Horses of Hoofprint Bay Guide

Game too hard? Difficulty, auto-jump and what to change

Updated · Basics

Quick answer

The official FAQ's answer to 'the game is too hard': use the difficulty settings — pick easier competitions or raise the prestige gain — and if jumping is the problem, turn on the auto-jump accessibility option. Two design choices make the start feel hard on purpose: the starter horse was rebalanced to low stats, so your first class is a Caprilli test (gait transitions + low obstacles), not show jumping; and confidence now takes longer to max, with a warning icon before an unprompted gait change so you can correct it.

The levers, in order

  1. Competition difficulty — enter lower classes; the game is tiered from “Low” upward.
  2. Prestige gain — a setting that speeds up how fast prestige accrues, which unlocks better horses at the breeder, more tack and more trail rides.
  3. Auto-jump — an accessibility option that takes the timing out of show jumping. The demo also added a popup offering jump-off indicators.
  4. Patience with confidence — it’s meant to take a while now; see the training page for desensitization.

Other comfort options the store and patch notes list: Esc pauses a ride instead of aborting it, zoomed-in lessons, reduced background movement while riding, custom volume controls, colour alternatives and “playable without timed input” (Steam accessibility tags).

FAQ

Is there an easy mode?

The store lists 'Adjustable Difficulty' and the FAQ names two levers: competition difficulty and prestige gain. There isn't a single 'easy mode' switch described.

My horse keeps slowing down or speeding up on its own

That's low confidence. Since the August update a small warning icon appears before the gait change so you can correct it; raise confidence with the desensitization training course (see training).

Can I skip the lesson tutorial?

Yes — made skippable in demo patch v0.1.10.

Related guides

Sources

Checked against the current version on · High confidence — confirmed by the developers or two independent sources. Spotted something outdated? Tell us.

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