Horses are back in The Sims 4. If you've ever dreamed of being a rancher, Horse Ranch allows you to explore your passion for horses, sheep and goats without any mess. Your Sim can find themselves an equine best friend, build a barn, and get to barrel racing.
But what if ranching isn't enough? What if you want to ranch while dealing with aliens beneath the ground or vampires who come to your house at the most inconvenient times, while enjoying your new Western decor? If you're looking for DLC that compliments Horse Ranch, we've got you covered.
10 Cottage Living
Well, this one is a given. While your ranch can be more focused on sheep or goats, if you choose, that just doesn't have the same ring as a cattle ranch, right? Having a few cows mooing around the prairie landscape feels right, right? Plus, they're closer to your horse's size, so your horse doesn't have to bend down as much while befriending them.
While most of Horse Ranch is western themed, there are 'English' riding outfits and tack, so if you choose, you can bring some of your equine friends to Henford-on-Bagley. Populating the farmland with mighty draft horses just feels right, you know?
9 Eco Living
Horses probably wouldn't do too great in Evergreen Harbor - there's too much cement around, and who knows what the air quality is like. Still, Eco Living pairs well with Horse Ranch because of the former expansion's strong focus on community and self-sufficiency. A solar panel out in the sunny prairies — well, it just makes sense, doesn't it?
Plus, horses are an eco-friendly way for your Sim to get around, and creating a self-sustaining farm with its own power sources and water could be a really entertaining challenge if you're up to it.
8 My Wedding Stories
Okay. My Wedding Stories doesn't seem like the kind of DLC that would pair especially well with horses. Or ranch life. Or anything that has to do with getting down in the muck. But! There's one thing that the beautiful world of Tartosa has that could provide a gorgeous backdrop to your sim's horse-riding dreams: a huge beach.
And yeah, you could pick Island Living instead if you wanted to. But do the islands of Sulani really seem especially horse friendly? You'd feel like you were stranding the poor thing or making it live in unbearable heat, while in Tartosa, you could race your horse on the beach at sunset and never think more of it. Besides, don't you think your Sim would find a moonlit horse ride with their fiancé romantic?
7 Strangerville
Strangerville fits with Horse Ranch for one reason: emphasizing a Western aesthetic. The lots in Strangerville don't seem big enough to adequately house a horse. Frankly, the alien stuff going on is a little concerning. Horses, in general, are notorious for their ability to get spooked easily — how do you think they'd feel when someone started moving like a marionette in their direction, all while speaking about a cryptic mother?
So, if you want more Western-themed things to get your creative juices flowing, Strangerville is a great choice. Just don’t try to raise a horse there until you finish the campaign, okay?
6 Cats And Dogs
Of course. If you're familiar with The Sims 3, you'll remember that horses were bundled into the Pets expansion — having cats and dogs but no horses felt downright weird. Even for those of us who maybe remember buying The Sims 1 Unleashed expansion — horses just felt so natural in The Sims.
It's great to have them back. Having a ranch without a barn cat or a herding dog just feels wrong, you know? You need that intense border collie keeping an eye on your flock when you're not around, after all. Cats and Dogs just help make the world of Horse Ranch feel fuller and more alive.
5 Seasons
Why have just a ranch? While gardening was included in the base game, Seasons expanded the skill, with seasonal plants, flower arranging, and a stronger focus on botany. The Harvestfest gnomes will give you at least a thousand seed packets, provided you appease them.
All that to say, you can really live out your Stardew Valley dreams when you combine these two expansion packs. It's probably best to have two Sims around, though — one who can excel at gardening and do the ranching. It'd probably be a little too hectic for one sim to do alone, especially if you're not cheating.
4 Werewolves
Why not have a (were)wolf among sheep? Werewolves isn't the pack you'd think would pair well with Horse Ranch. Still, it can lead to some fun situations — the idea of a werewolf rancher trying desperately to keep their cool around their flock of sheep. Imagine the funny stories you could construct from that idea alone!
Besides, Werewolves has a lot of really cool do-it-yourself-style items that could pair well with a ranch. Who needs fancy decorations when you can just put birch sticks in pots? It will look just as cool. And, finally, Moonwood Mills seems like a cool place to ride a horse around… just be sure to build the poor thing a barn with a lock.
3 Laundry Day Stuff
Your sim deserves to know the joys of seeing their clothes billow in the prairie wind. Sure, Laundry Day doesn't offer much more than, well, the ability to do laundry, but when paired with a farming or ranching aesthetic, a clothesline feels like a must.
Cleaning clothes by hand and hanging them out in the sun have big ranch energy. This is a more self-sufficient lifestyle, after all. And, really, have you seen some of the new Create-A-Sim outfits? They come pre-caked in muck and grass stains. Your Sims will thank you.
2 Tiny Living Stuff
Why not make a tiny house on a massive ranch? It's more cost-efficient than anything else and will boost your sims in gaining skills — perfect for those learning to ride. While the aesthetics of Tiny Living don't really vibe with Horse Ranch, the idea of a tiny home on a massive, grassy plain is really appealing.
Since your bills will be cheaper, you can dedicate more time to ranching and horseback riding. It's an efficient, simple way for your Sim to live.
1 Realm Of Magic
To be honest, Realm of Magic is here mainly because you can make unicorns in Create-A-Sim. And that unicorn would probably benefit from a magical guide in the form of your spellcasting Sims. Why not pair this magical beast with an equally magical person?
And no, unicorns don't do anything special in The Sims 4 except glow, so it's not like they need a spellcaster to take care of them. But doesn't building a big, magical house full of unicorns seem really fun?