For me this is a change that raises the question, who benefits? I don't think I'm setting the bar overly high when I expect a change to be beneficial to someone. I may not agree with the pass horse change, for example, but at least I can see that it will benefit some players and therefore there is some logic behind the change, even though I don't like or agree with it.

Removing the companions trophy, however, benefits no one and will annoy a lot of people. Most people who have a complete/nearly complete collection have invested a lot of equus and passes into their collection. Some people did it because they enjoy collecting companions or HoG coats, but a lot of people did it because they are trophy collectors, and this rips away a big chunk of their collection. There are 10 companion trophies, and even if completing the collection is now nigh on impossible (for everyone, not just the new players), it is still possible to get at least a few of those trophies (or even most, for those willing to spend the time and money).

The people who supposedly benefit are new players. Except...they don't. So they will have less incomplete trophies - how is that benefiting them? I have dozens of incomplete trophies, some of which I could get if tried but many of which I am unable to ever complete. It doesn't affect my game and I rarely even think about it. I've just accepted there are some things I am never going have.
I have no complete sets of divines, and most of my missing divines I am unlikely to ever get because they have either never been offered in a promo since, or have been in luck items which require a lot of luck and/or a truckload of passes, making it an unviable way to complete a collection to anyone who has more than one divine missing from a set. Not only are my current sets incomplete, but I have more incomplete sets to look forward to in the future, thanks to the never ending influx of divines. Yet divine trophies aren't being removed and nobody bats an eye at the fact that they are unobtainable for many players. At least with companions there is the faint hope that someone who has a big collection who decides to quit the game could sell their collection first, freeing up a few more companions for other players - the chances are low, but at least it is possible - whereas with most divines even that is not an option because the majority are unsellable.
Of course, it is possible that Howrse could decide to stop adding new divines and re-offer old ones as prizes in our constant promos instead, giving people a (more feasible) chance to complete their collections, but I'm not holding my breath.

"It's for the new players" is a tired old argument that rarely engenders much sympathy or support anymore, but in this case it is simply nonsensical. Companions will still be on the game, they will still be as rare as they are now (possibly rarer as, if they hold no trophy value, people will be more willing to SH them or let them die when they get old), and new players still won't have them. The only difference will be slightly less missing trophies - which isn't even a benefit, because it also means if they do buy a horse with a companion, they will not earn a new trophy and won't get the (small but still there) boost to their ranking.

So new players don't benefit. Old players don't benefit. Even Howrse does not benefit - without the trophy, there will be less people willing to pay passes for companions. So what is the point of removing it when it will just annoy people, on the back of other changes that are already going to annoy a lot of people?

Well....if the true motivation for removing the companions trophies is to replace them with trophies where it is imagined that it will be easier for new players (or any player for that matter) to send thousands of horses to SH, I am afraid I can't see the underlying logic. Something else seems to be going on.

Well....if the true motivation for removing the companions trophies is to replace them with trophies where it is imagined that it will be easier for new players (or any player for that matter) to send thousands of horses to SH, I am afraid I can't see the underlying logic. Something else seems to be going on.