Horses of Hoofprint Bay Competitions: Rules, Scoring, Entry

Horses of Hoofprint Bay competitions are where your training turns into prize money and prestige. There are three kinds of Horses of Hoofprint Bay competitions, Caprilli tests, show jumping and cross country, and each is scored differently. This guide explains the rules from the in-game library, how to get a horse entered and to town, and the small mistakes that cost points before you even start.

Competitions are one of the main income sources: according to the in-game money tips, placing in the top three of any competition wins a prize, and higher-level competitions pay more. The official Horses of Hoofprint Bay store page on Steam describes tournaments in the nearby town as part of growing your yard into a stud farm.

The Three Kinds of Competitions

The in-game library's competition rules, read out in demo and full-release gameplay videos, describe each discipline:

Cross country arrived late in development. In a March 2026 forum thread, players weren't sure it would become a competition; the August 2026 dev update then announced cross country competitions for the full game. In them, you can sometimes choose a shorter path with harder obstacles or a longer path with slightly easier jumps, so you can plan around your horse's remaining strength. The library adds a warning about signs with a dumbbell, whose paths need the horse's strength at its highest level.

Scoring and Penalties in Horses of Hoofprint Bay Competitions

Penalties decide most results. The rules as the in-game library states them:

In a Caprilli test, the score is the percentage of the time horse and rider were in the requested gait, so precise transitions matter. Players on the official Steam forum who struggled with the timing explained it like this: switch gaits roughly in the middle of the change, when the rider's foot is above the line between the two gaits. Another player compared each gait box to a platform: switch when your horse is leaving the first one.

Strength matters in every discipline. The in-game training text says that if the strength bar runs out, the horse refuses the jump and the training fails. Keep an eye on the orange strength bar, and on the green confidence bar, which the library says makes the horse react more promptly to your cues. Our Horses of Hoofprint Bay training guide covers how to raise both.

Licenses, Trailer and Entering

Before your first competition you need three things:

• A license: a full-release goal asks you to earn a Caprilli competition license and train your horse to at least 30 strength and 25 endurance. You get the license by training over the course with the additional Caprilli license label. The horse info book on the care screen shows each horse's experience, licenses and competition successes.
• A trailer: in a demo gameplay video, the player had to buy and build a trailer before competing; it held two horses. A player on the official Steam forum later upgraded it to four spots.
• Show clothing: see the next section.

Loading confuses many players. Players on the forum explain that you don't load horses before leaving: in town, select the arena, pick a course, and the eligible horses appear in a side panel. You can select several horses and several courses, then press "Start Competitions" to ride them back to back. You can only do this once a day, and each horse can compete in as many competitions as it has exercise left for; the game warns you if a course would exhaust the horse.

Clothing, Clean Horses and Prestige

Competitions affect prestige in both directions. The August 2026 dev update says winning competitions earns prestige, while failing competitions, competing on dirty horses or without appropriate clothing loses it.

When a player kept getting the inappropriate clothing message, other players on the official Steam forum suggested choosing show wear from the clothing option at the bottom of the house screen, wearing a helmet, keeping the horse clean, and possibly matching colors or buying new show attire in the shop. Those last two are guesses from players, not confirmed rules.

Help for Harder Competitions

If the competitions feel too hard, the developer's official FAQ on the Steam forum suggests the difficulty settings: try easier competitions or increased prestige gain, and turn on the auto-jump accessibility setting if jumping is the problem. A player asking whether auto-jump disables achievements got the answer that it doesn't.

For coaching, the August 2026 dev update introduced Maria, a retired competition rider who, once hired, tells you what you need to do differently during training. If one class is giving you trouble, our guide to the Horses of Hoofprint Bay medium competition covers the show jumping class players struggle with most.

Horses of Hoofprint Bay Competitions FAQ

How are Horses of Hoofprint Bay competitions scored?

Each knocked or stumbled jump and each refusal is 4 penalties, and in show jumping and cross country each 4 seconds over the allowed time is 1 penalty. The least penalties wins; Caprilli ties go to the higher gait score, the others to the faster time.

How do I take more than one horse?

You don't load the trailer yourself. In town, select the arena and courses, and choose the eligible horses from the side panel. You can enter several horses and courses in one trip, once a day.

Why do I get an inappropriate clothing penalty?

Players report you need show wear, chosen from the clothing option in your house, and a helmet. Competing on a dirty horse also loses prestige.

Does auto-jump disable achievements?

A player on the official Steam forum answered that it does not. The developer's FAQ recommends auto-jump for players who struggle with jumping.