How to get the best horse mods in The Sims 4
We've gathered a list of the best mods for The Sims 4 Horse Ranch expansion which complement the new equestrian-themed gameplay, alongside everything you need to know to install and use them in-game.
Also included is a list of the best Sims 4 horse mods to download if you're looking to try out horses in your game without committing to the Horse Ranch pack first. Make sure to also use our handy step-by-step guide to install mods in the game if it's your first foray into the modding community, as it can be quite complicated to understand.
See the full list below for everything you need to build the ranch of your dreams in The Sims 4!
Best mods for The Sims 4 Horse Ranch
Playable Pets
Click to enlargeOne of the disappointing elements of The Sims 4 Horse Ranch and Cats and Dogs is the inability to control your animals as you would a Sim. The Playable Pets mod by The Sims 4 Studio mod team allows you to click on a pet's profile and control them directly, it will even place a Plumbob above their head when being controlled.
With this mod, you can bring up a Simology panel for your pets, seeing their needs clearly and enabling you to manage them accordingly.
This works for Cats, Dogs and Horses but will not work with Mini Goats, Mini Sheep or other animals that do not take up a household slot.
When controlling horses this way, you can perform the following interactions:
- Nuzzle
- Bite At
- Prance
- Chat
- Sniff
- Yell At
- Groom
- Run Around
- Nap
- Chat With
- Pee Self
- Go Poop
- Scamper Around
- Run Around
- Try Hay
You can also bring up the relationship panel to see the horse's connections with other Sims and animals. If you loved this feature in previous Sims games, this is the mod for you.
Farm Animal Set
Click to enlargeThe Sims 4 Horse Ranch adds Horses, Mini Goats and Mini Sheep to the game. If you're looking to expand your animal collection, the Farm Animal Set mod by TheKalino could be for you.
This mod adds the following animals to the game (will require you to have The Sims 4: Cottage Living installed)
- Donkeys
- Alpacas (Brow, White and Black)
- Goats
- Goose
- White Duck
- Wool Pig
- Sheep (Black White, Brown and White)
- Horses
- New colours and types of Cows (Brown, Jersey. Highland)
If you have this mod, Cottage Living and Horse Ranch, you'll have everything you could ever need to build the ranch/farm of your dreams. You can harvest products from the animals included in the mod to sell or cook food with if you're committed to the farmer's life.
To access the animals, you can purchase a Goose or White Duck from a Chicken Coop in-game. All other animals can be accessed via an Animal Shed from The Sims 4 Cottage Living pack. If you're concerned about the limited interactions and movement of animals that are tied to the Animal Shed, see our next mod below which allows animals to free roam on your lot!
Free Range
Click to enlargeThe Free Range mod by lot51 allows farm animals to shake their restrictions to coops and sheds and explore their lot freely.
As such it also requires The Sims 4 Cottage Living, combined with the Farm Animal Set mod and The Horse Ranch expansion, you could have a thriving farm, full of free-roaming animals.
At its core this mod provides additional support for anyone wishing to grow a farm, it does also feature several quirky features if you have the following expansions installed:
- If it rains in-game or if there is a full moon, there is a chance for a wild mushroom fairy ring to grow on your lot - requires the Seasons expansion
- Cows and Llamas will create a mess on your lot, which will need to be cleaned up
- Cows will naturally produce methane which will count towards your eco level – requires the Eco Lifestyle Expansion
- A new conspiracy-themed storyline – requires the Get To Work expansion.
To use the mod, buy animals from the Appaloosa Plains Ranch and Stables market. Then you simply must place the included Grazing Marker in the places you wish your animals to hang out during the day. Then place a Livestock Shelter Marker by the Animal Shed or custom-made building you want them to sleep in (or hide in during bad weather conditions).
If you've bought an Animal Shed from the Cottage Living pack, select your animal and choose the option to 'Allow to Roam Free'. This action cannot be reversed when selected.
Autonomous Gardening
Click to enlargeOne of the new aspirations to come with The Horse Ranch pack is Nectar Making, The Sims' version of wine. Part of the process of Nectar Making is harvesting fresh ingredients for maximum profit. As such, you may find yourself juggling between gardening and other ranch duties.
The Autonomous Gardening mod by LittleMsSam will alleviate the pressure of maintaining your garden somewhat. With the mod, Sims will automatically queue up interactions to water and weed plants, meaning it'll be one less job on the ranch for you to control directly.
Certain animals can also help maintain a healthy garden by eating weeds and bugs, check out our guide on how to get mini goats & mini sheep in The Sims 4 Horse Ranch for more information.
Live In Services
Click to enlargeThe Live In Services mod by LittleMsSam offers players the choice of having services stay at their lot. If you have a wayward Ranch Hand that seems to disappear, this mod gives you the ability to control them by having an allotted room for them, similar to how Butlers work in the game.
Additionally, with the mod, you can control who your Ranch Hand is, as long as the Sim is unemployed and homeless you will be able to hire them for the role.
This is especially great for players looking to create stories with their Ranch Hands and hire someone they already know rather than a randomly generated NPC.
Horse Ranch: Instant (or not!) Nectar Aging
Click to enlargeThe Nectar Aging mod by Raesthetic overhauls the Nectar Making skill with just a simple adjustment. With the mod, you'll be able to instantly fine-age Nectar in the game, or the reverse - slowing down the process altogether.
This is a great mod option for players looking to make as many Simoleons from Nectar as possible, or for players who wish to implement a more realistic approach to the game and slow the process down further.
Raesthetic has several other Nectar mods if you want to expand the skill further, including the Horse Ranch & Club Activities mod which allows players to add Nectar Making as a club activity.
Better Saddle Control
Click to enlargeThe Better Saddle Control mod is another hidden gem, created by LittleMsSam. The mod offers the option to ride horses without a saddle.
It also offers players more control over their horses, they will be able to manually select when the horse is wearing a saddle or not. This overrides the game's automatic animations when you select a horse to ride or when you dismount a horse which otherwise removes their saddle straight away.
LittleMsSam also has a companion Horse Ranch mod called the Special Paddock Gate mod, which creates an identical paddock gate to the one that arrived with the pack. However, horses will only be able to leave when mounted. This means you won't have to adjust the locking options for the gate each time you enter or leave when mounted if you want your horses to remain inside on all other occasions.
Faster Nectar Making
Click to enlargeThe Faster Nectar Making mod by ClaudiaSharon is another quality-of-life mod that can increase the state of your experience on the horse ranch.
Nectar Making is a novelty at first, but if you're looking to seriously upgrade your skill then you'll have to make a lot of bottles, sometimes one after another if you're grinding for levels.
This mod adjusts the time it takes for Sims to make Nectar, making the process faster and less painful to wait through, so it is definitely worth downloading.
How to install Sims 4 horse mods
Click to enlargeTo install mods into The Sims 4, you simply need to follow the download link on the corresponding pages and then follow these steps:
- Go to your 'Downloads' folder or wherever you sent the download file to go.
- Copy the file (unzip it if needed) and move it into your mods folder by navigating to Documents > Electronic Arts > The Sims 4 > Mods.
- Paste your mod into the mods folder.
- Launch The Sims 4.
- Select 'Options', then 'Game Options'.
- Click on the 'Other' tab on the left side of the menu.
- Click the option to 'Enable Custom Content and Mods' into your game.
- Re-launch the game.
For The Sims 4 Farmland mod, when you enter the world click on the red dot and choose the option to 'Import Farmland' to import the pre-designed world with associated lots.
How to get horses in The Sims 4 with mods
There are two major mods within The Sims 4 community if you're looking to get horses into your game without getting the Horse Ranch Expansion Pack.
Farasi The Horse Mod
Click to enlargeThe first horse mod in The Sims 4 is called Farasi the Horse Mod by Necrodog, which essentially reskins bicycles to instead appear as horses.
As such, you can ride the horses across neighbourhoods and 'stow' them away in your inventory as you would a bicycle. What's more, although the mods use bicycles, you do not need a copy of The Sims 4: Discover University to use the mod. Neat, right?
With this mod installed, you can pet, feed, and interact with the horse. When mounted, the horse will emit neighing and galloping noises. The mod does have its limitations, however, and may stutter or glitch when your Sim is mounted - but it's a great option to tide us over until Horse Ranch!
The Sims 4 Farmland mod
Click to enlargeThe Sims 4 Farmland mod by Arnie is another mod that introduces horses to the game, along with a plethora of new plots, animals, farming activities and a storyline centred around an elderly farmer, George.
Before The Sims 4 Cottage Living was released, this mod was hailed as one of the best farming mods on offer, and still includes animals which are currently absent from The Sims 4, such as pigs, sheep, fish farms and more.
The mod also introduces ten new lots including a farmer's market, supermarket, and horse ranch, and could be just the thing to get you in the mood if The Sims 4 Horse Ranch Expansion has piqued your interest.
You do need to have The Sims 4: Cats and Dogs and The Sims 4: Seasons Expansions to use the mod as it uses the world of Brindleton Bay and some of the animal features to operate.
So that's all you need to know about how to download horse mods in The Sims 4! Be sure to check out our Sims homepage for all of the latest guides and news, or take a look at our list of the best games like The Sims to play right now.
