Horses of the Prairie

Written by Cynella; PSHG Founder 

The Chauvet Cave is one of the most famous prehistoric rock art sites in the world. With one exception, all of the cave art paintings have been dated between 30,000 & 33,000 years ago.

Throughout history, horses have played a vital role in the development of civilization. The earliest evidence of domestication can be tracked to an archaeological site in Krasni Yar in Kazakhstan, as early as 5000 BCE. At this time, horses were kept for food and milk, rather than for riding or load-bearing.

Over time, horses proved to be more beneficial as a mode of transportation. By, 3500-3000 BCE, horses began to be used for transportation although; it is believed that it was only to hunt. At this time, there was still evidence that horses were being kept for food.

As time went on, more uses were found for the horse and in 1800 BCE, the horse was used to allow the Hittites to conquer Mesopotamia and Egypt. In ancient times, nations rose and fell by the horse. One famous horse wasn’t a real horse at all, the Trojan horse. According to early Greek legend, Odysseus came up with a plot to open the gates of Troy. He had a wooden horse constructed and hid several men inside, leaving it behind the Trojans brought the horse inside the city where the men emerged, opened the gates and took over the city. There has been much debate over the stories true origins, but the basic facts all remain the same, whether a battering ram or a horse, the event went down in history.

The Mykonos Vase, one of the earliest depictions of the Trojan Horse legend. 670-650 BCE.

Eventually, the horse went on to be used in agriculture as well as for recreational purposes such as racing.

A unique way of riding a horse is bareback riding, which is horseback riding without a saddle. Although it’s not as popular in modern times, it requires a great deal of skill, balance and coordination but also can be more dangerous to the rider. But it is a beautiful way of riding that allows the horse and the rider to communicate better.

Today, the horse is used in many of the same ways, although in most societies, you can find them being used more for recreation than anything else. With such a deep and beautiful history, it is no surprise that they have made their way into a virtual world such as PlayStation Home.

Day with Buttercup

Photography by: Agnugget

Horses:

Lockwood has provided us with five different horses to choose from and one unicorn. Each allows entry into the prairie.

LMO- Mustang- Palomino $3.99

You may recognize this horse from the pictures above. Palomino is a coat color in horses that is typically gold, with a white mane and tail. Horses of this color can be typically found in a show ring or parade. A famous Palomino that you may be familiar with from your childhood was Mr. Ed, the talking horse, who starred on his own TV show in the 1960s. (I can remember watching reruns on Nick at Nite as a child.)

LMO- Pretty Pony- Pink $2.99

The Pretty Pony immediately reminded me of a conversation long ago about bringing My Little Pony’s into Home. It was a joke that turned into a reality when Lockwood released their pony’s companions last January.

So it shouldn’t be surprising that they have released a fashionable pink pony that you can ride.

LMO- Pinto Pony- Skewbald $2.49

When I saw the Pinto Pony I knew that this was the horse for me and not just because he was cheaper than the others… yes I admit I’m a cheap skate. But the color was what attracted me to this horse.

Skewbald is a color pattern of a horse that is made up of white patches on a non-black horse. They are reddish-brown in color with a black mane and tail.

LMO- Mustang- Steel Grey $3.99

Grey horses are characterized by the silvering on their coats. They can be born any color, but the white hairs begin to appear after birth and lighten as they age.

LMO- Mustang- Black $3.99

In April of 2012, Lockwood released the Drey Prop bundle featuring a single black horse. The black horse quickly became a fan favorite and everyone was taking pictures of themselves with it. Well now, Lockwood has released the famous horse in home and you can take it everywhere with you.

Unicorn (Gift Machine) 256 Tokens

Unicorns are mythical creatures and it only makes sense to release one with the horses. The unicorn has to be one of the biggest hits, because in my travels yesterday, 90% of the horses I saw were unicorns.

Rewards:

There are 6 obtainable rewards in the prairie. I had a few problems getting them, but once I reloaded Home, they seemed to pop.

White Hay Bale 

- Load into the space. Even if you don’t own a horse you should be able to get this one.

Brown Hay Bale 

- Find the Brown Hay Bale behind the shed and simply sit for this reward.

Wheelbarrow

- Beside the house, there is a wheelbarrow. Walk near it to receive this item. (Does not come with flowers.)

So Much Horse Shirt

-If you walk around the inside of the shed nearest the corral, you should win this shirt.

Cowboy Boots

-You get the cowboy boots from somewhere near the house. Make sure you walk all the way around it, if I can pinpoint the exact location, I will update this article.

 Rocking Chair

- You get the rocking chair from simply sitting in the rocking chair on the front porch.

(Forgot to take a picture.) But it looks exactly like the ones sitting around the porch on the house.

Conclusion

Overall, I believe that this was a very nice addition to Home. The horses are very much worth the money and I hope that maybe in the future we could get a ranch for a personal space. One complete with a barn and a house begging to be decorated.

I did notice however, that there were several people in the corral station complaining that they should be given a free horse to get in. They didn’t like the fact that they were being singled out and not allowed on the other side of the fence. Well, to be brutally honest, I love the fact that Lockwood did this. The prairie wasn’t overrun with people running around while I’m trying to learn how to make my horse gallop. I didn’t have to worry about people standing idly on the places where the rewards were and I found it to be quite an enjoyable experience, as I spent most of the evening hanging out.

What people fail to understand is that Home is open to everyone. You do not have to purchase anything to use it but for those that want premium items, the option is available. If the developers were to give everything away for free, they would never make any money and there would be no incentive for them to release such innovative items. Four years ago, people were begging to have things like we see in Home today. Now they complain with every new update like a two-year old.

Luckily the amount of people who are satisfied outweighs the whiners and complainers. So what I hope that the developers understand is that not everyone feels that we need to be given everything.