Copy the contents of the box to your inventory and then drag the folder onto yourself to wear the avatar.
This is a good time to get yourself familiar with the HUD. Your HUD controls actions, sounds, and settings such as dust trails and hoof prints.
It also controls your speed, although this can also be set using keyboard shortcuts (see HUD section)
Horse Avatar HUD
- Hide - Clicking the 'hide' button will minimise the HUD to a subtle 'show' button in the top left. Clicking the 'show' button will reveal the HUD again
- Walk, Trot, Canter, Gallop - speed controls
- Sit - sit down (remains active until turned off)
- Graze - graze (remains active until turned off)
- Roll - roll on the ground (plays once)
- Rear - rear up (plays once with sound if actions sound toggle on)
- Kick - kick (plays once with sound if actions sound toggle on - will push if push toggle is on)
- Ear positions - twitching ears, pricked forward or pinned back
- Eye - open/close eyes
- Poop - ...
You can control your speed using the speed controls on the HUD, or via keyboard shortcuts (useful if you like to move in mouselook, and for riders to control your speed when using the saddle).
When moving straight, tapping C moves you up a gait (e.g. walk to trot). Tap S to slow down.
When standing still, tapping W and C will move you up a gait. Tapping W and S will slow you down.
Be aware that some competitions may not allow the use of speed boost - i.e. canter and gallop. Always check with the event organiser if you're not sure what's permitted.
- Notes - play sound
- Male/Female symbols - set the gender of the emote chat phrases
All toggle states remain active/inactive until turned off or on.
- Note - toggle action sounds on/off
- Chat - toggle emote chat on/off (e.g. "John pins his ears back")
- Dust - toggle dust cloud on/off
- Horseshoes - toggle hoofprints on/off
- Hoof - toggle push on/off *
* The push toggle allows avatars and physical objects to be pushed when 'kicked'. If set to off, the kick action is quite harmless. If push is set to on, getting close to someone and pressing 'kick' will swiftly relocate them. This will only work in parcels where 'push' is allowed. The push feature is intended for fun - please DO NOT use it on someone unless you know they won't mind - it could easily be considered griefing and might land you an abuse report.
AO HUDThis controls your animations and stretches your avatar to the right shape.
- boost on / off
Touching this button will toggle between the speed boost being on (green) and off (red). The speed boost is what makes your trot, canter and gallop faster. When it is turned off, you can still change your gait using the HUD or keyboard shortcuts, but you won't go any faster than the default SL walk or run.
Some competitions do not permit the use of speed boost, so this feature means you can turn it off in order to enter. Turning the boost off will also help you get up steps or over difficult terrain.
Turn boost off with the keyboard shortcut shift + A and on with shift + D
- Horsify / Dehorsify
The Horse avatar uses a method of animation which SL doesn't always display properly. When you wear the AO HUD you will automatically be Horsified. When you take it off, you should automatically be Dehorsified. However, sometimes SL isn't looking when you change avatars. To fix yourself back to your normal shape, simply wear the AO HUD again and click the Dehorsify button. If all else fails (e.g. you're trying to unhorse in a no scripts area), logging off and back on again will return you to normal.
- On, off, reset
Exactly what it says on the tin. You generally won't need to use these buttons, but sometimes it's useful to force a reset, or turn off your AO - for example, when you're using the Saddle System.
Markings HUD
The Markings HUD allows you to choose any combination of white leg and face markings for your avatar, and also choose your eye colour. It's not designed to be worn all the time - attach it when you want to change your appearance and then take it off again when you're done. Markings are selected simply by clicking the corresponding button.
- Leg markings - Each leg is indicated by the illustration at the top of the column, one for each leg. Choose no white marking, a short, medium or long sock for each leg.
- Face markings - choose no markings, a star, snip, star and snip, thin blaze or wide blaze.
- Eye colour - Set the colour of left and right eyes individually or copy colour from one to another
To set the colour of your eyes, click on the colour chart (L or R) to select a colour - click on the black and white bar to set the brightness or darkness of the colour. If you find a colour you like and want to use on both eyes, click 'copy from' and select the other eye icon. The colour will be copied over.
Advanced Customisation
You can customise the emote chat phrases. The phrases are stored in a notecard in the highlighted prim of your HUD (see image).
Simply change the male and female phrases to your own. When you save the notecard, reset the scripts in the HUD. The emote gender will default to male, but won't change which button is selected - so if female is 'on', press male and then female again to get it back in synch.
Permissions
The Horse Avatar is fully mod and copy (with the exception of the scripts, animations and contained textures which are copy only) - this allows you to customise it as you wish, and make backup copies in case anything goes wrong. Please, make a copy before you modify anything!
If you'd like to give an avatar as a gift, gift certificates are available in the main Hoof It store, or you can use the 'buy as gift' feature for my products on Xstreet SL.
RefundsSince the avatars are copy/no transfer I can't provide refunds - all sales are final.
If a part gets broken when you're making alterations, I can replace that piece, but it'd be really nice if I didn't have to so PLEASE make a copy of your av before you do anything to it!
Updates and Replacements
If updates are released they will be provided free of charge. Updates will be announced on this website and to the Hoof It group, which is free to join.
FAQMy gallop sounds won't stop playing :(
If you're in gallop, simply move forwards and then stop again.
If you're in another gait, switch to gallop, move and stop. Then go back to what you were doing.
The reason the sounds keep playing sometimes is because at the time you stopped galloping, the sim was lagging
and the avatar missed the event of you stopping or changing speeds. Galloping and stopping again increases the chance of the scripts noticing
that you've stopped, and stopping the sounds correctly.
Where's my HUD?!
If you don't wear your HUDs in their default position, they may attach rotated so that you cannot see the front face and buttons.
If you need to wear them elsewhere because they're clashing with another HUD attachment,
please be aware that they may attach incorrectly and you'll have to rotate them in edit mode until you can see the front face.
The HUD is huge and gets in the way :(
Press the Hide button to minimise your HUD. Pressing it again will expand it. Make sure you're not
wearing the Markings HUD - you need only wear this when you're changing your markings.
None of my HUD buttons are working!
If the parcel you're in does not allow scripts to run, you may not be able to use some features of your avatar. Look for the
'no scripts' symbol at the top of your window.
Every time I do something, annoying chat pops up
You have emote chat turned on. Press the chat button on the bottom of your HUD to turn it off.
I can't get up these steps!
Press the speed boost toggle button on your AO HUD or use the keyboard shortcut shift + A
to turn it off to help you over difficult terrain.
I'm wearing the mare body part but emote chat still says 'his' when I do something
The gender of the body you wear doesn't affect the gender said in emote chat. That's set by the gender buttons on your HUD.
I keep getting the message 'cannot create object'. How can I make it shut up?
If the parcel you're in does not allow for creation of objects and you have hoofprints turned on, you'll get this message when you move and
your avatar tries to leave a hoofprint. Turn them off using the button on the bottom of your HUD.
People say I look all scrunched up / stretched out but I don't see it :(
The horse AO HUD stretches your avatar to horse shape, and unstretches it when you take it off. If people don't see the
change as it happens, you may appear squished to them. This should sort itself out within 10 seconds but you can force it by pressing the
Horsify button.
When you take the avatar off, you should automatically return to a normal shape. If you look stretched on your screen or other people see you that way,
putting the AO HUD back on and pressing the Dehorsify button should fix you. If all else fails, relogging will put you back in shape.
I'm floating above the ground / sinking into it!
This is an issue associated with the way the avatar shapes itself, which often won't show on your own screen but others will see it.
Wear another shape from your inventory and then wear the horse shape again, and all four feet will be safely planted.
What's this... THING I see in mouselook?!
That's your mouselook Nose HUD. If you're wearing it, it'll appear when you go into mouselook and disappear when you zoom back
into 3rd person. If you'd rather do without, just detatch it from your inventory.
My mouselook nose is nowhere near where other people see my nose
Unfortunately, the position of your camera in mouselook is different to that of your avatar's head, so the nose you see on your
HUD doesn't correspond with where everyone else sees your 'real' nose in world. It's more of a fun extra than an accurate navigational
device.
The markings on my mouselook nose are different to those on my avatar
Make sure you're wearing the nose when you change your markings. It doesn't matter if you can't see it (i.e. you're not in mouselook),
it will change as you change your avatar. If you're not wearing it, it won't know you've changed your markings and won't change to match.
Will you make me a custom colour / something else?
Sorry, but no. I just don't have the time to do custom work right now! Limited edition colours will be released from time to time,
but I can't take custom requests.
I've got a question about the saddle system
Take a look at the Saddle Guide and see if the answer's there.