Fancy some advice on your riding from Zara Phillips? She might not be planning a clinic at your yard any time soon, but players of video game Howrse can benefit from virtual mentoring from the Olympic event rider.
The London 2012 team silver medallist is to star in the equestrian game Howrse, where players care for and train horses.
Virtual owners can set up their own stables and take care of other people’s horses.
In the game Zara will be a mentor and guide for Howrse players in the UK. Some of Zara’s top horses — including her Olympic mount High Kingdom — will also be included in the game for players to “own”.
Zara will help them complete the tutorials through interactive prompts and feedback.
“It’s great to be involved with a game that lets children and adults interact with horses, breeding and stable management on a daily basis, meeting like-minded enthusiasts through the game’s social features and sharing experiences,” she said.
“Not everyone has access to ride or care for horses regularly and Howrse provides a great opportunity to really understand more about how horses are raised and bred in an easy-to-access and fun way.“
Frederic Cremer, of producers Owlient added: “It’s an absolute pleasure to be working with one of the UK’s brightest equestrian stars, someone who has global recognition too.
“Zara understands the benefits that gaming can bring to both broaden the appeal and accessibility of equestrian activities and also raise awareness of animal welfare, and she is the ideal person to help us with Howrse.”
Howrse has more than 50 million registered users around the world and is available as a free-to-play browser game for PC/Mac and also for tablet and mobile devices.
