July 2026 Blog: Show Jumping & Star Stable's 15th Birthday

Show Jumping

By Jocke (Design Lead)

Hello everyone!

I’m Jocke Sols, and I am a Design Lead at Star Stable. I am here to talk about a new way to play show jumping races that we are working hard on right now and will release to all of you in the near-ish future. I think you will find it very fun and exciting, because we sure do! 

I have also asked one of the designers doing the hands-on work to create the new races for this updated version, and to share their thoughts on this project. I’ll let them introduce themselves further down and tell their own story about the work they are doing.

So, first of all, what are we actually doing? Well, we are making a new, more realistic version of show jumping that follows the real-life rules of the competition much more closely than the version that is currently live in the game. Some of you who have been around in Jorvik for a longer time may feel like this sounds familiar, and that is because this work is inspired by a time-limited trial run of a new version of show jumping that was available for a couple of weeks a few years back. A lot of you really liked it, so we decided to bring it back in an improved version and make it a permanent addition to the game!

So, for the rules: It is not only about being the fastest through a course, as you also need to ride cleanly, without faults that would detract from your results and ranking. Knocking a railing off an obstacle will add to your faults, as will any seconds you spend over the time limit that is set for the specific course.

The goal is to have the lowest number of faults to win. In the case of two people having the same number of faults, the victory will go to the one with the fastest time. Being fast AND precise is the key to being the best in this competition!

To help you show off exactly how good you are at both speed and precision, there will be new leaderboards specifically for this new version of the show jumping races that will display the number of faults you and others have made, along with your time, so you can aim for the top spots to show that you are truly the best (or you can just race for fun, like I do).

For now, the previous version of show jumping races that are already in the game will stay just as they are and not use this new ruleset. Still, we are going to be very interested in seeing the response to these new rules from you, our lovely players, to help us determine what we will be doing in the future when it comes to this feature. We have many ideas ready to go, but we will need help in choosing which way to go with them.

So, as always, please let us know what you think!

I am now going to give the floor to my fantastic colleague so they can talk a bit more about their work and thought processes on this project. Bye from me for now, and I hope you will like this new way to Showjump!

More Show Jumping!
By GM Esme

Hello again, StarFam! Last time I had the chance to write for this blog was actually for our trial of the very system we're now (FINALLY!) implementing for real, and I couldn't be more excited!

Our new show jumping is more of a sparkly layer on top of a race type we already know and love, rather than something that needs a complicated introduction. Therefore, it was important for us to introduce it as early in the game as we felt was reasonable. And who can better introduce someone to show jumping than our very own Stacy the Bobcat Girl? She'll add another daily race to her roster (which will be available even to our non-Star Rider players) while some other beloved faces around Jorvik will also offer brand-new show jumping races featuring the new system.

So why is it important for us to have a super early introduction to this new show jumping? Well, we hope that you'll enjoy playing it to the degree that we can make sure you encounter this style of show jumping (or even variations of it, as we keep testing around for more gameplay variations) throughout the entire game, and not only at a specific point very far into the story. We can't wait to hear what you guys think of the system, and I, for one, as an avid show jumping fan in this game, can't wait to sit down to build more courses! (Or even rework old ones to use the new system? The sky is the limit!)

See you in Jorvik,

GM Esme

Happy Birthday, Star Stable!

By Emma (Game Designer)

Hi fellow horse lovers!

Can you believe it’s already been fifteen years? FIFTEEN. That is practically ancient in internet years. If Star Stable Online were a horse, it would now be old enough to pretend it absolutely did not hear you calling from the pasture. Another year older, another year wiser, and somehow still finding new ways to get lost in Jorvik.

Across Jorvik, preparations are underway for the Jorvik Riding Camp’s fifteenth anniversary. A celebration of a beloved part of Jorvik and the many riders who have passed through its gates.

For us, it’s also a moment to celebrate 15 years of Star Stable Online: the horses we have loved, the friends we have found, and all the adventures, planned or otherwise, that have made Jorvik feel like home.

This year’s anniversary is all about those memories. The first rides. That weird little thrill of realizing Jorvik was bigger than you thought, and that there was probably another quest waiting just around the corner.

Maya is finally taking a break from helping out all of Jorvik’s newcomers. She’s now in charge of the celebration, and luckily, she will not have to do it alone. The Soul Riders are pairing up with the amazing riding clubs to help. But this is Jorvik, so a simple party was never going to stay simple for long. There are races to ride, puzzles to solve, a judge to impress, and enough club pride in the air to make even Loretta proud.

During the event, you’ll help Maya, the Soul Riders, and the riding clubs get everything ready for the anniversary. I won’t spoil too much, but expect some nostalgia, a few new challenges, and at least one moment where you may find yourself staring at the screen thinking, “Wait… am I supposed to know this?”

For riders who love a good throwback, there will also be plenty of things to experience. There are old memories to revisit, familiar places to ride through, and a few little nods for those of you who have been around for a while. But don’t worry if this is your first ride through Jorvik. We’re sure you’ll have just as much fun! This one is for the riders who were there in the beginning, the riders who joined somewhere along the way, and the riders who are still figuring out which way Moorland is.

Star Stable has changed a lot over the years. The map is bigger, the horses are fancier, and most of us have probably changed a bit too. But there is still something special about logging in, getting up on your horse, and heading out into Jorvik. Be it that Celtic-inspired music track starting when setting foot on South Hoof or that unique feeling of finally opening the gate to a new area for the very first time.

Come celebrate with us, help Maya and the Soul Riders keep everything mostly under control, and take a little ride down memory lane.

See you in the saddle. And happy 15 years!