Show
From HelpWiki
Contents |
Showing Your Horse
On White Oak Stables one of the most interesting, complex and realistic thing you can do is show your horse. There are eleven different competitions to choose from: Pleasure, Halter, Dressage, Hunt Seat, Show Jumping, Cross Country, Eventing, Side Saddle and Endurance. This page will show you how to prepare for a show, enter a show, figure out the best way to ride, and finally look at your show results and care for your horse after a show.
Buy A Horse
If haven't already then you'll need to buy a horse. Your horse should be at least 2 years old to show in Halter shows. If you want to show in any other event your horse must be 4 years old or older.
Go Shopping
Once you have a horse you'll need to go back to your account page. In order to show your horse you need both tack and show clothes. You have the option of putting tack on your horses and clothes on yourself before shows but you don't have to. However if you tack up and wear your show clothes you'll have a better chance at winning.
Tack & Clothes Store
Click on the Tack Store or Clothes Store buttons on your account page. This will bring up a list of all the different categories and types of things you can buy. A box at the very end of the row will let you enter the amount of the item you'd like to purchase. If you have 2 horses then you'll want to get 2 of each tack item. You only need 1 item of clothing unless you want some extras.
As an upgraded member you'll also have access to store specials at the very top of the page and throughout each of the different categories. These are only available in limited supply to regular members.
In order to show your horse you need one item from each section of the tack store. If you've just started then buying the cheapest item is a good idea because you don't have very much money initially (however each week you can collect an allowance from the bank).
Item Ratings
You'll see numbers next to each item. The higher the number the higher the quality of the item. Higher quality items will help you catch a judges eye in shows and often lead to a better show result. However the tack and clothes you use only contribute to a third of the amount used to determine your overall placing. How well you ride your horse, your horse's abilities, and how healthy your horse is all contribute to winning a show.
Adding An Item To Your Cart
Enter a number into the box beside the item you want to buy. Then click the button to add it to your cart.
Checkout: Buy Items In Your Shopping Cart
Once you've added everything you'd like to buy you need to click on the shopping cart at the top of the page. From there you can see a list of all the items you're going to buy along with a final total. If you don't have enough money to buy everything you can also decide which items to remove from your cart, or you can empty your cart and start over.
Click the purchase items button and that's it! Everything has now been added to either your tack box or your clothes closet.
Prepare Your Horses To Show
Before you show you'll want to do a few things. Make sure your horse has seen a vet and farrier recently, that it has food, and that you've groomed and tacked the horse.
Vetting A Horse
If your horse isn't vetted it will get sick and can eventually die, or it can be rescued by another member. To vet a horse go to your account. Click on the name of the horse you want to vet. On the horse's page find the vet button and click it. This will bring up a list of all the things the vet can do for your horse. Select the one you want and pay the vet.
Farrier A Horse
If your horse isn't shod it will get sick and can eventually die, or it can be rescued by another member. To shoe a horse go to your account. Click on the name of the horse you want to farrier. On the horse's page find the farrier button and click it. This will bring up a list of things the farrier can do for your horse. Select the one you want and pay the farrier.
Feed A Horse
If your horse isn't fed it will get sick and can eventually die, or it can be rescued by another member. To feed your horse go to your account page. Click on the name of the horse you want to feed. On the horse's page find the feed button and click it. This will bring up a list of the different kinds of feed you can give your horse. Select the one you want and pay for it. The food is automatically added to your horse's supply and the horse will then be automatically fed until the food supply runs out.
Groom The Horse
Grooming a horse makes it shine for the judges and gives you a boost of your score in the show ring. To groom a horse go to your account and click on the horse's name. Find the groom button and click on it. Click on the groom button to groom your horse.
Tack The Horse
Before your can tack your horse you'll need to buy tack from the tack store. Your horse is automatically un-tacked every day after shows run. That means you only have to tack it once and it will stay tacked for any shows you enter it in during the day.
Go to your account. If your horse has seven different pieces of tack on then it will show the words Tacked: Yes under it's name on your horse list. These horse's don't need to be tacked again until the next day. If your horse isn't tacked then click on it's name. Find the tack button and click on it. From the drop down boxes select the tack you'd like the horse to wear. Click the button at the bottom to tack the horse.
Auto Tack
If you don't want to select the tack your horse wears you can click on the auto tack button. This will automatically select your highest ranking tack (that isn't already on another horse) and put it on the horse. If you use the auto tack button then always tack your best horse first to ensure it's always wearing the best tack you have.
Entering A Show: In or Out?
There are a lot of different factors used to figure out which show is the best for your horse. At any time your horse can be entered in two different shows, one in circuit and one out of circuit. Now that your horse is tacked and taken care of it's time to start entering it into a show. Go to your account and click on Enter Shows. From the search menu select either In Circuit or Out of Circuit.
Out of Circuit
These shows are run by members who have paid for an upgrade on their account. They run all day and at different times of the day. As soon as an out of circuit show has run you can enter your horse into another one. If the owner of the show doesn't run it earlier in the day it will automatically be run with the in circuit shows later that same day.
In Circuit
These shows are made and run each night by the game. Your horse can only enter one of these every day.
Pick A Grade
Grade is a measure of how talented your horse is. The more your horse shows the higher it's grade will go. Some horses are naturally more talented than others. If you just bought a horse then it's either a C grade or Training grade. Training grade only applies to horses aged 2 and 3. Horses this young can only enter Halter shows.
Show Search Results
Once you've filled out the search form hit enter. This will bring up a list of results. If you've selected the right grade your horse will be able to enter all the shows that come. Select a show you want to enter.
Number of Entries
Below each show it lists how many horses are already entered. A show needs at least 3 entries to run. A show will only award Show Champion and Best of Show if there are at least 5 entries. Show Champion ribbons are the best you can get, so if you see a show that's low on entries you'll want to encourage other people to enter it too.
Shows with 2 or fewer entries are canceled each night.
Riding Your Horse
After you've selected a show to enter you'll see two slots on the page to ride your horses. You can enter up to two horses in each show, but you need to have a different horse in each slot. If you try to enter the same horse in both slots you'll get an error message.
Pick your horse's name from the drop down list. If your horse isn't showing up scroll down to the section on this page about why a horse doesn't show up on the list.
Next you'll need to select how to ride your horse. Depending on your horse's personality you will want to ride it differently. A riding instructor can help you determine the best way to ride your horse. The better you ride your horse the higher you'll place in shows.
When you've finished click the button to enter the show. If you're missing tack or clothing from the store then you won't be able to enter the show until you purchase those items first. Make sure you have one item from each category in both stores.
Personality
Each horse has one of several different personalities. Their personality influences which events they like, which events they won't show in, and how they should be ridden in shows. Paying a riding instructor is a quick and easy way to figure out the best way to ride your horse.
Viewing Your Odds
Once your horse or horses (if you entered two) have been entered into the show you'll see a list of all other horses that have been entered along with their odds.
Odds are a way of determining which event your horse likes the best. A horse with excellent odds is in the event they absolutely love. A horse with no odds is far from the event it likes the best. You can try entering your horse into different shows until you find the best one, or you can ask around for an odds chart. These are charts older members have put together that will help you figure out your horse's best event without having to enter them in all the different show types.
You can change the type of show your horse likes by training it. After several training sessions your horse will be ready to show in that event. Be careful though, some horses hate certain events and will never be good at them, while other horses will refuse to let you retrain them in any event.
Help & FAQ
Low Health
Horses with really low health cannot be showed until they are taken to a vet, farrier, are fed, or are given a few days off of showing to rest. You can also try giving them a health tonic at the vet or a few treats.
My Horse Isn't Showing Up on the List
A horse must be at least 2 years old to show.
2 and 3yo horses can only enter training shows.
You can only enter a horse in a show of the same grade that's on it's record. If you just bought the horse then it's probably a C grade horse. You can double check which grade your horse is by going to your account page, clicking on it's name, and finding the section that says Grade.
You must take your horse to the vet, farrier and give it food to keep it healthy. A horse with low health cannot show.
Pregnant horses cannot show.
Your horse is already in a show for this circuit. Try entering a show in a different circuit.
I Still Can't Show!!
You have all the proper tack in your tack box. You need 1 item from each section of the tack store. Make sure you buy the items in your cart by checking out after you've picked everything you want.
You have all the proper clothes in your clothes closet. You need 1 item from each section of the tack store. Make sure you buy the items in your cart by checking out after you've picked everything you want.
When Do Shows Run?
In circuit shows run every night. Out of circuit shows are created by members and run all throughout the day. As soon as the out of circuit show runs you can enter the horse into another one. That means you can enter the horse in several member created shows every day, and at least 1 in circuit show every day.
Helpful Tips
Be aware that the more often you show your horse the faster it health drops. If you show your horse too often then its health may permanently drop until you rest it for an extended period of time.
Points, Ranks, Grades, and Values
As a new member to WOS, or even a semi-experienced member, these four words may be new and not mean anything to you. On WOS, much of the basis of the game is placed on these words.
Points
Points are what horses gain from shows. Shows can award anywhere from 25 to 75 points, and for specials it reaches into the hundreds of points (generally 300s-400s). Points are what decide the rank (and also grade) of your horse.
Rank
The rank is what most people use to determine the value of the horse, rather than points. 1 rank = 100pts. This means that every 100 points your horse wins through shows, it will gain a rank. On your horse's page near the bottom of its general information, you see "xxx pnts to next rank." This xxx number is the amount of points your horse needs to reach to gain another rank. So if a horse has 5,673 points and is rank 57, it has to reach 5,700 points to go to rank 58.
Grades
This is another common term on WOS. The grade of a horse is the show level it is at. Show levels include Training (only ages 2-3), C (1-10), B (11-25), A (26-45), Grand Prix (46-65), and Olympic (66+). You can find the grade of your horse by looking at its page. Notice that I put ages 2-3 by the Training Circuit. Horses that are shown at that age will always be Training Circuit. When they turn 4 years old, the horse will change to its 'true' grade (which can often be determined early by looking at the horse's value -see below-). The other numbers by the grades as indicated above are the levels inside the grades.
Next to how many points until your horse moves up a rank, there is "xxx pnts to next grade." This is different than the previous number we saw with the rank. As you show your horse, this number will decrease. The lower this number goes, the closer you are to moving up a show level inside a grade. (In some instances your horse will also move up an entire grade level. An example of this is going from C10 to B11.) A grade gap is a number that your horse is born with that determines how many points your horse needs to move up a level. A low grade gap (gg) is good, while a very high grade gap (such as 900pnts) is often a difficulty when you try to move the horse up levels through showing.
"I've seen this value number here, what does it mean?"
The value of the horse is determined mostly on grade and slightly on show record. Most C level horses are under 100k value, most B level horses are between 150k and 200k, most A level horses are between 200k and 400k, most GP level horses are around 500k, and most Olympic level horses are around 1 million. Show record determines a smaller part of the value of the horse. Points and rank determine nothing for value. (For this reason, using value to sell a horse often is incorrect. You can search for articles on pricing horses for help, or ask an experienced member.) ((Note: These value numbers are just estimates, I haven't actually looked at the thousands of horses on WOS to determine entirely specific ranges. =] ))
I hope this explains some of the more important details of WOS. Feel free to GM me on 10775 if you have any more questions regarding the game.
