How to Play

Welcome to Mane & Tale! Here's what happens when you first arrive:

1. Register on the forum at https://forum.maneandtale.com using a real first name as your username.
2. Visit the game site — your game account is created automatically on your first visit.
3. Set up your stable — go to your stable page and give your stable a name and write a biography. This is your identity in the game.
4. Create your first horse — you start with 10 Sparks, each of which can be used to create one horse. Head to Create a Horse to get started.

Mane & Tale uses three different currencies, each with a distinct purpose:

Your currency balances are always shown in the top navigation bar when you're logged in. Visit the Banking page to send Crowns to other players.

Your stable is your identity in Mane & Tale. Every horse you own is part of your stable, and your stable page is the public face of your operation.

To set up your stable, click your username in the top right and select My Stable, then click Edit Stable. You can set your stable name and write a biography — this is your opportunity to tell the community about your breeding program, your goals, and your horses' history.

Your stable page shows:

• Your stable biography
• All your active horses
• Your Hall of Fame horses
• Your associations and businesses
• Your show record statistics

Go to Create a Horse to use one of your Sparks to bring a new horse into the game.

What you choose:

• Name — your horse's name
• Breed — from 84 available breeds and ponies
• Sex — stallion, mare, or gelding
• Height — within the breed's valid range
• Age — from weanling up to 18 years old
• Color — base color, dilutes, patterns and modifiers, filtered by breed
• Biography — optional backstory

What the system generates:

• Stats — 13 stats generated based on breed tendencies
• Genotype — full genetic code based on your color choices
• Markings — random face and leg markings
• Blood Potency — hidden breeding value

Every horse has a public profile page showing their details, markings, pedigree, ownership history, and biography. Stats are visible only to the owner.

From the horse's edit page you can:

• Update the name, height and biography
• Upload or link a horse image
• Assign a discipline and level
• Change the horse's status (retire, etc.)
• Transfer the horse to another player
• Send to hobby home or surrender to the game

To compete in shows your horse needs a discipline and level assigned. Disciplines are grouped into eight categories:

• English — Dressage, Show Jumping, Eventing, Hunters
• Saddleseat — Country Pleasure through Five Gaited
• Western — Reining, Cutting, Western Pleasure, Trail, Barrels, Poles
• Driving — Combined Driving, Driven Dressage
• Endurance — 40KM through 160KM
• Racing — Flat Racing (TB only), Stock Horse Racing
• Working Equitation — Introductory through Masters
• In Hand — halter classes by age

Within each discipline there are multiple levels — from green/novice up to open/grand prix. Age restrictions apply to many classes.

Showing is the core competitive activity in Mane & Tale. Here's how it works:

1. Find a show — check the Shows page for upcoming shows.
2. Enter your horse — your horse must meet all eligibility requirements for the class.
3. Wait for results — entries close midnight before show day. The host runs and confirms results.
4. Collect points — placings earn achievement points toward titles and Laurels.

Show results are based on your horse's relevant stats plus a random variance — the best horse doesn't always win, which keeps competition interesting.

You can also host your own shows! Submit a show for admin approval at least 7 days before the date, and you'll earn 10 Laurels for hosting.

Breeding lets you create new horses with inherited genetics and stats from both parents. Foals can potentially exceed their parents' stats, making breeding an exciting long-term investment.

1. Find a stallion — browse the Stallion Registry or use one of your own stallions.
2. Arrange the stud fee — contact the stallion owner on the forum and agree on a price. Send the Crown payment via the banking system first.
3. Register the breeding — go to Breed a Mare, select your mare and the stallion, pick a game year, and preview the breeding.
4. Name your foal — foals are born immediately and dropped into your stable as "Unnamed Foal." Give them a name on the edit page.

Every horse in Mane & Tale has a hidden genotype — a full set of genetic alleles for 20 gene pairs governing color, pattern, and modifiers. These genetics are used to determine foal colors when breeding.

You can reveal your horse's genetics by purchasing a Genetics Panel for 50 Laurels. The panel shows:

• Base color genes (Extension, Agouti)
• Dilute genes (Cream, Dun, Champagne, Silver)
• Grey gene
• White pattern genes (Tobiano, Frame, Sabino, Splash, LP, and more)
• Modifier genes (Flaxen, Sooty, Pangare, Rabicano)

Panel results can be kept private or made public for other players to see — useful if you're advertising a stallion at stud.

The Mane & Tale economy revolves around horse sales and services. Here's how to participate:

Buying and Selling Horses

Advertise horses for sale on the forum. Agree on a price with the buyer, send payment via Banking, then use the horse's Transfer page to complete the sale.

Stud Fees

Stallion owners can list their horses in the Stallion Registry with a listed stud fee. Contact the owner on the forum, send payment, then register the breeding.

Businesses

Open a business to offer services to other players — art commissions, training, equipment, photography and more. Apply via the business application.

Laurels are the activity currency — you earn them by being an active part of the community. Here's every way to earn Laurels:

Associations are player-run organisations that add structure and community to specific breeds or disciplines — think breed registries, discipline federations, or breed preservation societies.

Businesses let you offer paid services to other players in exchange for Crowns — anything from commissioned artwork to in-game training yards and equipment shops.

Both require admin approval. Apply using the links below:

1. Think before you spend your Sparks. You start with 10 and they take effort to earn. Have a plan for your first few horses — breed, age, sex and discipline — before creating them.
2. Get active on the forum early. Laurels come from community participation. The more you post, write stories and engage, the faster you'll accumulate Laurels for genetics panels and extra Sparks.
3. Read the stallion registry before breeding. There may already be excellent stallions at stud in the breeds you want to work with. You don't have to create your own stallion to have a strong breeding program.
4. Consider purchasing genetics panels for breeding stock. Before building a breeding program around a horse it's worth knowing what they carry — especially for white patterns where hidden genes significantly affect foal outcomes.
5. Enter shows even if you don't expect to win. Show placing earns Laurels and achievement points regardless of your horse's level. Getting on the board matters.
6. Write your horses' stories. Mane & Tale is as much a creative writing community as a competition game. Players who engage with the storytelling aspect get more out of the game and earn Laurels for it.
7. Ask questions on the forum. The community is friendly and the admin is active. If something is confusing, ask!