Well, I believe you. Like I've said, I've done it in real life before and it's a lot of hard and dirty work. Mucking stables, washing and grooming the horse, picking their hooves. Owning a horse is not as glamourous as one might think. It's also not cheap either. You need a phone book worth of folks to keep them in tip top shape. A farrier, vet, trainer, feed lot for regular hay and feed deliveries. And that's if the horse doesn't need to see a specialist for anything.They also take up a lot of space. You need a barn and a big enough paddock to keep them happy.

I don't have the resources or finances to properly take care of a horse, so playing this game is the next best thing. You can even do daily chores within certain areas of the Island of Jorvik to earn the favor of that area. Yes, that does mean mucking and feeding and watering. However, it's more enjoyable to muck out a virtual stable than it is in real life somehow. Must be because you don't get all hot and sweaty and can't smell the stalls. Kind of takes away some of the ambiance, I know, but what can I say? I enjoy this game.

I now have 3 horses. Starbeam, the horse I started out with, Angelwings, the Jorvik pony, which I'm currently training, and Diamond Dust, a pure white Tinker Horse (which is a draft horse complete with feathering on her hooves). I've also gotten Anglewings a completely purple set of tack and leg wraps, complete with a purple saddlebag that holds a silver tabby kitten I'm calling Violette. I also decked myself in purple clothing and ricing gear. Can you tell it's my favorite color?

This morning I was playing and saw the most beautiful sunrise in the game. Not bad for a MMO? Eh?