Trafficking

HellOw,

This topic is to clarify what is and is not allowed when buying and selling horses/items on the game.

What is Item or Pass trafficking?

It's simply performing a transaction outside of the available features offered directly by the game.

If we set a limit, there is a reason behind it: trying to get around these limits is a way of cheating and is not allowed. Going around the rules and limits always leaves you open to being scammed and ineligible for assistance.

Below are some examples of trafficking, but this is not a definitive list:

↪ You cannot sell Passes on the game. Using horse sales or item exchanges as a payment for this type of transaction isn't allowed and is considered trafficking.

↪ Selling or buying Passes, game items, or horses for real money is against the rules.

↪ You cannot sell a regular horse in the Direct and Reserved Sales for over 1 500 000 Equus and 2 500 Passes. For this reason, you can't sell a second low-value horse for a high price to go around the maximum prices that we’ve set, for example.

↪ Black Market items can only be exchanged for other Black Market items or Equus, or given to a friend through the Donation feature within set limits. When you donate or give an item through the gift system, you are doing this freely, and you shouldn’t ask for anything in return. Asking for a fee is going against the intended nature of this feature and is not allowed.
Additionally, this includes listing Black Market items as being for sale on your presentation or saying that Black Market items will be accepted instead of Passes for negotiable horse sales. This is also pass/item trafficking.

↪ Paying or receiving payment for co-management.

↪ Distributing/receiving horses, items, Equus, and/or Passes before quitting/restarting the game, or knowingly taking advantage of such.


Please know that breaking any rules on Howrse, even if it’s the first time, will result in sanctions applied to your account.
Depending on the severity of the rule(s) being broken, sanctions can include: permanent loss of features in the game and permanent account suspension.

We hope this will clarify any remaining doubts or questions concerning what you can or cannot do on Howrse and allow you to enjoy your game.

Kind Regards,
The Howrse Team

Player Contests

HellOw,

We’ve received feedback from Moderators and the communities requesting clarification of the rules for player-hosted contests and giveaways, specifically with offering horses as prizes.

Player Contest Rules Clarification

We allow players to host private contests and giveaways according to the following rules:

↪ You cannot require entrance fees or donations.

↪ You can give in-game prizes, but only the ones that can be given via the gifting options.

↪ You cannot give Equus or Passes as prizes.

↪ You do not have to give prizes.

↪ Your contest can only be posted on your presentation page or in your EC forum.

↪ You can offer a horse as a prize provided the cost does not exceed 500 Equus.

↪ The horse offered as a prize can have Black Market items.

↪ Contest holders can ask that participants re-post their contest banners.


We reviewed contests held on each version, and we identified the following:

➞ On some versions, it wasn't allowed for horses to be used as prizes, since the game does not include a tool for gifting horses. Selling a horse to a player costs them a fee to gain their prize. This falls within the Item and Pass Trafficking rules that are not allowed.

➞ As a compromise, we will allow players to offer horses as prizes so long as the cost of the horse is the minimum amount that can be set - 500 Equus.

➞ Since this is considered a private agreement between players, we will not support these transactions. Contests are entered at your own risk, and it is up to the contest holders to deliver the promised prizes.

Players who do not follow the rules are exposed to sanctions.
For any questions, we encourage you to contact a moderator or our Customer Support team.

Kind Regards,
The Howrse Team

Frequently asked

questions

HellOw,

This topic is meant to answer some of your most frequently asked questions about the rules.

FAQ about the rules

↪ How does cheating affect Howrse's ecosystem and its players?
Players who cheat gain unfair advantages over the rest of the community. This situation is not fair and devalues the time invested by the rest of the community who play the game normally.

↪ What is Pass or Item Trafficking?
Pass and Item Trafficking is performing a transaction outside of the available features and limits offered by the game.

↪ What is multi-accounting or multi-using?
Multi-accounting or multi-using are players who create more than one account per server or share accounts with several players.

↪ Can I use a gaming mouse, addons, or tabs?
Using these is not against the rules per se. However, if you overdo it, it can be seen as cheating. If you are using any of these, please keep it within reason.

↪ Can I offer a horse for my private contest or giveaway?
As of January 31, 2024, the team has decided to allow horses as prizes for 500 Equus again.
However, please remember that, while selling a horse for 500 Equus is allowed in most situations, we reserve the right to sanction users who use such sales to sell horses for real money, to liquidate all horses on an account, or any other behavior that goes against Howrse’s Terms of Use.

↪ What can I offer for my contest or giveaway?
You may offer any in-game item that can be given to the winner through the free gifting options in the game. Remember, if the winner must pay any kind of fee, this prize is not allowed. For example: offering a stallion cover, etc.

↪ When will you make it so we can trade horses for free?
We’ve shared this suggestion with the Howrse team. We use suggestions like this to further develop the game. However, we can’t guarantee that changes will be made or that changes will be exactly what you would like them to be.

↪ Why hasn’t Support responded to my request? Why does it take so long?
Our Support team answers every request. Delays can occur when there's a higher number of tickets received. Make sure that you do not submit multiple requests regarding the same issue or question, as this can severely delay their response time.

↪ How do you determine if someone is scripting, trafficking, or cheating?
We use effective tools to identify accounts that are scripting, trafficking, or cheating. Each identification is thoroughly checked by members of the team before sanctions are applied.

↪ How do you determine what sanctions are given?
We have set sanctions for each rule. Each set varies on the severity of the cheat, how often you break said rule, etc.

↪ Can you give us what sanctions are given for each rule?
We cannot provide this data.

↪ I think someone is breaking a rule, should I report them? How do I report them?
If you see someone breaking a rule, you should report them. There are a few different ways to report:
➞ If the broken rule is in the Private Messages, click on the ‘Report abuse’ option for each message that breaks the rules.
You may also add the player to your Black list to stop receiving their messages, you can add them to your black list by clicking the "Add to black list" button’ at the bottom of the conversation.
➞ If the broken rule is in the Forums, hover your mouse over the message and then click on the default smiley that says "Signal an abuse" to report it.
➞ If the broken rule is on a player's presentation page, click on the "Report an abuse" button at the bottom of their profile.
You may also message a Moderator or submit a request to the Support team.

↪ Why can’t we talk about politics, religion, sexual orientations/preferences, etc?
We strongly support your freedom of speech. However, we feel that Howrse is not the appropriate place for such topics. Since our players are from all over the world, we do not want to try and decide what is okay or what isn’t. We don't want anyone to feel targeted.

If you have a question regarding a rule, please ask a moderator or submit a request to our Customer Support team.

Kind Regards,
The Howrse Team