Stardew Valley is a landmark game in the cozy, comfy genre of fantasy farming simulator. Exploring the Valley is such a joy, with plenty of people to talk to and many different locations to map out. Taking a walk to the beach, or the swamp, or anywhere in between is always great… But, it does take a while, doesn’t it? That’s why you should consider getting a horse! While being outside is nice, moving from one place to another with our casual gait isn’t exactly the most efficient thing. How can you raise horses, and what are their customization options? Keep reading to find out.
How to Unlock Horses
In order to unlock the ability to ride a horse in Stardew Valley, you will first have to build a stable. Stables are buildings that house your future mount, and making a stable just gives you a horse. Every player that wants to have a mount will need to build their own stable, where their friend will be at the end of their day.
Technically, these ridable beasts can be unlocked as soon as you have the funds to do so. The Stable is a default building, so as soon as you can afford it, you can own your very own steed!
Horses are very useful, providing a 30% movement speed boost that can be further improved with coffee. You can’t interact with everything while on horseback, but you can easily jump on and off of it to do whatever you need. The movement speed boost is gigantic, allowing you to clear the map and Ginger Island with ease.
You will name your steed the first time that you click on it to mount up. And, if you find hats, you also can put them onto your four-hoofed friend.
How to Build A Stable
If you want to build a stable, you will need to bring 10,000g, 100 Hardwood, and 5 Iron bars to Robin’s Carpenter’s Shop. The shop is located in the northern section of the Valley, above the Community Center. This will open the building menu and allow you to build the 4×2 structure anywhere on your farm.
If you’ve got some extra time, be sure to help out with finding Robin’s lost axe to increase your friendship level with her.
Hardwood is the second most difficult part of this recipe, as it will require more than exploration to acquire. A few tool upgrades will get you there. However, a few upgrades might not get you 10,000g! That’s a lot of funds to invest into a mount. We would recommend waiting until you are at a comfortable place in your farming career before investing in a Stable.
How to Use the Horse Flute
A Horse Flute is an item located in Mr. Qi’s shop that costs 50 Qi Gems. To use it, you must put it in your hand and simply click (or press the action button on your controller) as if using any other item. As long as you are outside and have a named steed, the Flute will teleport the animal to you. If you are indoors or your horse hasn’t been named yet, the flute will not work.
This is a great item to use to summon your mount to Ginger Island or the Desert. It can also be useful if you just forgot to visit the stable earlier in the day. Since horses will always teleport to their stable at nighttime, this is a consistent way to always see them.
Once you have this, you can put your stable in a less convenient and prettier spot, if you’d like. The Flute does not take any additional resources, after all, so you can toot to your heart’s content!
