Horses, our beloved companions, are frequently featured in video games.  However, the average gamer might not readily distinguish between a virtual horse and its real-life counterpart. Recently, a game developer with a passion for horses has publicly criticized a well-known horse animation plugin for its inaccuracies, despite its widespread adoption.

AliceTheGamedev voiced their concerns on Reddit, expressing frustration at the widespread use of Horse Animset Pro (HAP) by game developers. They argue that the plugin's animations significantly deviate from real horse movements and urge developers to prioritize realistic equine representation, even if it entails higher costs.

Horse Animset Pro (HAP) is a riding system plugin designed for the Unity engine. Primarily used for equestrian interactions and riding mechanics in game development, the plugin offers a complete set of horse animations and riding control systems suitable for games requiring mounted movement or horse-related interactions, such as open-world games, RPGs, and action-adventure titles.

AliceTheGamedev provides a detailed analysis of HAP's shortcomings, highlighting specific inaccuracies.  For instance, they point out that the plugin depicts the horse's fetlock bending in the opposite direction of a real horse, a glaring error. Numerous other issues were also raised.  However, due to its affordability, the plugin is gaining traction among smaller studios working with limited budgets.

AliceTheGamedev clarifies that while not a horse expert, they possess over 20 years of riding experience combined with more than 10 years in game development, based in Switzerland.

AliceTheGamedev