Windy Acres Ranch Racing FAQ

[Kiralynn]

The Galloping Gala is fast approaching. First-time riders bring new talent, stylish outfits, and a lot of questions. We'll answer some of the most common questions in this article.



"How can you race horses? Aren't they all the same speed?"
Although the +62% and +68% steeds run at the same speed, there are many factors that affect how quickly they can complete a race course. Most courses are lengthy, with numerous obstacles and creatures along the way. A rider's ability to find the shortest path between checkpoints and navigate difficult terrain determines how well he will perform. Lag and experience are also factors.

"I don't have a war steed. How can I compete?"
There are three types of horse race - Standard, Fast, and War Steed. Standard races are for +62% horses and ponies, such as holiday and reputation steeds. Fast races are for +68% mounts, such as the Steed of Night and the Steed of the Dusk-watch. War steed races allow all horses and ponies. Speed enhancers and special forms of travel are not allowed. As long as you have a horse in the proper speed class, you have a good chance of winning a race.

"How can I tell what speed my horse/pony/goat is?"
For war steeds, open the Mounted Combat window and click the Stats tab. Look for the "War Steed Movement" section of the right column. "Max Speed" is the best movement rate your war steed can achieve. If you are riding a non-combat steed, open the Skills window and click the Mounts tab. Mouse-over the steed's portrait to view its stats. Most non-combat horses are +62% speed. Most store exclusive horses are +68% speed.

"You ask for my horse's name and breed to register. What are these?"
The "breed" of your horse is it's type. For example - Steed of Minas Ithil, Yule Festival Snowy Horse, Prized Rivendell Horse, or Chestnut Horse. Your horse's name is visible while you are riding it. Look for your mount display panel. It has your horse's portrait, morale/power, and a Dismount button. It also shows speed for war steeds. Your steed's name appears at the top. Each breed has a default name. You can right-click the portrait to rename your steed.

"What is the entry fee?"
There is never an entry fee to participate in an event hosted by Windy Acres Ranch. However, the final four qualifier races of the Spring Racing Carnival have an entry fee of 1 gold. This is to increase the prize pot for the championship race. The final qualifier races are sponsored by Windy Acres, the Lonely Mountain Band and Turbine.

"How do I know where to ride?"
All of the race routes are posted at WindyAcres.MyMiddleEarth.com before the race begins. You can view the race map and explore the route in-game. There is also a "pace lap" before all races except for cross-country challenges. During a pace lap, the race master leads the riders around the course, stopping at each checkpoint. Riders who don't study the race map or pay attention during the pace lap often get lost along the way.

"How do you prevent cheating?"
The race master and course judges monitor the event. Race rules have been carefully crafted to discourage cheating. Click here to read the article "How Horse Races Work" for a full explanation. Turbine also applies a "Game In Progress" debuff to limit speed to 100% at some events.

"Why do you have a bookie? Isn't race wagering the same as gambling?"
Not at all. When you "place a wager" at a Windy Acres race, you simply choose the name of the rider you believe will win and /tell this name to the bookie. After the race, one name is selected randomly from the list of people who guessed correctly. This person wins a prize. You don't give anyone gold to wager, so there is nothing to lose.

"What is a qualifier race?"
At the end of the racing season, we organize a huge event called the Spring Racing Carnival. This usually takes place during the Galloping Gala, an equestrian-themed multi-server festival sponsored by Turbine. The finale of the Spring Racing Carnival is a horse race called the "Bree Championship Cup". The Bree Cup prize is enormous. Riders may only participate if they have an invitation. A rider must win top three (first, second or third place) in a qualifier race to be invited. There are six qualifier races, so eighteen riders will qualify for the championship race.

"What kinds of events do you host and when is the next one?"
We host horse races, mounted fashion contests, formation riding team demonstrations, mystery roleplay stories, talent shows, cross-country rides, horse parades, and holiday parties. [url=http://windyacres.mymiddleearth.com/?page_id=2" title="Event Schedule" target="_blank"]Check the Event Schedule[/url] for the latest list of activities. You can also check LOTRO's "Landroval" and "In-Game Player Events" forums.

"Where do the prizes come from?"
Kiralynn supplies most of the Turbine Point prizes. Members of the Lonely Mountain Band kinship donate most of the gold, cosmetic items, and mount codes. Turbine sponsors the big events with Turbine Points, store items, discount coupons, and mount codes. (They will sponsor anyone who hosts a well-organized public event and asks politely.) Occasionally racing fans donate gold or cosmetic items.

"I love Windy Acres! How do I help?"
Races would be impossible without volunteers acting as course judges. Races require a judge for every checkpoint. If you would like to volunteer, [url=http://windyacres.mymiddleearth.com/?page_id=439" title="How To Judge A Race" target="_blank"]click here to read "How To Judge A Race"[/url]. You can also help by posting news of Windy Acres events on the various LOTRO/MMO-related forums and web sites you visit.

"I heard you give away Perlinos and Turbine Points. Can I have some?"
We don't give things way. You must win an event to earn a prize. No, we will not give you a prize now and let you win an event later.

"I am running an equestrian event. Will you advertise it?"
Absolutely! Send an email to kiralynn@roll3d6.com with your event title, server, date, time, location, rules and prizes. Include contact information for the event host(s). If possible, send a 600px wide by 400px high advertisement image. Please try to send this information at least one week before your event.

[Aldekim]

Wow, this is a really great information packed post. Between this and your post about the Chetwood Cup I think I will make the next Free Press issue a special Equestrian feature issue so that as many people as possible will see these fine posts.

[Kiralynn]

Awesome!

You might also want to point them toward the "Spring Racing Carnival Preview" - http://windyacres.mymiddleearth.com/?p=3499

It's full of links, so keep your eyes open. I'll post it here for ease of reading...

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The Spring Racing Carnival will take place during the Galloping Gala, an equestrian-themed celebration on all LOTRO servers. The Carnival is a series of events taking place on the Landroval server, sponsored by Windy Acres Ranch and the Lonely Mountain Band. It culminates in a championship race where riders compete for a grand prize of 300 gold.

Want to know where to watch the races, how to place a wager, or who will win the prize? Read on!

The Spring Racing Carnival begins with a series of six qualifier races. Only the top three riders in each qualifier can participate in the Bree Cup championship race. The first qualifier is the Chetwood Cup, scheduled for Wednesday, April 10 at 9:30pm ST. Riders will gather at Hengstacer Farms. The second qualifier is the Beryl Cup, taking place in Duillond on Saturday, April 20 at 1:00pm ST. The last four races take place during the first Friday and Saturday in May. Riders can participate in the Moonstone Cup (Duillond), Mathom Cup (Michel Delving), Mithril Cup (Gondamon), or Longbottom Leaf Cup (Michel Delving). Once a rider has finished top three (1st, 2nd or 3rd place) in a qualifier race, he is invited to participate in the Bree Championship Cup. Qualified riders cannot participate in further qualifier races, in order to give more riders a chance to earn an invitation.

These eighteen riders are likely to be veterans from the regular racing season. Riders earned points for each race they participated in during the previous year. The rider standings show which riders won the most races and which have the most experience. Craicwyth earned the highest score for the season. Andeon, Caiyyd, Lifebringer, Nisael and Byrcha are also in the top five ranks. Any of these riders could win the championship race, but as the standings show, sometimes a dark horse gallops across the finish line first. Issue 20 of the Windy Acres Ranch equestrian newsletter has a complete list of all the horse racing tips and tricks compiled over the last two years. Riders should read the event rules before participating.

Equestrian fans can wager on each of the races. A volunteer from Windy Acres acts as a bookie, accepting bets from the audience. You can bet on a race by contacting the bookie with the name of one rider that you think will win the race. (It is a good idea to use /tell to contact the Bookie.) The bet must be placed before the race begins. When the race is over, the names of fans who picked the winning rider are thrown in a hat. A name is drawn at random and this lucky person wins a prize.

There are several other events scheduled for the Spring Racing Carnival. A parade of rare horse breeds will take place in front of the Bree Town Hall, followed by a concert featuring several famous musicians. The Windy Acres Riding Team will demonstrate formation riding in the Horsefields near the festival grounds north of the city. The audience will choose the winners of a mounted fashion contest. There are also rumors that horses and tack may be sold at discount prices.

Participation in all events is free. Guests from other games and servers are welcome. If you would like to host an event at the Spring Racing Carnival or have questions about an existing event, contact Kiralynn of Landroval. To learn more about the Lonely Mountain Band, visit their web site at LonelyMountainBand.GuildLaunch.com.

If you’d like to see more, you can watch our video on YouTube or watch the high quality video here. We hope to see you at the races!

* ST refers to Landroval server time or EST. Type /servertime while logged in for a server’s current time.

[Kiralynn]