Horse name: Straus
Nickname: Strausiboi, Strutsen
Breed: Friesian/Oldenburg
Age: Born in 2008
Personality (in three words):
A giant baby! He is lovely and kind but is not aware of his size, and so he tends to make big movements, not knowing he might bump into you.
Fun fact:
One of the Jorvik Friesian variations released this winter is inspired by Straus and even has his white pattern on its belly. We’re all about the authentic details!
Favorite food:
For special occasions, Straus loves to eat popcorn and drink a soda.
Bad habit:
Banging against the stable door and scraping the stable floor to beg for sweets.
If my horse had his way, he would:
Be in the field all day, grazing and surrounded by his favorite mares. He really is a ladies’ man and protects his mares from other geldings at all costs.
What I love most about my horse:
He is always willing to work and please the rider and has a very soft and sweet personality.
Treasured memory:
One summer, we were galloping over the fields when suddenly a big moose stepped out from the forest and blocked our way. Moose can be dangerous and very protective of their baby calves. This moose would not go back into the forest, so Straus and I had to turn around and take another route to get back to the stables.
What I like most about being in the stables:
I always feel like I can relax and just focus on the horses whenever I am in the stables – I don’t have to think about anything else that might be bothering me. I call it being in my “zen mode”.
My horse-related dreams for the future:
During the holidays I bought myself my own Friesian horse. My future plans are to start training her in dressage and one day participate in a competition. I would also love to teach her to pull a carriage.
Quest, race, or theme you would like to see in Star Stable Online:
The game is very focused on racing and jumping, but the older Star Stable single player games had the option to do dressage gameplay, and I would like us to try it out again and add a more modern touch to it. I am very fond of dressage in real life, I love how the horses dance under the rider in different dressage moves such as the flying changes or the half passes. That is why adding dressage gameplay would be the one thing I’d love to see in the game in the not so distant future.
Something I learned from my horse that I can use at work:
By studying horses in general, I have learned about their anatomy, behavior in movement, and a range of other things like coat colors and facial and leg markings. I believe having real-life references when creating horses is very important to achieve a believable result. We have used Straus as a reference for both images and videos many times. Once we had a studio trip with the Horse & Player team to study horse behavior in the stables and their movement under the saddle while I was riding Straus.
About me
I have always had a passion for horses and started my journey at the age of five at a riding school. When I became a teenager, I left the riding school and started helping take care of a horse. Later I moved to Italy to work with competition horses at the highest dressage levels and eventing as a rider and groom. After my year abroad, I moved back to Sweden to study game development at university, and when I graduated, I got a job offer at Star Stable as an artist. For over three years, I have now worked for the company creating horses and horse-related content in the game. My passion for and knowledge of horses grow stronger every day.
Name: Lisa Wackenhuth Svanström
Role at Star Stable Entertainment: 3D Artist