Horse Progression: From Rookie to Racing Legend

In MetaHoof, horse progression isn’t just a stat grind — it’s a strategic evolution. From a raw, untrained foal to a legendary racehorse, each step of the journey is shaped by skillful decisions, consistent performance, and smart management.

Every horse, regardless of rarity or bloodline, has a clear path to growth through:

• 🏁 Race performance
• 🧠 Training sessions
• 🧬 Genetic potential
• 🕰️ Longevity and decay management

This progression system rewards dedicated players, supports fair matchmaking, and encourages long-term planning. From rising through the Class Tiers to mastering XP development and aging dynamics, players are immersed in a living, evolving competitive ecosystem.

Whether you're here to build a dynasty of champions or optimize every race day decision, mastering progression is essential to success in the MetaHoof universe.

1️⃣ Class System: Competitive Ranking & Race Tiers

Horses progress through five competitive classes, from novice to elite, based on race performance and XP growth.

Class	Ranking
🟤 Class E (Novice)	Entry-level class, suited for newcomers learning game mechanics.
🟠 Class D (Beginner)	Developing horses gaining experience and racing skills.
🟡 Class C (Intermediate)	Competitive mid-tier horses with growing attributes.
🔵 Class B (Advanced)	Strong competitors with refined race strategies.
🟣 Class A (Expert)	Top-tier horses, built for high-stakes racing and prestigious events.

Horses compete within their class, ensuring fair competition. Advancing to a higher class requires gaining XP through races.

2️⃣ XP Level Progression: Training & Race Development

Horses in MetaHoof earn XP (Experience Points) through:
✔ Race Participation → Finishing races grants XP based on placement and competition difficulty.
✔ Training & Strategy Development → Trainer NFTs influence fitness and XP gain.
✔ Special Events & Tournaments → Exclusive races reward XP boosts for high-ranked placements.

XP Level Progression Table

Each class has XP requirements to level up, reflecting a horse’s growth and competitive journey.

Class	Level Range	XP per Level	Total XP to Max Class Level
E (Novice)	1-5	1,000 XP	5,000 XP
D (Beginner)	6-10	2,500 XP	12,500 XP
C (Intermediate)	11-15	5,000 XP	25,000 XP
B (Advanced)	16-20	10,000 XP	50,000 XP
A (Expert)	21-25	20,000 XP	100,000 XP

Advancing to the next class requires reaching max XP, ensuring that horses naturally progress into more competitive tiers.

3️⃣ Horse Aging System: Natural Growth & Career Evolution

In MetaHoof, every horse experiences a career shaped by natural aging, reflecting realistic growth, peak performance, and the eventual challenges of time. This Horse Aging System introduces a dynamic progression curve where attributes shift as horses mature through different life stages.

🔄 Life Stages: From Foal to Old Guard

Each horse advances through eight defined stages over the course of its racing career. Attributes are subtly adjusted to reflect the balance between physical growth, peak condition, and veteran experience.

Age Stage	Description
Foal	Raw potential, just beginning the journey.
Juvenile	Developing strength and racing awareness.
Young Adult	Balanced attributes, ready for competition.
Prime Early	Strong gains in performance and consistency.
Peak	The height of ability, delivering top performance.
Mature	Retains strength with strategic endurance focus.
Veteran	Seasoned competitor with stable temperament.
Old Guard	Legacy stage, competing with wisdom and grit.

🧮 Progression Through Racing

Horses naturally progress through these stages as they complete races. The transition between stages reflects accumulated racing experience and careful management rather than abrupt changes.

Progression ensures that no stage is without value:

• Early stages build foundation and potential.
• Peak stages maximize competitive strength.
• Later stages emphasize resilience, temperament, and experience.

Breeding Restriction: Horses in the Foal and Juvenile stages cannot breed.
Breeding eligibility begins at the Young Adult stage and continues through later stages, ensuring that horses mature before contributing to bloodlines.

📊 Attribute Evolution

Each stage subtly adjusts a horse’s performance factors, creating a living curve of growth, peak, and graceful decline. This ensures that horses remain competitive while rewarding strategic training and long-term planning.

📊 Age Progression Table (Races Required per Stage)

The table below defines how many races a horse can complete before naturally progressing to the next Age Stage.
All generations share the same lifecycle length, ensuring fair competition and accessibility for new players.
Prestige for earlier generations (such as G1) is reflected through enhanced breeding potential, exclusive events, and leaderboard opportunities — not reduced lifespans.

Age Stage	Description	All Generations (per Rarity)
Foal	Raw potential	48 races (Common) / 72 races (Rare) / 96 races (Legendary)
Juvenile	Building awareness	36 races (Common) / 60 races (Rare) / 84 races (Legendary)
Young Adult	Balanced competitor	30 races (Common) / 48 races (Rare) / 72 races (Legendary)
Prime Early	Strong early peak	24 races (Common) / 42 races (Rare) / 60 races (Legendary)
Peak	Top performance	22 races (Common) / 36 races (Rare) / 54 races (Legendary)
Mature	Endurance advantage	18 races (Common) / 30 races (Rare) / 48 races (Legendary)
Veteran	Stable temperament	15 races (Common) / 25 races (Rare) / 40 races (Legendary)
Old Guard	Legacy and wisdom	12 races (Common) / 20 races (Rare) / 32 races (Legendary)

📌 Total Career Races (Estimated)

• Legendary: ~486 races
• Rare: ~333 races
• Common: ~205 races

Generations differ in breeding capabilities, prestige events, and legacy value, while maintaining equal opportunity for competitive play across all stages.

🌱 Visualizing Horse Aging Evolution

To help illustrate how horses progress through their lifecycle, the chart below provides a visual evolution graph.

This chart shows the natural progression of a horse through all eight stages, with the number of races at each step (Common / Rare / Legendary). It visually reinforces that every stage has value while making the career arc easy to understand at a glance.

Note: This graph is provided as a demonstration of the aging system. Actual progression values may vary as the game evolves.

4️⃣ Key Takeaways

• Every horse in MetaHoof is unique, with a genetic blueprint and competitive potential.
• The class system ensures fair matchmaking, allowing horses to progress through XP leveling.
• Breeding strategy influences future generations, shaping the next line of champions.
• Performance decay adds realism, requiring players to train, adapt, and refine strategies.