Important Info About Break

Advice and Other Goodies for Newbies
Forum rules
Do not to post anything abusive, obscene, vulgar, slanderous, hateful, threatening, or sexually-orientated.
Do not post anything negative about any player.
No advertising other games.
The management reserves the right to delete or lock threads and messages at any time.
Read the complete SIM rules and legal information.
User avatar
Regina Moore
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2702
Joined: 15 years ago
Location: Castle Rock, CO
Contact:

Important Info About Break

Post by Regina Moore »

Newbies, here are some things you should know about the upcoming two-week break between game years.

1. Once break starts (sometime after race results Friday and early Saturday morning), articles will no longer be accepted. Of course, there isn't any racing, either. So, that means there isn't any way to have an income, unless you're able to sell horses. At the same time, break tends to produce a lot of boredom, so about the only thing you can do is buy more horses. Bottom line: be careful of spending too much money when you don't have any money coming in.

2. Break is for the humans, not the horses. There isn't any training over break, but when you can train again Week 1 of Year 31, remember that it's like Week 17 of Year 30 for the horses. Be careful of training horses that just raced the last week of Year 30.

3. When you can start training your horses again, everyone is eager to train their new yearlings. You can gallop your yearlings, but DON'T work them out until Week 5, because they have a high chance of getting injured prior to that.

4. If you're breeding, the deadline for Year 30 foals in 12:00 PM Pacific time on Saturday, Sept. 3rd. That's also the end of Year 30. As soon as the clock ticks past 12:00 PM we'll now be in Year 31, and all the horses will age a year.

5. As soon as we're in Year 31, the computer will pick a certain number of stallions and broodmares to be temporarily sterile for Year 31 (unless they're insured). You can tell if any of your broodmares were randomly selected, because their status will show "bred", even though you didn't breed them in Year 31. Also, a certain number of 2yos will be randomly selected to get bucked shins (unless they're insured), which will cost $5,000 and they will be off six weeks or so. (This can be an aggravation with sprinters, but not a big deal with other types of horses, since they don't debut until later, anyway.)

6. Week 1 lasts an extra long time. It's Week 1 when entries are taken for Weeks 1 and 2 (I believe entries will be open September 5th), and then still Week 1 when Week 1 races are run the week of September 12th.

Please note that you can check the "Calendar" under the "Community" heading of your home office page for important dates in SIM.

One activity that happens over break is the voting for year-end divisional champions for the SIMMY awards. Most of the categories are for horses, but there's a few human categories -- Best Trainer, Best Breeder, and there's also a Newbie of the Year. A few of you will be nominated for the latter (based on various statistics). so hopefully that's something for some of you to look forward to.
User avatar
The Steward
Hall of Fame
Posts: 16522
Joined: 18 years ago
Location: So Cal!
Contact:

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by The Steward »

Edited to show foals were due at noon on the 3rd... they're always due at noon and it says noon in the calendar so let me know where it inevitably says 1 which is incorrect!
"There's no secret to training a good horse. It's a matter of being fortunate enough to get one."
"Funny how you often regret the stuff you didn't do more than the stuff you did do" - GG
User avatar
Laura Ferguson
Hall of Fame
Posts: 6534
Joined: 18 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Laura Ferguson »

I bet Regina was basing 1pm on her time zone. For me, it is 3pm Eastern, which is also noon game time, and says 3pm on my calendar (because I elected the settings to reflect my local time, rather than game time). Hope that helps!
User avatar
Regina Moore
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2702
Joined: 15 years ago
Location: Castle Rock, CO
Contact:

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Regina Moore »

I didn't mean to base it on my time zone, but apparently I did!
User avatar
Fogell McLovin
Miler
Posts: 187
Joined: 12 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Fogell McLovin »

4. If you're breeding, the deadline for Year 30 foals in 12:00 PM Pacific time on Saturday, Sept. 3rd. That's also the end of Year 30. As soon as the clock ticks past 12:00 PM we'll now be in Year 31, and all the horses will age a year.


So at 12:01-ish Pacific time Saturday Sept 3rd we can gallop the new yearlings? Some people have been stating that we cant do that until Monday when races open up.
User avatar
Nena Olson
Hall of Fame
Posts: 5577
Joined: 17 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Nena Olson »

You cant gallop yearlings it until the races open, which would be the 5th.
✧.* SIM Artist ੈ✩‧₊˚
User avatar
Laura Ferguson
Hall of Fame
Posts: 6534
Joined: 18 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Laura Ferguson »

Those people are correct. You cannot train horses, including galloping yearlings, until the races open up.
User avatar
Fogell McLovin
Miler
Posts: 187
Joined: 12 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Fogell McLovin »

thank you :)
David Barrera Jr
Derby Contender
Posts: 206
Joined: 12 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by David Barrera Jr »

As a new player (6 weeks) I have a number of questions that I will post later, but I do have "break" questions......do I understand that all horses will age 1 year on or about Sept 3rd Year 31. So my 1 year old yearlings that I have in my stable today, will be 2 year olds on Sept 3rd. Can I train my "new" 2 year olds at any time after Sept 3rd without risk of injury? Can I train once a day only?

Dave
User avatar
Laura Ferguson
Hall of Fame
Posts: 6534
Joined: 18 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Laura Ferguson »

Training is not available until you are able to enter Week 1 races, which will be on Monday, September 5th.

For newly turned 2yos, you can work them, largely without risk of injury. I say largely because if you had worked them on Week 16 Friday, there may be a chance of injury if you work them again on Week 1 Monday. By "work", I mean a timed workout. You can only work a horse once each time period (Week 1 Monday, Week 1 Tuesday, etc), but I wouldn't advise working a horse twice in the same week. Plenty of people give their yearlings timed workouts once a week (Week 1 Monday, Week 2 Monday), but not closer together than that, unless by accident.

People do perform more than one training exercise in a day, for example, I've schooled in the gate and schooled in the paddock on the same day, but you want to be careful about it. If you're going to work the horse a set distance, I wouldn't give the horse any additional training that day. Similarly, just because you can gallop a horse three times in one day does not mean it is a good idea.

Some people train more frequently than others, but there is no set "right" way to go about it. I tend to train less and be more conservative, partly because I haven't found a need to, and partly because I don't want to spend that amount of time. Hope that helps!
David Barrera Jr
Derby Contender
Posts: 206
Joined: 12 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by David Barrera Jr »

Thanks Laura.....

Dave
User avatar
Kinclaire Farm
Miler
Posts: 166
Joined: 12 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Kinclaire Farm »

Thanks for the info everyone! I *just* joined, so I'm a bit lost and trying to figure things out. I know plenty about horses and racing in RL, but this is a bit different. So, so far it's been trial and error! Hopefully I can figure out my ponies soon though, and start getting them happy and in the money. :)
Kinclaire Farm
Moriarty -- Steward's Cup winning Paint Sprinter
Visionary Leader -- Steward's Cup winning Arabian Router
User avatar
Regina Moore
Hall of Fame
Posts: 2702
Joined: 15 years ago
Location: Castle Rock, CO
Contact:

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Regina Moore »

Hi Meghan!

This information about break is a little out-dated, though the general information is good.

Today (Saturday) is the beginning of Week 12. SIM has 16 weeks in a racing year, and then there will be a two-week break before Year 33 begins. (Sometimes break is three weeks instead of two).

If you're the kind of person that learns best from one-on-one assistance, post your wish for a mentor on the mentor thread of this New Player board, and Carolyn Eaton will pair you up with someone.

Otherwise, ask questions on the Newbie board, and/or visit chat and ask questions there.
Ennis O'kane
Two Year Old
Posts: 2
Joined: 7 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by Ennis O'kane »

Just to clarify, is the break essentially a 1 week break for horses, Ie, they get a weeks break preseason?

The rules say horses aren't rested during the break, but goes on to say that horses raced in Week 16, can race in Week 2, which by the first statement means that's a one week break between races, not the standard two.
User avatar
J.r. Lewis
Grade 3 Winner
Posts: 698
Joined: 7 years ago

Re: Important Info About Break

Post by J.r. Lewis »

Week 2 is 2 weeks after Week 16 with Week 1 in between thus a 2 week break is how I read it. Of course I haven't even been here long enough to collect my 2 week newbie bonus so...
Post Reply