Summer is always a magical time to be a Horse Girl. School is out and the barn is calling, so what better time to go on an adventure? But if you happen to find yourself short of a horse, fear not: between roaming the vast expanse of 13th century Mongolia as a Yam courier, helping Barbie restore the beauty of Canterbury Trails or kicking back in your cozy little caravan on Hoofprint Bay, this year’s crops of horse games has something for just about anyone. But if riding around with a bunch of pals, roasting marshmellows and singing around the fire, is what you’re after, Wild River Games has you covered with Horse Club Ride West! So dust off your cowboy hats, Pathfinders, and let’s see what the German studio has in store for us!
PAINTING THE FRONTIER RED
After the cozy greenery of Lakeside or the warm yellow hues of Hazelwood, it’s time for a change of scenery. Upon arriving at Wild River Ranch, we are greeted by canyons, gorges and vast plateaus, dotted by cacti and desert shrubbery. Even our protagonists underwent a bit of a makeover. It appears that Wild River is moving away from the matte look of previous models in favour of a soft cell-shading, reminiscent of Horse Tales: Emerald Valley Ranch and Breath of the Wild. I’ve been on the fence about this particular style, but I’ll admit this reiteration is starting to grow on me. Compared to previous titles, I find the characters much more expressive and personable, which is always a plus!
Are you ready to take a trip out in the wild west?
Horse Club Ride West © Wild River Games
HOWDY, PARTNER
Another major difference concerns our trusted steed. In Ride West we will be able to choose between six unique horses, with their own character and skills. It will be our job to level those up during our time at the Ranch, presumably to help us conquer specific challenges. However, in true Horse Club fashion, they can be customized with a vast array of accessories and styles to make them feel truly our own. So far, only four have been revealed: a sorrel, a black dun appaloosa, a palomino tobiano and a black overo, all of which are currently nameless.
Personally speaking, I quite like this change! Pre-made horses are nothing new, but I’m excited to see how they Wild River plans on developing this feature. We could have pros and cons for each ride, and perhaps some unique bonding activities! Ok, the last one might be a little too much, but hey, a Horse Girl can dream, right?
Just so you know, I’m calling dibs on the black overo.
Horse Club Ride West © Wild River Games
READY, SET, BARREL
Keeping with the spirit of previous chapters, Ride West features several activities we can partake in between missions. Barrel racing and Pole bending both return from Hazelwood, together with the classic jump challenges, while there’s currently no indication of a livestock herding minigame. Amongst the newcomers we can find archery practice, live painting and even some guitar strumming, perfect for an evening near the campfire!
I also want to talk a little about the animations. From what I can tell, there’s been a noticeable improvement across the board: while the base model and rig appears to be mostly the same (even featuring the same funky gallop), the forward motion is much smoother, even showing some good neck bascule. I reserve to hold judgement until the game is actually in my hands, but it’s a good step forward nonetheless! Especially if these two screenshots are indicative of the strides (ha!) Wild River made in the past few years…
Call me a hopeless nerd, but the realistic balancing and stride control is just *chef kiss*.
Horse Club Adventures: Hazelwood Stories & Horse Club Ride West © Wild River Games
BACK TO THE CLUB
With this new release, Horse Club further establishes itself as an enduring franchise in the mainstream horse gaming sphere, alongside Barbie. While there’s no denying that both are intrinsically tied to their original branding as a toy line, I feel the artistic direction of Ride West adds a much needed degree of separation from Schleich’s titular collection, which featured heavily in previous games. As we can glimpse from these few screenshots, its influence is not gone altogether, understandably so. Will this make Ride West a completely original entry? Probably not, but then again, I’d argue it’s beside the point. Will it make for a good game? Hopefully yes!
And the best part? You don’t even have to take my word for it! Exclusively for loyal readers of The Bridle Paths, Wild River Games has graciously accepted to answer a few questions regarding this new adventure. And for those hungry for more, we may just have a few more things planned for the near future…
Q: The Horse Club is back! Can you tell us what adventures await Hannah, Sofia, Sarah and Lisa in the Wild West?
Sure thing! This time, the Horse Club heads to the Wild River Ranch, where western riding takes center stage. Players can look forward to a variety of authentic western horses, each with their own personality, as well as new activities such as archery and playing the guitar. Of course, things won’t stay peaceful and cozy for long—Mr. Michaels has some suspicious plans of his own, and it’s up to the Horse Club to uncover what he’s really up to.
And food. Lots of food!
Q: What new features and improvements will be most relevant in this chapter?
The biggest improvement in definitely the horse riding. We rebuilt the system from the ground up, making it feel more intuitive and enjoyable. Horses can now perform new movements, including sliding around barrels, which makes western riding even more exciting.
Beyond that, we’ve also made significant changes to the open world. Players now have the freedom to explore, discover new places and characters, and create their own journey through the world, making the experience feel much more personal and player-driven.
Q: Are there some lessons you learned from the previous games that you’ve taken to heart when developing ‘Horse Club Wild West’?
Absolutely. Most of the lessons we carried over are on a technical level. For example, we improved our internal tools, which helps us work more efficiently and smoothly in Unity.
Q: Will this new chapter feature a console-specific expansion, like it happened for ‘Secrets of Skeifa Island’?
There’s nothing specific on the horizon at the moment, but if there’s enough demand from the community, we’re always open to new possibilities!
Hot Girl Summer is out, Horse Girl Summer is in!
Horse Club Ride West © Wild River Games
Horse Club Ride West will become available to purchase on October 9, 2026, on Steam, Nintendo Switch 1, Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5. You can also learn more about the game on the official Wild River Games website!
