The Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Your Horse Ranch in The Sims 4

In The Sims 4 Horse, players have the opportunity to fulfill their dreams of owning multiple horses and immersing themselves in ranch life. The Sims 4 portrays horses as highly demanding creatures, requiring more attention compared to the Cats & Dogs expansion pack.

This guide navigates players through the stages of raising a horse from a young foal to a mature adult in The Sims 4. It provides insights on feeding, ensuring hygiene, and managing their fluctuating moods.

Hunger Needs

Keeping a Sim's hunger needs in check is crucial for maintaining their happiness. Horses have a wide range of food options, providing gamers with plenty of choices.

To ensure their horse is well-fed, players should have an animal feeder on their ranch and fill it with Prairie Grass or replenish it with hay. Alternatively, they can place naturally grown Prairie Grass on their lot. As they progress to Level 4 of the Temperament Skill, players even have the option to Hand Feed their horses.

In The Sims 4, players will need to exercise patience when caring for a foal, as they will not initially know how to eat independently. Sims must teach foals to consume Prairie Grass directly or demonstrate how to obtain food from an animal feeder. However, Sims must first reach Temperament Skill Level 4 in order for the foals to learn how to eat on their own. If foals are in a displeased state and refuse to learn from a grass patch or the feeder, players can opt to bottle feed them through the Horse Care option in the social menu.

Hygiene Needs

Horses are generally easy to maintain in terms of cleanliness. Players can simply hover the cursor over the horse to monitor their hygiene levels. When the horse begins to get dirty, players should have a Sim brush their coat and clean their hooves if the horse is an adult. These options can be found in the Horse Care social menu and do not require any additional objects. It can be done anywhere and at any time.

Players are advised to regularly check their horses' beds, as they tend to become slightly dirty within a few days and will eventually become extremely filthy.

Social Needs

Horses are social animals and need a decent amount of attention to maintain happiness, especially if they possess the Needy trait.

To ensure a horse's social well-being, players should regularly engage their Sims in interactions with them. Additionally, using the "Encourage to Socialize With..." friendly interaction can help forge friendships between horses and other animals on the ranch, facilitating the horse's fulfillment of its social needs independently.

Fun Needs

If a horse's fun stat is low, they might become bored. To remedy this, players can purchase the Hay Now! One Big Ball item in Build Mode and encourage their horses to play with it. This simple and affordable solution involves interacting with the ball and instructing the horse to use it. The Sims 4 is currently available for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.