Horses Factsheet
Horses are the longest-lived and most valuable animals in Realistic Livestock RM. They produce no milk, wool, or eggs - their value comes from sell price, which is uniquely influenced by riding, fitness, and cleanliness. All 8 colour variants have identical stats, so colour is purely cosmetic.
Note: This documentation was generated with AI assistance and may contain inaccuracies. If you spot an error, please open an issue.
Breeds at a Glance
All horse breeds share identical stats. The only difference is appearance:
| Colour Variants |
|---|
| Bay, Black, Chestnut, Dun, Gray, Palomino, Pinto, Seal Brown |
| Stat | Mare | Stallion |
|---|---|---|
| Target Weight | 500 kg | 575 kg |
| Sell Price (peak, average genetics) | $2,000 - $10,000+ | $2,500 - $12,000+ |
| Sell Price (peak, any genetics) | A few hundred to $25,000+ | A few hundred to $25,000+ |
Stallions are heavier and sell for more than mares. Sell price varies enormously based on genetics, health, riding, fitness, and cleanliness - a well-maintained horse is worth several times more than a neglected one.
Output
Horses produce manure only - no milk, wool, or eggs.
| Age | Manure (both genders) |
|---|---|
| Newborn | 20 |
| 18+ mo | 200 |
Food, water, straw and production figures are per in-game month, whatever your month length. The animal's info box shows them per day, so with 3 days per month it shows a third of these figures.
Sell Prices
Unlike other animals, horse prices increase with age and peak at 60+ months (not 36 months like cattle).
Typical Sell Prices ($)
| Age | Mare | Stallion |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 400 | 500 |
| 36 mo | 5,000 | 5,400 |
| 60 mo | 5,500 | 6,000 |
What Makes Horse Prices Special
Horse sell prices use a unique system heavily influenced by genetics and the animal's condition:
| Factor | Importance | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Quality genetics | Most important | Better genetics -> much higher value - this is the biggest factor |
| Health | Very important | Keep horses healthy |
| Riding | Very important | Only today's ride counts: riding resets at day change, so ride a horse on the day you sell it |
| Fitness | Important | Regular riding builds fitness, and fitness carries over from day to day |
| Dirt | Penalty | Dirty horses lose value |
| Weight | Multiplier | Over/underweight affects price |
| Castrated | Small | Small price bonus |
| Diseases | Blocks sale | A sick horse cannot be sold at the dealer until it recovers |
A well-maintained horse (healthy, ridden, fit, clean) with good genetics can sell for significantly more than typical price. A neglected horse can be worth very little.
Buy Prices
The dealer's price is the horse's own sale value plus a markup that depends on the Dealer Animal Quality setting, plus a transport fee per horse. So it follows the same things as the sale value: age, genetics, health, weight, riding, fitness and cleanliness. Buying into a trailer at the dealer has no transport fee.
Food & Water
All breeds and both genders consume the same amount.
Food Consumption Range (L/month)
| Age | Range |
|---|---|
| Newborn | 13-88 |
| 18+ mo (adult) | 100-700 |
Genetics cause large variation between individual animals. Most horses eat near the middle of these ranges. Food and water rise through a pregnancy: noticeably higher by the end with one foal, considerably with twins. The Food Scale setting also adjusts consumption.
Water & Straw (L/month)
| Age | Water | Straw |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 10 | 5 |
| 18+ mo (adult) | 50 | 80 |
Weights
| Stat | Mare | Stallion |
|---|---|---|
| Birth | 45 kg | 48 kg |
| Target | 500 kg | 575 kg |
| Maximum | 900 kg | 1,000 kg |
Reproduction
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Mare breeding age | 22+ months |
| Stallion breeding age | 24+ months |
| Stallion max breeding age | 300 months (25 years) |
| Mare fertility ends | 264 months (22 years) |
| Gestation | 11 months (longest of all species) |
| Min health to breed | 75% |
See the Breeding Reference for a side-by-side table of breeding ages, gestation, and litter sizes across all species.
Offspring per Birth
Horses almost always produce a single foal. Twins are uncommon and triplets are rare:
| Outcome | Likelihood |
|---|---|
| 1 foal | Most likely |
| Twins | Uncommon |
| Triplets | Rare |
Litter size is mostly chance and does not depend on age. Well below average fertility rules out the largest litters; above average adds nothing.
Fertility by Age
A mare stays fertile across her whole breeding life. Age does not change her chance of conceiving - fertility genetics do. That chance holds until her end age of 264 months (22 years), then stops outright. Only animals with poor fertility genetics slow down in their last stretch.
With 11 months of gestation plus recovery between pregnancies, a mare can produce roughly one foal every 14 months during her prime.
Lifespan & Death
| Event | Age |
|---|---|
| Mare stops breeding | 264 months (22 years) |
| Stallion stops breeding | 300 months (25 years) |
| Old age deaths begin | 300 months (25 years) |
| Maximum lifespan (rarely reached) | ~360 months (30 years) |
Most animals die of old age well before the maximum lifespan; only the best health genetics get close. Horses live the longest of all animals. A well-cared-for horse can provide 20+ years of service. Death can be toggled off in settings.
Diseases
| Disease | Spread | Fatal? | Treatment | Impact |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colic | None | Moderate | 1 month, $500 (works about half the time) | Major price loss, considerably less manure, slower growth in a horse that is still growing |
The Fatal column holds while Animal Death is on. A sick animal cannot be sold at the dealer; the price loss shown is its value while sick, which sets what culling pays.
Colic: a horse gets it on its own rather than from other horses, and it shows at once. On a valuable horse, treat straight away - a treated horse dies less often, and a course that fails can be started again; on a low-value horse a course can cost more than it saves. See the Disease Guide.
Tips
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Ride and exercise your horses. Quality genetics are the biggest factor in sell price, but they are fixed at birth. Condition is what you control day to day - health, riding, fitness, and cleanliness - and a well-maintained horse is worth far more than a neglected one. Ride a horse on the day you sell it: only today's ride counts.
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Keep them clean. Dirty horses lose noticeable value. Clean horses regularly.
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Long-term investment. With 11-month gestation and single foals, horse breeding is slow but foals are very valuable. One healthy, well-ridden horse at 60 months can sell for well above $5,000.
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Colour is cosmetic. Don't pay extra for a specific colour - all 8 variants have identical stats. Pick whichever you like.
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Stallions hold value longer. Stallions can breed until 25 years (mares stop at 22) and sell for more than mares at every age. They're worth keeping longer.