Leveling Up In Show

[ToiletWater13]

Hey there! As you guys can tell I am still an epic newb on this game and at the moment I am trying to figure out how a horse levels up in show. Currently, when I do local shows, my mare can compete at Level 3 but when I try Level 4 she doesn't do so well. This is strange to me because she's pretty high up in training and I would like to be a competitor with at least some of my horses. Does this have to do with my level on the game, or perhaps my progress with the game "courses?" Or something else entirely?

If you need or want a link to the particular mare I'm referring to I will happily provide one for you, but as now I'm not sure what the relevance of that would be except to say "Look! She's pretty!"

[Nate]

Local shows are very very hard. A consistent winner at level 3 local shows is a pretty decent horse in all but the most competitive regular show events. When you show your mare against other players, her level will be calculated based on her points versus the number of shows. She will be able to show above that level, but not below.

[Sypherthrax]

Hello and welcome to the game!

The local shows have nothing to do with your player level. The scoring for those is absolute, meaning that they compare your horse to the range of possible scores from worst to best that were built into the game. The player created shows are relative, meaning they simply compare your horse to the other horses entered in the event. If you are competing against poor horses, you can be a high level in player run competitions while still being a low level for local competitions.

Furthermore, any particular horse has their capability pre-set by their genetics. Horse A might have poor speed genes, but Horse B might have good ones. Even if you train both horses to 99% in speed, Horse B will always be the faster sprinter because his genetic capability is higher. Training only lets your horse realize its full genetic potential; it does not raise their "ability ceiling" so to speak. In order to get horses to higher levels in local shows, you must breed them to be better and better. There are extensive guides and casual conversations on shows and training elsewhere in the forums.

[Xant’hippe]

... There are extensive guides and casual conversations on shows and training elsewhere in the forums.

... highly recommended. Given two horses of roughly the same genetic ability (similar comments in Breeders" Report), the better-trained one will have an advantage in public shows.

Here's something I learned through trial-and-effort; not sure whether announcements, guides, etc. treat it:

- in local shows any horse can enter any event. I occasionally amuse myself by entering draft horses in In-Hand Jumping and tiny Shetlands in Show Jumping. (BTW they're often successful at least up to Level 3, because of their Strength stats.)

- BUT in the public shows: Only a horse/pony ("breed" does not matter) whose measurement is in inches or is less than 9.0 hh can enter In-Hand Jumping. That same individual, however, is barred from all "under saddle" events. (Just to add a confusion factor: when you enter public shows, the computer will generally offer you the opportunity to enter only the eligible horse/s you own, with one glaring exception: it does not know how tall they are. )

- Horses/ponies 9.0 hh or taller cannot enter In-Hand but can enter saddled (all races except Harness Racing, all Western, English except Log Pull and In-Hand).

- any animal can enter harness events -- those are: Harness Racing, Log Pull, Driven Dressage, Marathon Driving, and Obstacle Driving.

Best wishes.