Claire W.

I play on the Australian server under river bend stables. I started the account in 2012, still have it now in 2016. I find the game very well thought out, and well constructed. The AU server has a lovely community and the mods are very good. Graphics, ect are amazing, I love the auctions and direct sales. The ONLY problem I have with this game is the money side of it. When I started in 2012 (one year after the AU server was released) passes weren't really necessary. I was high up in the rankings and having a bit of fun. I was only 12. Someone co-managed my account for 2 years and when I logged back on, everyone was spending thousands of dollars and all their time on being up the top. Though this game is free and fun, be warned that almost EVERYTHING is money orientated. Very few promotions don't require passes to do well in. At the moment it's costing people hundreds of dollars to collect divines. Even higher ranked players are complaining. There's an argument that if you play the game strategically you'll be able to earn these things, but I you want a life (eg, a job, education.) you literally will find that impossible. The game is extremely good at getting money out of you. I've spent $20 of my own money, and the $40 I also spent was in gift vouchers I got for Christmas. The passes were handy to have, but I couldn't do anything very productive with them unless I had hundreds. I collected horses, that's it. I'm ranked in the 130th range, and still struggle to maintain that. Howrse has turned into a money sucking business that is not at all considerate, and I doubt that'll change.
In conclusion: it's fun, I love the community on my server, people are lovely, but do NOT expect to do well unless you want to pay money. Sad but it's the truth. Try it and you'll get what I mean.