I'm more enthralled than ever. My human Sim just made her LTW -- Jockey -- and it meant very little to me because I have so many other things I'm striving for.

I guess what I'm most tired of is the monotony -- packing sims off to rabbit hole workplaces, watching sims make endless portraits, or nodding off while a sim writes yet another romance novel -- and all the ridiculous (read pointless) opportunities -- gads. On my ranch it's very different -- you've got horses to breed, stallion services to sell, training, competitions to enter, and of course the tending to animals; plus there are NO silly, unrealistic opportunities. There just is no time to get bored. I can't wait to put in a garden and produce my own horse food. Plus, I'm very into my Sim (she's the one most like me that I've yet created) and the whole roleplaying thing. As a celebrated trainer and rider it's very important that she be in good physical condition, so I've been trying to shoe-horn in time for working out. There's just a lot going on. I totally love the Pets expansion.

[Lesleyxxx]

I can't find how to stop ageing?  When I went into options to try i found the 'enable ageing' is ticked and grayed out so I can't untick it?


Lizzy, I have wondered if it's an options to build a new house in the corner and delete the original house? [moving across all fittings first of course]  I haven't tried it so don't know, but would be interested to find hear if anyone has?

Today's challenge for me is to enter my first race

MaryMarsh I'm off to read your blog now. I love that you did one for us to follow, thank you.

[Banksia]

I would love to hear the life story of the best foal born in your stables.  It would make a great story- including all the details of the comings and goings of the stable and it's daily ups and downs.  Maybe your sim could find someone to help them run the stable too? 

Just a thought- you already have the setting and the story happening there- isn't there that one special foal that you just cannot part with?

[Veroontjexx]

Wow, I really love your ranch!! Because of you, I've started my own and I love it! It's difficult though, to have a maximum of only six horses.
I'm certainly going to read your blog, looking forward to it too! Now, back to my game.

[Deme]

By the way... Has anyone worked out a really solid strategy for international contest wins? My poor maxxed-in-all stallion keeps getting 2nd place at best, and I'm trying an internation competition a night, basically.

[MaryMarsh]

Good morning, dear friends, and thank you for your kind comments.

Just before I went to bed last night I got in two races with Scenic at the International level -- he won both of them! I think the key might be to use 'Take Risks' for half the race, then select 'Go for Broke.' I did that for each race last night. Also, I spent no time whatsoever improving his moodlets before the races and it made no difference whatsoever. But there are a lot of variables; for instance, my human sim is now at Jockey level (Lifetime Wish) and she's a Rider of Legends (below is the trophy I recieved for achieving that status).


By marylcmarsh at 2011-10-23

I didn't know what else to do with the darned thing, so I parked it at the entrance to the upper deck of my barn. Saracen Arabian Farm is a no-nonsence operation; thus, things like stutues seem a bit incongruous.

Scenic is edging ever closer to becoming a Racing Champion and Jumping Star (goals within his Jumping and Racing Skills). Once he achieves either the value of his foals will go way up). For now, we're concentrating on competitions and not breeding any new foals. I've got about 20K weekly coming in from the two owned properties (Equestrian Center and Equestrian Training Facility) and I'm making about 4K daily in competition prize money, which all told is more than sufficient.

Banksia ... best foal? They're all best foals   Something inside me wrenches a bit whenever I have sell one. I think at some point I will have to move one of the foals out on his own, then go into Edit Town and create a second ranch (annex) where I can raise offspring of my original animals. It kind of breaks my heart that we cannot have larger lots and MORE horses.

[Lizzy]

Lizzy ... after much experimentation I trigger foals to adult status, then train them until their status is 'trained.' Also, I usually work with the foals sufficiently to give them three positive traits. When this is done I sell them. I realize that I could get much more by training their racing and jumping skills to 10, but I've come to the conclusion this isn't cost effective based on my current operations. With the limitation of having only six pets on a lot, I've got to turn my foals quickly so I can keep my broodmares producing regularly. My 'adult' foals sell on average for 11K.

---------------------

I've created a blog for my Sim farm at http://saracenfarm.blogspot.com/

I hope a lot of us committed horsepeople will create blogs so we can continue to follow each other.

Love your blog, I will create my blog tonight I'm thinking of making every successful Unicorn foal, a downloadable adult horse on my blog.

And thanks for the info  

I can't find how to stop ageing?  When I went into options to try i found the 'enable ageing' is ticked and grayed out so I can't untick it?


Lizzy, I have wondered if it's an options to build a new house in the corner and delete the original house? [moving across all fittings first of course]  I haven't tried it so don't know, but would be interested to find hear if anyone has?

Try setting the lifespan at Epic before enabling?  (Not sure if that helps tho)
And i probably could relocate the house but building a entire new lot was more fun   Took me 3 hours haha.



That trophy is really cool MaryMarsh!

[Metropolis Man]

Also, I spent no time whatsoever improving his moodlets before the races and it made no difference whatsoever.

Definitely. I often play with static needs if I'm testing for guide articles and there's no question that moodlets are irrelevant.

[Lesleyxxx]

3 things:

1]  I was finally able to untick ageing. No idea what I did different but it wasn't grayed out this time.

2] I have a foal YAY 
 

3] I still haven't been able to get into a race, or to riding lessons either.  My sim is way too easily distracted. I may have to stop free well to get this done!

[MaryMarsh]

Leslie ... Congratulations on the new baby ... yeay!!!

About International Wins ... for the second day in a row Scenic pulled off back-to-back racing wins. Strategy: 'Take Risks' for first half of race, 'Go for Broke' during second half.

Abbie Just picked up a first celebrity star, even though she has no human friends and has never been invited to a party.   More important, she just made Equestrian Champian (part of Riding skill) which means she'll get more prize money. Her only riding skill component remaining is Mustang Master, and needs to adopt only one more wild horse.

Saracen Arabian Farms trophy room is beginning to look like the real deal.


By marylcmarsh at 2011-10-23

This is sooooooooo fun!

[Deme]

Leslie ... Congratulations on the new baby ... yeay!!!

About International Wins ... for the second day in a row Scenic pulled off back-to-back racing wins. Strategy: 'Take Risks' for first half of race, 'Go for Broke' during second half.

Abbie Just picked up a first celebrity star, even though she has no human friends and has never been invited to a party.  More important, she just made Equestrian Champian (part of Riding skill) which means she'll get more prize money. Her only riding skill component remaining is Mustang Master, and needs to adopt only one more wild horse.

This is sooooooooo fun!

I tried your strategy on an International Racing competition, and it worked (1 down!) -- but it didn't work for jumping. It did get me to second, so I suspect it has something to do with the number of times you've tried that sort of competition: I've done lots of racing competitions, but relatively few jumping ones. Just an idea.

I'm currently trying to get Equestrian Champion and my three internationals done on my test file -- I've got Mustang Master and Horse Friend (or whatever). It looks reasonably doable as a supermax, if you're willing to be REALLY busy and maybe use moodlet manager/ motive mobile like freaking crazy.

[MaryMarsh]

I tried your strategy on an International Racing competition, and it worked (1 down!) -- but it didn't work for jumping.

Way to go, Deme!!!

My International Cross Country and Show Jumping wins were done with 'Go for Broke' during the entire race, but then Scenic had at least 10 wins under his belt at the advanced level.

My race strategy is not fool proof, but it seems pretty solid. Of six International races using this strategy, Scenic has won five.

[Deme]

Hm. I'll switch the advanced races to Jumping for a while, then -- I usually enter one international (to keep trying for that win) and one advanced (to be sure to keep making progress on the 20 -- my sim is still a young adult and halfway there!) an evening. My horse started as a racer, so he's primarily been in races so far. Anyway, I'll try your strategy for the jumping and cross-country, too, since your strategies have worked for me so far! I'll probably settle down and raise a back-up horse and a kid soon.

[MaryMarsh]

Putting Scenic through his paces during a weekend with no competition.


By marylcmarsh at 2011-10-23