Games tend to be very different from real life, which is probably a good thing, but there are also games that mimic and come as close to real life as they can. These games try to bring you as close to reality as they can, and both types of game are appealing, and great to play. But there are some bridges between real life and games that you just can not cross, and that has both good and bad points.

The first place to start, is with what you can and can’t do with the horses. In the real world, you have the physical horse, that you can care for, and share contact with. The act of grooming and brushing horses is one that builds a bond, and is also quite relaxing. In a game, you can still do that, but not being able to pat the horse on the neck is something that you do miss. On the other side of that coin you also do not have to muck out a stable, which we think is also a good point that the games have, you miss out on some of the dirtier jobs.

Another of the biggest differences is the stables themselves, running and maintaining a large stables can be both time intensive and pretty expensive. In almost every horse game you can have several horses that you look after and while you will need to buy food and tack for them the actual in game costs of looking after horses is much less than it would be. Having several horses to look after is really fun in a game, and taking them out for a run in the pasture is simple.

Which leads us into point 3, the differences in riding horses inside and outside of a game. Preparing a horse for a ride takes a bit of time, brushing down, putting on all the tack, making sure you have the right safety equipment for you too. The rewards are very much worth it, but the advantage of a game is that you can just go out for a ride at the click of a button. In some of the most realistic games, like Planet Horse you can ride in gorgeous 3D and horses run, turn and move almost the same as in the real world.

But horse games also give you the chance to compete in events or manage racehorses, which for many of us is out of reach. Being a champion show jumper is a dream for many but something only a few have the true skill to do. The same goes with finding, training and managing a pureblood racehorse. The people of the world that manage to do this deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and effort, that is for sure. But horse games provide us all with the chance to step into their shoes for a while, to enter the world of professional equine sports. While it may only be a simulation it still feels great to play and try your hand at these events.

Our final difference is one that in some ways is a little unfair, because in the real world they are impossible to have, but in the game they can be yours. That is the realm of magical horses, while there are some games that exclude them and focus on the reality around us there are also games that bring us wonderful magical creatures. Unicorns and pegasus are amazing creatures, and many of us love being able to look after and ride these wonderful beasts. Which you can’t do in real life, and it is a unique trait of horse games that you can have and create such horses.

There are a few more things that feel and are different between horse games and the real world, but these are the ones that stood out to us the most. If you are lucky enough to have both real horses and enjoy some of these games then you have the best of both of these worlds. But even if we have the games to keep us going, there are some very good ones out there, and many of the things you can do with real horses, we can do in these brilliant games too.