Horse Game

Horse Game is a side-view show jumping game with a stable to run between rounds. Pick the right pace, time each take-off over verticals, oxers, water jumps and doubles, and try to ride all 12 courses clear. Back in the stable, groom, feed, water and pet your horse, because a happy horse jumps better. You can play this horse game online free in your browser with no download, on a keyboard, a mouse or a phone’s touch screen.

How to play

Choose a course and press Ride. Your horse starts from a halt behind the start line, and the clock starts as you cross it.

• Set the pace: press Faster or Slower (or the Up and Down keys) to move between halt, walk, trot, canter and gallop. The bar in the top-right corner shows your speed, and its green section shows the speed the next fence accepts.
• Match the fence: verticals need a canter (very low verticals of 90 cm or less also accept a fast trot), oxers accept a canter or a gallop, and the water jump needs a gallop.
• Time the jump: a green strip appears on the ground in front of the next fence. Press Jump, Space or tap the arena when your horse’s front hooves are on that strip. Jump outside it and your horse still jumps, but it knocks the top rail down, or puts a foot in the water at the water jump.
• Avoid refusals: if you arrive too fast or too slow, or never press Jump, your horse stops at the fence. It costs 4 faults and you circle back to try again. In a double, you go back and jump both parts again.

Scoring and stars

The scoring is a simplified version of real show jumping faults, as described in the Wikipedia article on show jumping: each knockdown or refusal adds 4 faults, a foot in the water adds 4 faults, a second refusal eliminates you (the international rule), and every second or part of a second over the time allowed adds 1 time fault.

To keep things simple, the game has no falls, no jump-off and no separate rules for different competition tables. A refusal never also counts as a knockdown, and the clock keeps running while you circle back. A clear round with 0 faults earns 3 stars, a round with up to 4 faults earns 2 stars, and any finished round earns 1 star and unlocks the next course.

The 12 courses build up from five low verticals to ten obstacles at up to 140 cm. Oxers appear from course 3, a water jump from course 5, and doubles from course 7.

The stable

Your horse has four needs: Clean, Food, Water and Love. They slowly drop over time, and each round you ride makes your horse dirty, hungry and thirsty. Use Groom, Feed, Water and Pet in the Stable tab to fill them back up. Happiness is the average of the four, and it decides how wide the green take-off strip is.

You can choose between six coat colors at any time: chestnut, bay, dapple grey, palomino, midnight black and buckskin.

Ribbons and the Tack Shop

Every finished round wins ribbons: one per star, plus a bonus the first time you reach a new star level on a course. Spend them in the Tack Shop. The padded jumping saddle widens the take-off window, grip horseshoes let your horse change pace faster, and the carrot bucket fills the Food bar in one go and adds a little love. Saddle pads, leg wraps and a braided mane are cosmetic.

Tips

• Change pace early. Your horse takes a moment to speed up or slow down, so settle into the right gait well before the next fence.
• Gallop the long lines. Galloping between fences saves time, but drop back to a canter before a vertical or it will run out.
• Care before the hard courses. Check happiness on the course screen. If it is low, visit the stable first.

FAQ

Is Horse Game free?

Yes. It is free to play with no account and nothing to install.

Does it work on phones and Chromebooks?

Yes. On a phone or tablet, use the Slower, Jump and Faster buttons or tap the arena to jump, and the game won’t scroll the page while you ride. On a Chromebook or laptop, use the arrow keys or W and S with Space in any modern browser.

Can I pause?

Press P or Esc, or use the Pause button. The game also pauses if you switch tabs.

Is my progress saved?

Yes. Stars, best scores, ribbons, tack, your horse’s coat and its needs are saved in your browser. Your horse’s needs keep dropping a little while you are away, but never below 10.

Like timing games? Try Surf Rider for wave riding with aerial tricks, or Skate Park for ollies, flips and rail grinds.