Horseland
A virtual horse and dog community with millions of players.
Horseland was an online community and browser game focused on the care, breeding, training, and showing of virtual horses and dogs. Launched in 1994 in the United States, it grew to over 8 million users worldwide, predominantly females aged 10 to 22. The game also spawned an animated cartoon series that began in September 2006.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Horseland LLC
- Released
- Horseland:; 1998; Horseland Jr.:; 1 September 2006
- Genre
- Sim horse game Digital Pet
- Modes
- Multiplayer
- Platforms
- web browser
Facts from the source article.
History
Horseland originated from a horse-themed webpage launched in 1994 that featured bulletin boards and forums for horse enthusiasts and role-playing games. A gameplay system developed, and Horseland LLC soon released the Horseland game, allowing players to create, own, train, and compete with virtual horses. As popularity grew, a Junior Version was introduced, along with cartoons and short novels. In 2006, Horseland LLC partnered with DIC Entertainment to produce a cartoon. The update drew criticism from longtime players, and membership declined. Much of the game relied on Flash, which became unsupported by browsers, causing parts to stop working. No official updates occurred from late 2016 until late 2018, when the game's closure was announced for January 1, 2019; it went offline in April 2019.
Horseland Junior Game
The Horseland Jr. game launched on September 1, 2006, featuring characters from the Horseland cartoon. It was a simplified, Flash-based version of Horseland World aimed at children under 13, with simple, colorful graphics. Players selected a horse from cartoon characters, named it, and cared for it by feeding, exercising, and visiting a veterinarian and farrier. Jumping shows were available, with holiday-themed versions and a leaderboard of the last ten scores. In December 2008, the Trail Ride feature let players ride horses through cartoon scenes and interact with others using restricted chat phrases. Players could upgrade to Horseland World with parental permission. The Junior game closed in February 2009, and players under 13 received a Junior account in the main game, which was COPPA compliant and restricted private messaging and free chat.
Horseland Game
The original game was renamed Horseland World on September 1, 2006, when the Junior game launched, and reverted to Horseland in February 2009 after the Junior game closed. Players bought and sold horses, boarded them at stables, found trainers, chatted, participated in shows, and maintained a homepage. The October 28, 2008 changes caused controversy, including a currency shift from HLD to HLC, altering prices. Basic (free) accounts could no longer receive free money; instead, players earned money through games. Moderators with badges monitored the website and addressed inappropriate behavior or cyberbullying. The World was a virtual space with multiple servers where players met, chatted, and roleplayed, represented by avatars with customizable hair, eye, and skin color but fixed gender.
Horseland as a social network
Horseland functioned partly as a social network, centered on user-generated content. Players customized homepages with HTML or CSS, and traded design codes and professional horse and dog illustrations for coins. Communication occurred via Flash-based chat rooms, in-game messages, blogs, forums, and the 3D world. A Friends list highlighted each friend's last status or activity, and players could send digital cards for occasions. Unofficial clubs, created by players through new accounts, held contests, gathered members, and created logos. Official clubs allowed players to run campaigns for President, a one-month term during which the President controlled animal acceptance and set registries. Campaigning involved trading votes (TVing) with other Premium players or buying votes, a practice that sometimes sparked controversy as wealthy players could secure presidency over more suitable candidates.
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