Feed Adviser
First and foremost, I am terribly sorry if this has been posted so far, or even worse, if something like this already exists, but I am here to offer you the idea of having a proper feed adviser for you and your horses.
So, one of the big issues that I have is that no matter how much I understand (or maybe don't understand) the feeding guide on my horse's page, I keep having issues with my horse's weight. They are never at the right kind of weight, and if they are they are there for just a day or two before leaning towards one of the two extremes once again. So, what I propose is to have an option to consult a feed adviser who would take a look at your horse and tell you what kind of diet that horse should have. You would of course have the option to accept the proposal and switch your horse to the new diet, or go your own way if for example you have something else in mind, or you think you could come up with a cheaper alternative.
Now, in order for the adviser to give you a correct diet, maybe you could help out by providing some information like for example whether the horse is a competition horse, a horse in training, nursing a foal or simply a brood mare or a stud, whether it's in the pasture or in a stall, or something like that. The adviser would take those things into consideration as well as some physical aspects or something and would come up with a good diet that would keep your horse in check. Meaning, you would be told what and how to mix the food to keep your horse at the optimal weight.
Of course, this would be a choice. If you would rather feed your horses according to your own plans and ideas you could simply choose not to consult the adviser. To make things more interesting, or so that people would not be spamming this, maybe implement some restrictions like for example, you would need to pay money to hire an adviser, or there would have to be a cool down before the adviser could take a look at the same horse again (in order for the diet to have some notable effect).
Now, I understand why some people, especially more advanced players would have something against this, but I think it would be beneficial for new players. I have had several new people tell me (on other games etc) that they cannot manage their horse's weight properly and they cannot find any appropriate help.
That is my idea.
If you want to criticize please do, just refrain from being cynical, insulting, or against new people or newbies in general.
So, one of the big issues that I have is that no matter how much I understand (or maybe don't understand) the feeding guide on my horse's page, I keep having issues with my horse's weight. They are never at the right kind of weight, and if they are they are there for just a day or two before leaning towards one of the two extremes once again. So, what I propose is to have an option to consult a feed adviser who would take a look at your horse and tell you what kind of diet that horse should have. You would of course have the option to accept the proposal and switch your horse to the new diet, or go your own way if for example you have something else in mind, or you think you could come up with a cheaper alternative.
Now, in order for the adviser to give you a correct diet, maybe you could help out by providing some information like for example whether the horse is a competition horse, a horse in training, nursing a foal or simply a brood mare or a stud, whether it's in the pasture or in a stall, or something like that. The adviser would take those things into consideration as well as some physical aspects or something and would come up with a good diet that would keep your horse in check. Meaning, you would be told what and how to mix the food to keep your horse at the optimal weight.
Of course, this would be a choice. If you would rather feed your horses according to your own plans and ideas you could simply choose not to consult the adviser. To make things more interesting, or so that people would not be spamming this, maybe implement some restrictions like for example, you would need to pay money to hire an adviser, or there would have to be a cool down before the adviser could take a look at the same horse again (in order for the diet to have some notable effect).
Now, I understand why some people, especially more advanced players would have something against this, but I think it would be beneficial for new players. I have had several new people tell me (on other games etc) that they cannot manage their horse's weight properly and they cannot find any appropriate help.
That is my idea.
If you want to criticize please do, just refrain from being cynical, insulting, or against new people or newbies in general.
Re: Feed Adviser
Not a bad idea to have, can be super frustrating. If anything maybe a tips and tricks guide would help? Especially since weight plays a factor in showing.
I know my personal success comes from playing around with mostly performance mix, grass and the cubes. Depending on where the horse is. Once you get it correct then minor changes might occur but for the most part they should stay steady. I only just came about the info on what the red means and why my 300% fed horses are still losing weight lol. So I think I have it down now most of my horses are pretty fit, well the ones I want to be are
But again def a tips or how to guide (if not already posted) would be helpful.
I know my personal success comes from playing around with mostly performance mix, grass and the cubes. Depending on where the horse is. Once you get it correct then minor changes might occur but for the most part they should stay steady. I only just came about the info on what the red means and why my 300% fed horses are still losing weight lol. So I think I have it down now most of my horses are pretty fit, well the ones I want to be are
But again def a tips or how to guide (if not already posted) would be helpful.
Re: Feed Adviser
This could be helpful for new players but the feeding system has been quite buggy since the update. Keeping a horse's weight is extra difficult now compared to before the changes in the feeding system.
Now I have to give extra food to pretty much every horse that is not in a pasture with 100% quality (and even then some horses need more to eat).
Horses that are fed 100% of their required energy still lose weight in the pasture. I have noticed that keeping a horse at 103-104% of energy (approximately) will keep the weight somewhat stable for horses that are not in training and are kept in pastures.
Now I have to give extra food to pretty much every horse that is not in a pasture with 100% quality (and even then some horses need more to eat).
Horses that are fed 100% of their required energy still lose weight in the pasture. I have noticed that keeping a horse at 103-104% of energy (approximately) will keep the weight somewhat stable for horses that are not in training and are kept in pastures.
Re: Feed Adviser
About Totina's observation, full-sized horses in 100% pastures may still need a little more -- especially if they: have high metabolism ("hot" breeds like Arabians, Thoroughbreds, etc.) / are over 16 hh. I've seen this. At the other end of the scale, tiny equines don't seem to need more than about 15-17% quality.The "what do I feed which horse" guessing game is frustrating for many of us. Here's what I see about Feeding on the Profile page, and what I have trouble with.
The "Daily Energy" display which is supposed to indicate adequate amounts of Fiber, Protein, and Sugar is small to begin with (and I use a desktop computer with a large HD monitor -- I wonder how well SmartPhone and tablet players are managing). Very small adult equines have a 100% level so far to the left of the indicator bars that it is hard to see whether the green indices have reached the blue vertical 100% lines. There are two shades of this green, light (very poor contrast with background!) and dark. What does the difference signify?
And those RED boxes that indicate overfeeding -- I didn't know what they meant until I saw someone post about them. I still feel unsure, because in this display (example from one of my long-suffering Shetlands)
Regular Feed: 0.8kg to 1.6kg
Max Feed: 1.2kg
the 0.8kg is *not* marked red but the 1.6kg is; so it the "Max Feed" of 1.2kg.
What is the practical effect? I could guess that if the pony eats 0.8kg he'll be all right. In fact I've had equines gain or lose weight no matter how closely I watch their diets. Sometimes I can NOT get anything like what looks like an appropriate balance of Fiber/Protein/Sugar with the choices available.
Does training (increasing the daily activity level) make any difference?
Why aren't some of these things explained in the Feeding notes? Those are OK about what they do say, they just don't say enough.
