Ready for the ride of your life?
Since “The Sims 4” was launched last September 2014 (Quite a long time, right? It’s the first decade next year), there have been several expansion packs released for the game, such as “Get to Work,” “Get Together,” “City Living,” “Cats & Dogs,” “Seasons,” “Get Famous,” “Island Living,” “Discover University,” “Eco Lifestyle,” “Snowy Escape,” “Cottage Living,” “High School Years,” and “Growing Together.”
The latest and newest expansion pack released is “Horse Ranch,” unveiled to “The Sims 4” gamers only last July 20th, 2023. In this article, we’ll provide a complete guide to “The Sims 4: Horse Ranch.”
What Is ‘The Sims 4: Horse Ranch’?
With this expansion pack, you can work and play hard with your animal friends and your own stretch of land. You can raise, train, and form special bonds with these majestic horses that are customizable members of your family as well. But the game is more than just horses. You can also take care of tiny sheep and goats, or earn a living by selling homemade Nectar.
New Aspirations
We’ll begin this guide with two new Aspirations you can access with this expansion pack. These Aspirations are:
- Expert Nectar Maker
- Championship Rider
New Traits
“Horse Ranch” also features new Traits for your Sims. These Traits are:
- Horse Lover
- Rancher
Horses: Its Biggest Feature
The greatest feature of “The Sims: Horse Ranch” is, of course, Horses. You can customize these hoofed buddies in the Create a Sim interface or acquire new horses by either rescuing or buying them. Foals can also be born on your ranch. Moreover, your Sims can also hone their Riding skill, as well as horses training in the Agility and Jumping skills. And that’s not all. Skilled horses and rides can even win and bag some awards at the new Equestrian Center located in Chestnut Ridge.
How You Can Age Up Your Horses
Like other animals throughout the game, horses will age up independently. Unless you use cheats, you will not be able to age up your Horses prematurely.
The Lifespans Of Your Horses
Like your Sims, your Horses also have a lifespan. Under the Normal Lifespan, Foals will take eight days to age up into an Adult. Now this is a good advantage on your part if you are seeking to raise a racehorse since Foals can get a head-start on their Temperament Skill.
Meanwhile, an Adult horse takes a whopping 50 days before it can age up into an Elder.
Horses Traits: Complete List
Here’s a complete list of all the traits available for your Horse friend:
- Aggressive
- Brave
- Defiant
- Energetic
- Fearful
- Free Spirit
- Friendly
- Independent
- Intelligent
- Mellow
- Needy
Tips On Horse Raising
The game does not end just with acquiring your horses. You can also raise them. However, unlike raising farm animals in “Cottage Living,” Horse raising in this expansion pack takes a much more hands-on method. Aside from caring for your Horse, there’s also the opportunity to hone its Skills so it can compete in competitions, and spend a lot of your time to befriend it and raise its Temperament Skill.
1. Select The Best Horse Traits
It is crucial that you can choose the best traits for your horses. Horses in “The Sims 4: Horse Ranch” can have three Traits out of the 11 listed earlier.
Also, certain hidden traits are available, but only through breeding horses in this game.
Likewise, these Traits significantly impact your horses’ ability to be trained in the Skills required to win Competitions.
These Traits can also impact their resale value.
2. Train Your Horse And Your Sim, Too!
You can train your Horses to improve four different skills, namely Temperament, Agility, Jumping, and Endurance. Their Traits will determine how simple or challenging it is to learn these Skills.
As you train your Horse, you also train your Sim. Your Sim’s Riding Level will change their riding animations. A higher-skilled Sim will be kicked off their horse less often.
3. Spend Some Time At The Equestrian Center
Over at Chestnut Ridge, there’s the Equestrian Center where you can bring your Horses. Here, they can compete in Barrel Racing, Endurance Racing, Show Jumping, and Western Pleasure competitions.
If you place well in those competitions, your Sims can access the Ultimate Horse Championship, the highest division of the competition. As they win these competitions, your Sims are granted Simoleons, trophies, plaques, and more, while allowing them to compete in higher competition divisions and even produce better offspring with a higher Value.
Remember also that Horses should be fed and cared for just like other animals in “The Sims 4.” Caring for a horse well will increase your Sim’s bond with them, which will greatly impact how easily your Sim can ride it, eventually.
4. Breed And Sell Horses
By breeding your Horse friends, you will be more triumphant should you wish to acquire a Horse with a high resale value and that which can win more difficult competitions, but depending on the success of its parents.
Also, by becoming a successful Rancher, you will have a less difficult time breeding Horses to sell.
If you don’t start off with a Horse in your household right from the very beginning, there are various ways to obtain one. Two of the main routes are to Purchase and Rescue a Horse, as you learned earlier.
Furthermore, a Horse’s Value is determined by its Traits, Skill levels, awards from competitions, and the quality of care it receives. If a Horse possesses Championship Genes, it also increases its Value.
Also, selling horses is a great way to earn extra Simoleons, of course.
5. Raise A Foal
Foals are adorable, and also easier to befriend and train. This way, they become your next horse racing champions! Additionally, as you breed your Horses, you can also acquire more desirable traits.
Your Sims can Breed Adult or Elder Stallions with an Adult Mare. But keep in mind that Elder Mares are not capable of breeding. You must have a high relationship with both your Horses to encourage them to breed. In addition, the parents should first form a friendly relationship.
Also, remember that a Pregnant Mare cannot be Mounted, Ridden, or even Bred until after the Foal is conceived.
6. Regularly Check The Ranch Community Board
The Ranch Community Board provides details on all things ranch-related. So, it is a good habit to check it occasionally. Aside from buying Animals, learning about animal care, and signing up for Horse Training as you help out the local residents with various Ranch chores, you can also use the Ranch Community Board to Hire a Ranch Hand, sign up for Competitions, and organize a Ranch Event.
Horse Competitions And Training
In the game, there are five different horse competitions, which include the Ultimate Horse Competition. Each focuses on and judges two of the skills of your horses. Meanwhile, the Ultimate Competition judges all four of their skills, as well as the Horse Riding skill of your Sim.
You can check out the Community Board for the available Competitions or visit the Equestrian Center for the availabilities.
Moreover, Horses have four Skills that affect how they bond with your Sims and perform well in Competitions. These Skills are Temperament, Jumping, Agility, and Endurance. You can learn and hone these skills by practicing with your Horse and joining Community Jobs at the Community Board in Chestnut Ridge.
The Nectar Making Skill
A new skill in this expansion pack is Nectar Making, like what you learned a while ago. This skill is handy if you want to make more Simoleons in your Sim’s lifetime.
How You Can Make Nectar
To make some Nectar, the Nectar Maker is a requirement. This machine is available in the build-and-buy catalog for 350 Simoleons. If you cannot find it in the catalog, you can instead search for the Rootin’ Fruit’n Nectar Maker in the search box. Once you have this machine, click on it and select the “Craft Nectar” option.
You can also improve your Nectar Making Skill by crafting bottles using the machine. Enhancing this skill increases how fast your Sims can prepare Nectar in various types.
From this Nectar Maker, you can also buy the basic ingredients needed to make it.
Or, you may also grow your own fruits for Nectar for more profit.
Where You Can Find Nectar
The game allows you to discover random Nectar bottles as you clear away Prairie Glass. So, it may be worth applying the Prairie lot challenge upon your lot to be able to spawn more patches of it.
Or, if you have the Rancher Trait, you can also randomly craft double the amount of Nectar provided that you find it.
Various Kinds Of Nectar
Various kinds of Nectar also require multiple types of ingredients. You can purchase some of these ingredients at the Nectar Maker station or Harvest or find them in the game.
The different kinds of Nectar in the game are:
- Apple Nectar
- Grape Nectar
- Potato Nectar
- Strawberry Nectar
- Prairie Glass Nectar
- Energy Nectar
- Vitality Nectar
- Berry Nectar
- Fruit Nectar
- Trash Nectar
Those are pretty much it on the essential things you should know when you want to play “The Sims 4: Horse Ranch,” from learning about its features to Nectar Making. We hope you learned from this comprehensive guide.
It’s time to live your cowboy or cowgirl dreams. Raise horses like never before in the game.
“The Sims 4: Horse Ranch” is available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S.
