If you like horses and western riding you'll probably enjoy this game.. although it is targeted to a younger age group.
There really isn't a story line. Just you and your horses. In the beginning of the game you get to customize your character. Choosing gender, skin color, hair, name and clothing. There is also a facial customization feature that is VERY in depth. You receive your first horse which you also get to customize by color, mane and tail lengths, name and tack. There is no difficulty, the whole game is relatively easy. You go riding outside and you can either go to an arena to train or just ride around and do activities. Once you have trained, you can enter competitions. Grooming is pretty fun.. you scrub the horse and both sides of it's body then you rinse each side. Then you can brush the horse. There is no mane/tail or hoof care. Feeding and caring for the horse was actually my favorite part. You get to walk around in your horse barn, grab the bucket, fill it with grain, and walk it to your horses stall. Same with water. You can also carry treats around for your horse's STAMINA. Your horse gains more stamina with the more competitions it wins. After winning competitions you unlock equipment, tack, horse colors and other horse stalls for your stable. I believe you can only have 4 horses in one save game. There are no genders so obviously no breeding. And the horses' names and colors can be changed at any time. So I think you can just pretend to be a breeder! XD
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Overall, I personally think this is a good game (coming from a 15 year old girl.) I got this game a few years ago and it kept my attention for a few months. Now my sister (7) LOVES to play it.
*The GOOD*
The graphics are good. the horses move well. The trails and greenery are really nice. Did I mention that there's a beautiful RIVER that you can walk your horse through?! Yea.. it's really nice.
The sound is good, the music is can be a bit repetitive. Lots of animal sounds when riding in the open world. The hoof sounds are really great, they change with whatever material they're walking on.
You are able to dismount from your horse and walk around on foot.
On the PS2 version there is 2 player gameplay.
*The BAD*
Short - it is pretty easy to get through all the levels and once you've one the entire thing.. nothing really special happens.
Horses loose stamina pretty quickly.
On the PC version there is no 2 player gameplay.
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This game is not about training, competing and riding with the best of the best. It is the best game for hopping up on your horse and trotting over the hills for a happy little stroll. (Which is what I think most children are looking for in horses.)
It is a good buy on PlayStation2 (PS2) or Windows (PC)