Question 1

What kind of game is Inherited Hoofprints?

Accepted Answer

Inherited Hoofprints is a realistic horse breeding simulator. You run your own breeding farm over many years: choose foundation horses, plan matings, raise foals, look after their health, train them and compete against other players.

It is built for people who enjoy the real decisions of horse husbandry — costs, genetics, inbreeding risk and herd health — rather than a quick arcade game.

Question 2

Which breeds can I breed?

Accepted Answer

There are 11 real breeds today: Thoroughbred, Mustang, Percheron, Shetland Pony, Stock Horse, Appaloosa, Hanoverian, American Warmblood, Clydesdale, Paint and Connemara. Each has its own size, temperament, abilities, upkeep cost and coat genetics. The horses, pedigrees and records themselves are fictional, and the game has no link to any breed registry.

Question 3

Is the game finished?

Accepted Answer

Not yet — Inherited Hoofprints is still in development, so new features, breeds and balance changes arrive regularly. Players can suggest ideas in the Suggestions forum and upvote the ones they like; popular ideas are reviewed for the build list. New player accounts are open.

Question 4

What do I play it on?

Accepted Answer

Any phone, tablet or computer with a web browser. The game is laid out for phone screens, and your farm is saved to your account so you can pick it up on another device.

Question 5

Does it cost anything?

Accepted Answer

The game is free to play. Every farm starts with $60,000 in farm dollars and one free starter horse. Optional Hoofmarks packs and VIP membership are available in the shop; one Hoofmark exchanges for $1,000 in farm dollars. While the game is in development, VIP is discounted for a limited time: $4.99 a month (50% off $9.99) or $26.97 a year (75% off $107.89). Regular prices return at launch.

Question 6

How do I get started?

Accepted Answer

Sign in, name your farm and pick an avatar. Then choose your free starter horse from the foundation herd — a mare or a stallion of any breed. Some foundation horses are three-year-olds ready to train; others are six-month foals. More foundation horses can be adopted in the Market for $2,000 each. The adoption selection always offers one mare, one stallion, one filly and one colt of every breed.

Question 7

How does time work?

Accepted Answer

Horses age in real time: 2.5 real weeks make one game year, whether you are playing or not. A farm season lasts 28 game days and moves on by itself, so you never have to end a season manually.

Question 8

What does day-to-day care involve?

Accepted Answer

Feed, groom and rest your horses to keep their condition up, keep vaccinations current and treat injuries in the Vet clinic. Well-cared-for horses compete better and pass a small advantage to their foals. Farmhands can take over chores, and farm upgrades add stalls, arenas, a foaling unit and a retirement pasture.

Question 9

How do competitions work?

Accepted Answer

Every competition is player against player. Classes run every hour in barrel racing, flat racing and western reining, with up to 25 horses per section and a $25 entry fee. Prizes for the top five are $300, $200, $100, $50, $25. Horses three years and under compete in foal in-hand classes; ridden classes are for horses three and older. Results feed the weekly and all-time player rankings, and weekly leaders earn extra rewards.

Question 10

How do I earn farm dollars?

Accepted Answer

Win prize money in classes, sell horses, stud coverings and frozen semen in the Market, claim milestone rewards, and place on the weekly leaderboards. Every income and cost is recorded in your farm Ledger.

Question 11

Can I crossbreed?

Accepted Answer

No. Matings are only allowed between horses of the same breed, and every request is checked again before it goes ahead. Pairing lists only show horses of the matching breed.

Question 12

When can a horse be bred?

Accepted Answer

Breeding, stud offers and semen collection unlock at three years old. Covered mares wait in the foaling barn; on day 3 an ultrasound shows whether she took and the foal’s sex (unscanned mares resolve on day 4, with a 15% higher birthing risk if pregnant), and a pregnancy lasts 7 real days. A mare that did not take can be bred again at once with no penalty. Stallions can sire up to 50 foals. After 10 foals, a mare's pregnancies and deliveries carry higher risk. Horses can retire from 25 and pass away by 30.

Question 13

How are a foal's abilities decided?

Accepted Answer

Each foal starts from the average of its parents' breeding values, with natural variation between siblings. A small breeding step then moves its stats up or down by at most 2%, depending on how well both parents were cared for and trained. Steady care and training over generations is what lifts a bloodline; abilities can reach 200.

Question 14

How are coat colours and markings inherited?

Accepted Answer

Every horse carries real coat-colour genes — base colour, cream, dun, champagne, pearl, silver, grey, roan and white patterns — plus inherited face and leg white. A foal receives one copy of each gene from each parent, and its portrait is painted from those genes, so what you see is what it can pass on.

Question 15

What about inbreeding?

Accepted Answer

Every pairing shows its inbreeding coefficient — how related the foal's genes would be. Above 20%, foals lose ability and health. Breeding horses with no shared ancestors brings the coefficient back to zero, and the pedigree view shows which shared ancestors are responsible.

Question 16

Can I use frozen semen?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In the Vet area you can collect and freeze your own stallion's semen, buy and sell doses, and use them on a mare of the same breed. Frozen doses never expire and are kept in named storage locations.

Frequently asked questions

What is Inherited Hoofprints?

How to play

Breeding rules

See it for yourself