Horses of Hoofprint Bay Boarders Guide: Board Types and Fees
Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders guide: what part board, full board and schooling ask of you, why boarders get hungry, prestige, and sending them home early.
Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders are one of the first ways to earn money in the game: other people's horses move into your yard for a few days, and you get paid to look after them. Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders can also cost you money and prestige if you misread what the owner wants. This guide explains the three kinds of boarding, the feeding trap that catches many new players, and the tools for managing boarders from the office.
The February 2026 demo announcement introduced boarders as "another simple way to earn money in the game early on", and the official Horses of Hoofprint Bay store page on Steam lists caring for horses and growing your yard as the core of the game.
How Boarding Works
According to the in-game library, read out in a full-release gameplay video, you accept boarding customers in the office in the main house and care for their horses according to the owners' wishes. Boarders stay for a few days before leaving the yard again. There are three types:
| Type | What you have to do | Notes from the library |
|---|---|---|
| Part board | Only provide hay or pasture grazing | No grooming or riding needed |
| Full board | Feed and brush the horse daily and watch its medical status | The owner comes to exercise the horse, so feed the right amount of grain |
| Schooling | Take care of the horse and train it up to set goals | The goals must be met before the stay ends |
In the office, the boarders' folders show what each horse needs. A demo gameplay video shows a hay icon for part board and a brush icon for full board, along with the remaining duration of stay and traits such as "hard keeper". Stays vary: the same video offered a part board for 6 days, and another video showed a full-board request for 11 days.
Feeding Horses of Hoofprint Bay Boarders
The most common complaint about Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders is that they wake up hungry. In two February 2026 demo threads on the official Steam forum, players had full hay troughs and open fields, yet their boarders were hungry every morning and they lost money for not caring for them enough.
Players worked out the reason and a fix:
- Owners ride their horses. Players report that full-board owners exercise their horses, so the horse uses more feed than its body condition shows in the evening. The in-game library says the same: the owner comes to exercise the horse, so feed the appropriate amount of grain.
- Feed to the middle of the green. The player who started one thread found that putting the arrow at the bottom of the green section of the condition bar isn't enough; feeding until the arrow is in the middle stopped the hunger.
- Check the scale column. Another player pointed to the Horses book in the office: a negative number in the scale icon (body condition) column means the horse will lose weight overnight unless you feed it more grain.
- Close the fields at night. One player said horses eat the hay if you close the fields at night and reopen them in the morning; another player said this didn't help them.
The developers also worked on this. The February 25, 2026 demo patch notes list "Fixed boarders getting hungry too much", and the v0.1.10 to v0.1.12 notes slightly relaxed the care rules for full boarders, so a single missed dirt spot no longer counts as missing care. For feeding in general, see our Horses of Hoofprint Bay feeding guide.
Boarders, Prestige and Money
Boarders feed into prestige, the game's measure of progress. The August 2026 dev update says prestige grows by upgrading buildings, winning competitions, caring for boarders and having high-quality horses, and is lost by failing competitions, competing on dirty horses or without appropriate clothing, and having horses fall seriously ill.
| What happens | Effect |
|---|---|
| Caring for boarders well | Earns prestige and boarding fees |
| Missing care | Players report losing money for not caring for boarders enough |
| A boarder mare gets pregnant by your stallion | One player lost $500 and prestige, and the owner picked the horse up early |
| A horse falls seriously ill | Prestige loss (dev update) |
Prestige matters beyond the number itself. The in-game library says it influences what items the shopkeeper can provide, what quality of horses the breeder offers, and how many customer requests you get for boarding or stallion services. Good boarder care therefore brings in more boarders.
Managing Boarders From the Office
A few office features make Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders easier to run:
| Task | How to do it | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Send a schooling boarder home early | Office, Boarders, click the X next to the horse | Player report, October 2026 |
| Get the fee for an early send-home | Paid the schooling fee plus a boarding fee for the days the horse stayed | Player report |
| Recover a horse sent away for lack of space | Look for it at the sale barn in town | Player report |
| Keep stallions away from boarder mares | Upgrade the stable to get two or more groups, then switch horses in the Management menu | Player reports |
Sending schooling boarders home early started as a player suggestion; in late October a player reported it was now possible. When you click the X nothing seems to change, but back on the main map a notification confirms the horse was sent home and paid for the days it stayed.
Watch out for yearling boarders. One player reported that the boarders folder only shows "yearling" or "adult", not the exact age, so a yearling mare grew up the next day and was moved into the stallion pasture because the mares' pasture was full. Our Horses of Hoofprint Bay horse age guide explains when yearlings grow up.
Getting Help With Boarders
Once you have several boarders, staff can take over routine care. In the February demo, a gameplay video showed Laura, who for five coins per day mucks out, feeds and grooms one horse in the morning before she goes to school. The same player later had to let her go when money ran out, so hire staff only when the boarding income covers it. Our Horses of Hoofprint Bay staff guide covers every staff member.
Horses of Hoofprint Bay Boarders FAQ
Why are my Horses of Hoofprint Bay boarders always hungry?
Full-board owners exercise their horses, so they need more grain than they seem to. Players fixed it by feeding until the condition bar arrow is in the middle of the green section.
What is the difference between part board and full board?
For part board you only provide hay or pasture grazing. For full board you feed and brush the horse daily and watch its medical status while the owner exercises it.
Can I send a boarder home early?
Players report that you can send schooling boarders home early from the Boarders section of the office by clicking the X next to the horse, and you are paid for the days it stayed.
Do boarders affect prestige?
Yes. The August 2026 dev update lists caring for boarders as a way to gain prestige, and higher prestige brings more customer requests for boarding.
Related Guides
Feeding: Hay, Grain, Water, Weight
Horses of Hoofprint Bay feeding guide: hay, grazing and water, when to add grain, easy and hard keepers, treats, buying feed in town and avoiding laminitis.
How to Praise Your Horse: Timing and Key
Horses of Hoofprint Bay how to praise horse: press S just after a gait change you asked for or when the horse is curious, and use scratches and treats too.
Injuries: All Illnesses, Treatments
All Horses of Hoofprint Bay injuries and illnesses from the in-game library: causes, treatments, healing days, vet costs, and where to buy antiseptic and cream.