Horse Breeds

Copyright © 2012-2020: Flying For Home & Red Zephyr Studios. All Rights Reserved.
Privacy Statement | Staff & Credits | Terms Of Service
Use of this site signifies your understanding of and agreement to the Terms of Service.

Horse Breeds

Flying For Home Breeds
Intro
There are four main breeds on FFH. Thoroughbreds (TB), Goldbloods (GB), Stock (QH and PH), and Standardbreds (STB). Each of these have their own unique features, with separated races (including series), different transition options, different surfaces and distances, and other distinctions.
Thoroughbreds
Intro
FFH was originally a Thoroughbred racing game, so the majority of horses you encounter in the game are Thoroughbreds and much of the gameplay has been designed with them in mind. Purebred Thoroughbreds may also be referred to as "foundation" in the game, meaning they come from pure foundation bloodlines. They’re one of the most established breeds in the game and are often recommended for new players hoping to learn the ropes (although picking up other breeds is also encouraged!). Condition becomes harder for them to maintain when flat racing at the age of 7 and at the age of 10 when transitioned to SC. You can purchase Thoroughbreds through the Horse Trader. They can also be purchased as Imports.
Surface And Distance
TBs can race on both Dirt and Turf, as well as at 4 furlongs to 12 furlongs for flat races. Marathon races are held at 14f through 16f and Steeplechase races are held on turf at 20f to 24f.
Transitions
TBs can transition to Marathon (MA) racing as well as Steeplechase (SC) racing. Steeplechase racing is split into Timber and Hurdle for Thoroughbreds, and which type each individual horse is eligible for depends on their endurance gene. Steeplechase races for TBs are also only held on turf, regardless of type. Steeplechase Races are held at their own tracks in each region, except for Series Races, which are held at the same Series Tracks as other Series.
Goldbloods
Intro
Goldbloods, also known as "custom horses," are horses which you can purchase using special tokens available in the Pro Shop. Goldblood Tokens can also sometimes be earned in other events around the site. You may choose unique colors and markings for these horses and they come with some quality guarantees. (They will be at least average producers and cannot have poor Performance or Stat genes.) Goldbloods are a special breed unique to FFH, they even have their own special color 'Fae' which can be found on the Color Genes page. Goldbloods have separate tracks from Stock, Thoroughbreds, and Standardbreds. To assign a home track to them, you must have purchased a training assistant at one or more Goldblood tracks (which can be done from the Training Assistants page). Condition becomes harder for them to maintain when flat racing at the age of 7 and at the age of 10 when transitioned to SC. Goldbloods are less impacted by Travel than other breeds. When compared to other breeds racing away from home/outside their home region, they’ll (on average): • lose less Energy • lose less Rest • have a lower chance of injury • and won’t suffer as much in terms of PR.
Surface And Distance
GBs can race at 1 miles to 7 miles, with 2yos only racing at 1-2 miles, 3yos only racing at 2-3 miles, and older horses only racing at 3-7 miles. They race on sand, turf, and varied terrains. Varied terrains contain sand and turf, making them suitable for dual horses. That said, courses with varied surfaces contain substantial segments of both sand and turf and horses must be able to tolerate both surfaces to do well there. PR in these terrains is based on their average of both surfaces - so a horse with 100% sand and 40% turf would be treated as if it has 70% suitability for the race. However, surface notes and injury chances are determined by whichever surface has the lowest proficiency. Although that horse with 100% sand and 40% turf may still run a reasonable PR, they are ill-suited to the turf sections of the course, will receive a surface note, and are susceptible to injury. Beyond that, each track for GBs offers only one type of surface (excluding the series tracks, which offer all 3). To keep things balanced, there are 2 sand surface tracks, 2 turf surface tracks, and 1 varied surface track in each region.
Transitions
GBs can currently only transition to Timber Steeplechase. GB steeplechase races are held on all 3 of their surfaces, but only at 5-7 miles. They must meet the same requirements to transition to Timber Steeplechase as TBs.
Impure Goldbloods
Goldbloods can only breed with other Goldbloods, but at one point crossbreeding TB x GB was allowed. This practice was ill-advised, and typically resulted in low potential foals. While it’s no longer possible to breed new impure foals, some still exist from when it was allowed. Horses with mixed lineage are referred to as "impure". Impure horses can not be bred. All impure horses are considered a Goldblood for racing purposes.
Stock
Intro
There are two breeds within the Stock Breed category - Quarter Horses and Paint Horses. In series races, Quarter Horses and Paint Horses do not race together outside of the Elemental Seniorities. Crossing a Quarter Horse with a Paint will always result in a Paint - designated by breed, not necessarily by marking. A solid Paint Horse (a Paint Horse with no paint marking), will be ineligible to enter Series Races unless they have a paint marking added to them. Solid Paint horses also lose points in Color Shows. Condition becomes harder for them to maintain when racing at the age of 10. Stock can be purchased in the Horse Trader and from the Import. Stock lose less Rest and Energy than TBs in races.
Surface And Distance
Stock breeds have races from 100yds to 900yds, and race on dirt and turf. Turf Stock horses are uncommon compared to Dirt Stock horses, as they are rarely found from the Horse Trader. Turf can be bred for in Stock similar to other breeds. This means that a lot of turf stock races are emptier than dirt races and can be a source of easy racing points and money, and many players choose to train their moderate turf horses for turf over dirt, even if they’re genetically better suited to dirt. If you have turf stock horses, or moderate turf stock horses, this might be a useful endeavor for you to practice as well!
Transitions
Stock do not currently have a transition option, but do start with much higher Longevity and Prime than other breeds to balance this out.
Appendix
Crossing a Quarter Horse or Paint Horse with a Thoroughbred will result in an Appendix. Appendix colts and mares may not enter series races until they earn either 25 racing points or 25 Color Show points, at which point they earn their full "papers" and are no longer considered Appendix. They may also be purified using a Pedigree Purifier, after which they will be considered full stock. However, Appendix geldings are exempt from the restriction, meaning they can enter series races without purifying or earning points.
Standardbreds
Intro
Standardbreds are harness racers - this means they pull a cart called a sulky rather than carrying a jockey. They can only be bred to other STBs. Standardbreds can be purchased in the Horse Trader and from the Import. Standardbreds are the newest breed on FFH and have their own unique challenges and rewards. Players are generally less strict on minimum genes considered stud worthy as well as breeding crosses compared to other breeds, as the stud market is still being established. Keep this in mind when matching them and remember not to become frustrated if you can’t find a perfect match as you might in other breeds. Standardbreds have separate tracks from Stock, Thoroughbreds, and Goldbloods. To assign a home track to them, you must have purchased a training assistant at one or more Standardbred tracks (which can be done from the Training Assistants page). Condition becomes harder for them to maintain when racing at the age of 10. STB lose less Rest and Energy than TBs in races.
Surface And Distance
They can only race at 7F to 9F and always race on Dirt - they can be genetic Trotters or genetic Pacers. When transitioned to Driving they’ll run at 2M (miles) to 4M.
Transitions
They may not transition to steeplechase or marathon, but they have their own transition option known as Driving Trials, which increases a horse’s Longevity, Prime, and rerolls their Potential (similar to SC for TB and GB).

Handbook Search