Horses of Hoofprint Bay Beginner Guide: Your First Goals
Horses of Hoofprint Bay beginner guide: the first goals in order, the daily care routine, early money, your starter mare's limits and settings to know.
This Horses of Hoofprint Bay beginner guide follows the game's own goal list from the day you move in to your first ribbon, and adds the habits that save money in the first weeks. The short version: do the daily care first, follow the goals in the main house, earn early money with lessons and boarders, and don't expect your starter mare to win everything. Use this Horses of Hoofprint Bay beginner guide alongside the in-game library, which explains most systems in detail.
You start small. The official Horses of Hoofprint Bay store page on Steam describes a run-down yard and your trusted mare, with the aim to compete in tournaments in the nearby town and grow the yard into the stud farm of your dreams. The full game has no day limit, according to the developer's official FAQ on the Steam forum.
Your First Goals in Order
The game guides you with goals, and many pay money and prestige. A full-release gameplay video shows them in this order:
| Goal | What to do | Reward shown in the video |
|---|---|---|
| Move in | Ride your horse to your new yard | — |
| Feed and water your horse | Drag the water bucket to the trough and hay to the hay rack | — |
| Groom and muck out | Brush the horse and clean the stable | 50 gold each |
| Look at your library | Open the books in the main house | 100 gold |
| Build a riding arena | Select the area to the lower left of the stable and use the build button; building takes overnight | — |
| Ready to ride | Finish the first training course in the new arena | 200 gold and prestige |
| Train up | Keep training the horse | 100 gold and prestige |
| A trail ride / care for a boarder | Ride a trail; accept and care for a boarded horse | Prestige |
| Prepare for competition | Earn a Caprilli competition license and train to at least 30 strength and 25 endurance | — |
| The first ribbon | Buy a trailer, build the parking lot and place in the top three of a competition in town | — |
| Give money, get horse / Delicious apples | Buy a second horse from the breeder; find the apple tree on the Mossy Trail | 200 gold for the apples |
| Train a show jumper | Train a horse you own to 35 strength and 35 endurance | 300 gold and 2 prestige |
The in-game text adds that when you're done for the day, you click New Day in the top right. For the apple goal, see our Horses of Hoofprint Bay apple tree guide.
The Daily Care Routine
Every day starts with care. The in-game library says horses need roughage (hay or grazing in the fields) and water every day, and the store page sums up grooming: use your brush and hoofpick to avoid saddle sores and abscesses, and treat scrapes and injuries when they happen.
- Water and hay: fill the trough and the hay rack; the storage next to the stable shows how much feed is left.
- Grain: only horses that work a lot, or hard keepers, need grain, fed in the care screen.
- Grooming: brush where the saddle goes, or the horse may get saddle sores.
- Hooves: pick out stones; riding with stones can cause a hoof abscess.
- Stable: muck out; a dirty stable causes thrush.
A gameplay video titled "10 Things You MUST Do FIRST" recommends doing all of this at the start of the day, before lessons or training distract you, and watching the exercise bar so you don't overwork a horse. The library warns that riding past the red marker makes the horse exhausted the next day. Our Horses of Hoofprint Bay feeding guide and injuries guide go deeper.
Earning Your First Money
Money is the first real obstacle. The in-game library lists several ways to earn it:
| Income | How it works (in-game library) |
|---|---|
| Competitions | Place in the top three of any competition to win a prize; higher levels pay more |
| Lessons | Give riding lessons on your horses; students pay you |
| Boarders | Accept customers in the office and care for their horses as the owners wish |
| Training horses | Buy horses that aren't well trained and sell them at full potential |
| Breeding | Sell foals, or sell semen and stud services |
| Quests | Some quests reward money when completed |
Lessons come with a cost: the library says lesson horses need corrective training depending on how many lessons they give, so don't run all your lessons on the horse you're preparing for a competition. Boarders have a catch too: full-board owners exercise their horses, so feed them more grain. See our Horses of Hoofprint Bay money guide for every income source.
The "10 Things" video also suggests checking your objectives in the office before buying anything: if one task stands between you and a reward, finish it first, and keep some cash for vet visits.
Your Starter Mare and Her Limits
Your first horse can't do everything. The in-game library explains that strength and endurance can't be trained past a horse's maximum potential, shown as a second section on each bar. For the full game, the May 2026 dev update says starter horses were rebalanced to start with much lower stats, so the first show jumping competition is no longer within reach of a fully trained starter horse; Caprilli tests were added as the first step instead.
| Starter mare | What the material says |
|---|---|
| Sex | Players on the official Steam forum report the starter horse has always been a mare |
| Potential | Modest; the "10 Things" video calls her useful for learning, earning money and first events |
| Best events | Caprilli tests (dev update) |
| Later | You'll need a better horse from the breeder, or a foal |
When you're ready for a second horse, our Horses of Hoofprint Bay how to buy horses guide explains the breeder.
Settings and Help Worth Knowing
The developer's FAQ on the official Steam forum answers the most common beginner worries:
- Too hard? Use the difficulty settings: try easier competitions or increased prestige gain, and turn on auto-jump if jumping is the problem.
- Day limit: none in the full game; the FAQ jokes that the game may break from integer overflow after around 2 million days.
- Demo saves: saves from the October demo carry over to the full game; saves from the February demo don't.
The v0.1.10 to v0.1.12 demo patch notes made Space the default jump key, and keys can be rebound in the settings. The library in the main house gains new books as you progress, including the Horse Stats & Training book and the Traits and Quirks book, and it answers most "why is my horse doing this" questions.
Horses of Hoofprint Bay Beginner Guide FAQ
What should I do first in this Horses of Hoofprint Bay beginner guide?
Move in, feed and water your horse, groom it, muck out and read the library. Then build the riding arena and finish your first training course. The goals pay money for each step.
Is there a day limit?
Not in the full game, according to the developer's FAQ. The demo was limited to 25 days.
How do I make money early?
Lessons and boarders are the steady early options, plus placing in the top three of competitions and completing goals.
Can my starter horse win show jumping?
In the full game, the developers say a fully trained starter horse can't handle even the first show jumping competition. Start with Caprilli tests and buy or breed a stronger horse later.
Related Guides
Achievements: 47 With Unlock Rates
All 47 Horses of Hoofprint Bay achievements: unlock requirements, the hidden ones, unlock rates as of November 7, 2026, and why some saves get them locked.
Apple Tree: Location and How to Pick
Where to find the Horses of Hoofprint Bay apple tree: which trail to ride, the turn over the bridge, why you must stop, the reward, and the demo route.
Controller Support and Steam Deck
Does Horses of Hoofprint Bay have controller support? Keyboard controls, the Steam Deck rating, players' setup tips, key rebinding and the saddle controller.
How to Buy Horses: Breeder Guide
Horses of Hoofprint Bay how to buy horses: the breeder in town, filters and reserving, what prestige changes, stable space, prices and what you can't buy.