Sand everywhere. Life's a beach

Well the big sand and water balloons event is now running. Many people are still unsure of the details so we thought it would be a good idea to explain things. First up - Sand.

The idea behind this is that you can earn 'sand' which is a temporary currency that you can use to buy gifts. So, the first question you may be asking is: How do I earn 'sand'? Well Jaguar (one of the Moderators) helpfully posted a thread to explain things. So here's how you earn 'sand':

- Winning competitions 3rd place and above
- Training/rides
- Logging in each day
- Birthing a foal or twins
- Buying passes ( with real money)

The fastest way to earn 'sand' we've found is to enter races. Now, to find out how much you can earn from races, click the 'Participate' button from the Howrse home page. There you will see a list of the sales as well as a list of the sand items you can win. it's a little confusing because it says you win things such as seahorses, whelks and starfish. In fact - these just represent what you win in terms of 'sand' (currency). For example, if you hover your mouse over the hermit crab icon it tells how often you will win 'sand' and how much you will win. In this case, it says "regularly when you place in the top 3 of a competition" and it tells you that you win 4 sand piles. So you still win 'sand' even if you don't win a race. Below this list is your total 'sand' earnings.

Below your earnings total are the two selling areas. The first is just like the private horse sales. You pay a fixed price (in the 'sand currency remember) for items such as Passes, Laurels and Horns of Plenty. Beneath this is just like the horse auctions. You have to bid against other players to win the item.

Beware though: you can only buy 1 item for each sale, every four days.

Well good luck and get earning that sand. Next time we'll explain the water balloons.

Enjoy the beach!

Patsy