How to Win the Horse Race in Harvest Moon Back to Nature

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To win the Horse Race on the 18th of Spring, take care of your horse to raise its affection (heart level) and stamina. Your horse’s stamina level affects its performance during the race, so be sure to train it daily.

Your horse will not be old enough to join the race in the first year. However, you can watch races and place bets on other horses to gain medals. You can exchange these medals for useful prizes like a Power Berry.

Getting A Horse

The pony will live inside the stable. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *The pony will live inside the stable.*

You can get a horse early by visiting Yodel Ranch, located north of your farm and heading east past the Chicken Farm.

Once you arrive at Yodel Ranch, Barley and May will be talking about a pony. After talking with May, Barley will allow you to take care of the pony until it grows. Your new pony will now stay inside your stable.

Your pony will grow into a horse after a year at which point it will be able to race.

Taking Care of the Horse

A fully grown horse comes with a saddlebag. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *A fully grown horse comes with a saddlebag.*

To win the race, you must take care of your horse early and raise its affection while it’s still a pony. To do this, do the following:

Buy the brush from the blacksmith and use it on your horse every day.
Whistle for your horse every day.
Do not leave your horse outside the stable during bad weather.
Avoid hitting your horse with tools. This will reduce its affection.

Note: You don’t need to feed your horse like a cow or sheep, nor will it get sick or die.

Remember to brush your horse daily. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *Remember to brush your horse daily.*

Once it grows into a horse, it will have a saddle bag that acts like a shipping bin, and you can start riding it around your farm. Pressing the O button while running towards obstacles will make your horse jump over it.

Trian your horse by jumping over obstacles. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *Train your horse by jumping over obstacles.*

Your horse has a hidden stamina level that increases once per day when you ride it and make it jump over something. You’re more likely to win the horse race the more stamina your horse has, so ride and train it every day. You only need to ride and make your horse jump once a day.

Note: It takes about 60 days to raise your horse’s heart level to ten and about 85 days to increase its stamina to the maximum. You have better chances of winning the race in your third year.

Winning The Horse Race

The horse race begins. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *The horse race begins.*

The horse race will be held on the 18th of Spring. Head over to the town square at 10 AM and talk to Barley to start the races. There are three races in total and you will race in the last one if you choose to participate in the event.

Tap the X button to run faster when the horse has a green bubble. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *Tap the X button to run faster* when the horse has a green bubble.

Balance your horse’s stamina and speed to win the race. Tap the X button a few times when your horse has a green bubble around its heart to make it run faster. You can make your horse run faster for longer if it has higher stamina.

Let your horse recover it's stamina and don't push it to hard. | Harvest Moon Back to Nature — *Let your horse recover its stamina* and don’t push it too hard.

As soon as the green bubble turns yellow, stop tapping the X button and let your horse recover its stamina. Tap the X button again when it turns green.

You should win the race if your horse has maximum stamina, so remember to train it every day before joining the race!

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