Do you have to do this?

[WildChica]

Do you have to statmax and level your horse before training it for an event?

[Alabama]

Not really on stat maxxing, different events call for different stats to be high. Many event trained horses don't get fully statmaxxed until after they are don't eventing. Leveling is another story, horses really need to be level 25 (26 for western) to compete well. But this usually happens pretty quickly while training.

[Kholran]

Not really on stat maxxing, different events call for different stats to be high. Many event trained horses don't get fully statmaxxed until after they are don't eventing. Leveling is another story, horses really need to be level 25 (26 for western) to compete well. But this usually happens pretty quickly while training.

To clarify what Bama said, in terms of traditional stat maxing (all stats 200+, Surefoot, Movement, and Endurance red-letter maxed), no. That said, though, levels alone will not get you anywhere in an event. What you need to compete is what's known as "event training". Each event has different "important" stats. Gaited, for example, judges on Speed, Strength, and Endurance (and of course SF and Movement), but doesn't count Intelligence. So a trainer working on a gaited horse isn't going to concern themselves with getting intelligence to 200. Instead, they put their efforts into raising speed and strength as high as possible.

Check out this chart here for which stats are most important to which events: http://www.freewebs.com/trainingnoteboo ... basics.htm The trial events will also tell you where you need to focus the training