Table of Contents
The Horse is a pet in Harvest Moon: Back to Nature that can help you with various tasks both inside and outside the Farm.
When you accept Barley’s offer to take care of the Horse, it is still young.
If you successfully care for it until it grows into an adult, Barley will give you a Saddlebag, allowing you to ride the Horse.
The Saddlebag can also be used to carry harvested crops. To do so, simply place Fruits or Vegetables inside it.
A Horse can also participate in the annual Local Horse Race event, held every Spring 18.
Growth Stages
Pony
In Spring of the first year, when you visit Yodel Ranch, you will see a cutscene featuring Barley and May talking about a Pony.
Barley says that the Pony is unhappy. He will ask someone to take care of the Pony until it grows into an adult.
Since you happen to be passing by Yodel Ranch, Barley will ask you to take care of it. If you agree, you must give the Pony a name.
Afterward, Barley says that you must brush and talk to it every day, and not let it outside when it is raining or snowing.
After the explanation, the Pony will now be in the Barn on your Farm. You can brush it using the Brush purchased from Saibara.
If you want to take the Pony outside the Barn, simply push it toward the door. Likewise, if you want to bring the Pony back inside the Barn, push it toward the door.
Adult Horse
One year has passed, and the small Pony has now grown into an Adult Horse. You can now ride the Horse using the Saddlebag.
Keep in mind that the Horse also has a hidden Stamina level. Its Stamina starts at 0 and does not decrease.
Each time you ride it and make it jump, its Stamina will automatically increase by 3 points per day.
Interestingly, the more Stamina the Horse has, the better it will perform in Horse Race competitions. Having high Stamina allows you to win races.
If the Horse has less than 8 hearts, Barley will take it away when he comes to your Farm to check on its condition.
He will be disappointed because the Horse appears to be poorly cared for. In the end, he decides to take care of it himself.
How to Get Your Horse Back
Did Barley take your Horse? Don’t worry, there is still a way to get it back. The requirement is to plant 200 tiles of Grass (23 bags of Grass seeds) in the field.
The seeds can be purchased from the Supermarket for 500 G per bag.
Once the Grass has grown, Barley will come to your Farm and say that it is a beautiful pasture.
He will give you another “Pony” and you must give it a new name.
To increase the Heart Level of the new Horse and maximize its Stamina, you will need at least 85 days.
Horse Affection
There are several activities that can increase Affection. Affection Points (AP) can only be gained once per day and will not increase if you perform the same action twice in one day.
For example, if you brush the Horse in the morning, you will receive +2 AP.
If you brush it again in the afternoon, you will not receive the points again.
Regardless, the Horse cannot become sick or die. However, if you do not take proper care of it, hit it with tools, or leave it outside during bad weather, these actions will significantly decrease its Affection.
The following table shows the Affection Points for the Horse.
| Action | Affection Point |
|---|---|
| Whistle | +2 AP |
| Brush | +2 AP |
| Do not brush, ride, or whistle throughout the day | -1 AP |
| Hit twice | -1 AP |
| Hit three times | -1 AP |
| Let a stray dog attack it | -1 AP |
| Let a stray dog bark at it for a long time | -1 AP |
| Leave it outside overnight during rain, a typhoon, or a blizzard | -5 AP |
