Gear guide

In real racing, one of a trainer's quietest but most effective decisions is tack: which horse wears blinkers, which one gets a tongue tie, which shoes go on for a wet day. In Padooko your horse's gear can likewise cover the weak spots in its character and bring out its strengths. This guide explains how gear works and what suits whom.

Four slots

Each horse can wear four pieces at once, one in each slot:

You first buy gear at the gear counter in the Market and put it on your shelf, then fit it to a horse. When you take a piece off, or swap it for another, the old one goes back to the shelf; so gear you've bought stays in your yard and can move between horses.

The moment a horse enters a race, its gear is locked until the race is over. Set the tack before you enter.

The ten pieces

Eyes

• Blinkers: add courage in a crowd; the horse's rhythm window narrows a little. For horses that falter in traffic but hold the rhythm easily.
• Visor: a little courage; cheap and with no downside. A good first piece of gear.
• Ear muffs: clearly calm a nervy horse. Only horses with the "Nervy" trait can wear them.
• Cheek pieces: sharpen the break from the gate. For sprinters and front-runners.

Shoes

• Light racing plates: raise the horse's top speed; in return they raise the injury risk under hard work.
• Mud caulks: grip on wet going; cost a little speed on a firm track. For rainy days and horses that dislike the wet.

Saddle

• Racing saddle: deepens the stamina tank. For milers and stayers.
• Padded saddle: morale recovers a little better every night. For horses whose spirits drop easily.

Wraps

• Leg wraps: lower the injury risk in training. For horses in heavy work or prone to injury.
• Tongue tie: opens the airway, more stamina; courage drops a little.

In the game, gear cards describe effects in words and signs, like "GATE BREAK +++" or "COURAGE ++": the number of signs shows how big the effect is, and minus signs show the cost.

Which tack for which horse?

Gear shows its worth when it's chosen for what the horse needs. A few examples:

• A sprinter that likes to lead: cheek pieces in the eyes slot, light racing plates on its feet. You can balance the plates' injury cost with leg wraps.
• A long-distance stayer: a racing saddle and a tongue tie. Together they deepen the tank noticeably; add a visor to make up for the tongue tie's courage cost.
• A nervy horse: ear muffs make it far less likely to falter in a crowd. For this horse, ear muffs are often the best first purchase.
• A horse that hates the wet: mud caulks for rainy days. Don't forget to change shoes on dry days.
• A horse whose morale often dips: a padded saddle and regular trail walks.
• A young horse in heavy training: leg wraps lower the injury risk through the hard-work phase.

Common mistakes

• Leaving the same gear on for every race. Mud caulks on a dry day cost a little speed; on a rainy day, a horse that dislikes the wet needs their grip more than ever. Check the going before you enter and choose the shoes to match.
• Ignoring the costs. Blinkers add courage but narrow the rhythm window, which is a poor trade for a horse that already struggles with the rhythm. A tongue tie adds stamina but takes away courage; put one on a nervy horse and expect it to falter more in a crowd.
• Trying to fill every slot. An empty slot is no loss. Buying a piece the horse doesn't need just to fill a slot takes Doko away from training and feed.
• Trying to change tack after entering. Gear locks at entry; always make changes before you sign up.

The limits of gear

Gear doesn't turn one horse into another. Its effects are measured, and they add up within certain limits together with the horse's own stats, its character and its jockey. So instead of trying to rescue a weak horse with expensive tack, it pays to invest in training and care first. Gear is the finishing touch on a well-prepared horse.

Gear is part of the power value that balances fields. A piece that adds speed or stamina can nudge your horse into a slightly stronger field. Effects like courage and morale, on the other hand, change how the horse behaves on the day, not its power.

When to buy gear

In the first days, it's smarter to keep Doko for feed, training and a second horse. Once your yard is settled and one of your horses is placing regularly, gear is a good way to take that horse up a level. Start with the horse's most obvious weakness: ear muffs if it's nervy, a racing saddle if it fades over long trips, cheek pieces if it's left at the gate.

When you combine a Legend with its copy to give it a star, the departing horse's gear goes back to the shelf; nothing is lost. See Legend lines.

To build up a horse's stats, see Training; to see tack at work in a race, see Race tactics.