Tips for starting out with a single sim and horse

[sims96fan]

I made a new game with a single sim and horse out of CAS to try out Appaloosa Plains.  However, I was only able to find one house that my sim could afford (barely!) that was large enough to have a stall for the horse, too.  This is to the left of the equestrian center.

After buying a stall and some items for the horse, my sim was only able to afford a bed. 

It took 3 hours each way to ride into town on the horse to buy some more groceries, etc.  Any tips for how to get by while starting out without having the horse becoming neglected?

[Twinmum]

My sims always start out without a house. I just have a room with a bed and a small bathroom attached. Sims will quite happily live like this forever if you want. Just buy the necessities and as they earn more money, build onto the house enclosing the rest of the furniture. Without the cost of an actual house, you should have enough to get by on for a little while.

Norma

[callycat]

You don't need to buy a stall to start with, that will save you some money too. There's even an advantage to buying just a water trough and some hay to start with, as hay from a bale (rather than from the stall) gives them a moodlet.

You can also board them at the equestrian centre or the training ground for no cost.

[CSquared2]

Unless you're expecting visitors on the lot, I wouldn't even bother with the room, just the furnishings.  If there are visitors, the toilet and shower will need the privacy of a small (2x2) room.  Don't forget that under Miscellaneous wall coverings there are free coverings, and the same goes for Wood floors.

I feel your pain, though.  Horses take up so much space!  Kind of like real life, though.   

[Dreamweaver]

The house you are talking about is a great choice for a Sim starting out with a horse. I left it with basic furnishings until my Sim started winning races. You don't need the stall to start. Your horse can drink from the pond and graze in your own backyard. The house expands nicely for future generations of Sims and horses.

[CowgirlBlues]

Until you boost your Sim's riding skill/ the horse's racing skill to level 1, that horse is going to be very slow. It won't take quite as long to ge to the grocery store after that. In the meantime, taking your horse for a ride on every errand will help you build skills. But training on the training posts at the nearby Equestrian Center will be faster. And you won't need to bother buying training posts or wall jumps for your home lot.

In a similar situation, I sold some of the houses furnishings to pay the bills until she started winning races. Also, adopting free horses from the shelter, training them, and selling them is a pretty easy way to make money with horses. And you can feed and water them for free from hay bales and water troughs at the equestrian center, and hitching posts and ponds around town.

[sims96fan]

Thanks for the advice!  I'll go try these out.

[WickedSimmer87]

I dont exactly have any tips for this, but inspired from "one sim and one horse" i came up with a small old farm I'm going to upload it on swap shop today 

[Ricalynn]

My favorite house for one sim and one horse is the one across from the Rifkin kids.  It's called the sunflower cottage or whatever.  It's a small lot but I was able to buy it furnished and the fenced in area was perfect for the horse to run around in.

[CowgirlBlues]

I love the layout of the sunflower house too. It's surrounded by a lot of unused land that makes it look bigger than it really is. Also, I like the run-down house in the middle of town, because it's super convenient to be close to everything when you're trotting around on a new horse.

[Sarah_n07]

It IS hard to travel around town using a horse at first. But that'll become pretty much easier when your sim improves his/her riding skill. I usually spend the first day riding, that gets the skill to level 3-4, it fills the relation bar as well and you'll become BFF in no time!
You can also ride to work everyday ( if you do have a job ) to both keep your horse from being neglected and earning some money. Send your horse to the horse ranch while you're away. That's a good choice to have your skills improved.

I made a new game with a single sim and horse out of CAS to try out Appaloosa Plains.  However, I was only able to find one house that my sim could afford (barely!) that was large enough to have a stall for the horse, too.  This is to the left of the equestrian center.

Only one house your sim was able to afford? Hmm... Kind of weird. There are 4-5 houses available at the start, I guess. 

My favorite house for one sim and one horse is the one across from the Rifkin kids.  It's called the sunflower cottage or whatever.  It's a small lot but I was able to buy it furnished and the fenced in area was perfect for the horse to run around in.

I love that lot! Cozy and comfortable