Ride! Equestrian Simulation

Summary
Riding simulation with some rather unique mechanics.

Game Design
The game has mostly-realistic 3D graphics.

Horses all use the same model but vary a little in coat and size.

Gameplay
Players can choose to begin a career in show jumping, dressage, and/or eventing. Between competitions, players must schedule training to improve their horse's abilities. It is also important to give the horse adequate rest, or its mood and performance will suffer. There are no horse care elements outside of this resting mechanic.

Players get one choice of horse from a set of premade ones. The choice of horse is permanent for that save file and cannot be changed.

Horses have different personalities depending on their sex - mares can be a little temperamental, stallions are prone to getting overconfident, and geldings tend towards being timid. This affects how they need to be handled during rides and adds a tactical element to the choice of horse.

Show Jumping Show jumping has some complex mechanics. While the horse will jump on its own, it is up to the player to control its direction and stride. Upon approaching a jump, an indicator appears on the ground and hovering horseshoes above it shift from red to green depending on how correct the stride is. Slowing down or speeding up will adjust the stride, and the speed is displayed on a circular gauge. If an approach is done incorrectly, the horse may refuse or knock down some poles.

Players must also maintain their own balance through jumps, shown by a half-circle gauge with an arrow inside. This arrow will move as the horse jumps, and the objective is to keep it as close to the center as possible. If it goes too far upwards or downwards, the player will fall off their horse. If they are only slightly unbalanced, the horse will slow down some but keep moving.

Cross Country Cross country works much the same as show jumping, including the speed gauge. the obstacles are solid and cannot be knocked down. This game mode also adds stamina management. The speed gauge now includes a fatigue meter - represented by a horse's head - which fills up with red as the horse gets worn out. Staying at high speeds builds fatigue quickly, and slowing down empties it over time. Additionally, there is a time limit to be mindful of.

Dressage Dressage is a rhythm game in the style of Dance Dance Revolution. Arrow prompts come down from the top of the screen towards targets on the bottom. To perform a move successfully, the arrow keys must be pressed at the right time as the prompts pass over the targets. There is a gauge indicating the horse's focus, and this fills up as you get Good or Perfect scores. If you do poorly with the timing, the horse's focus will drop and the arrow targets will shrink, increasing the difficulty.

Trivia
In the German release, the riding instructor is Isabell Werth. The game was released as a cover disc in the German magazine "Computer Bild Spiele 08/2008".