Shows and Riding Classes

I'm getting back into the game and I'm trying to use my old stock and some new stock. I haven't been back in over a year so I'm a little out of the game. 

I've been looking at shows vs. riding school. What's the difference between them and what is better? 

I feel like I've missed a lot so I'm trying to learn everything as I go and it's a little overwhelming sometimes. lol

There's a very good post here explaining the ins and outs of using riding schools versus shows. I think the main thing is that the stat gain from riding schools is 0-1 per hour, so it's possible to get no increase.

Ah thank you!

Just a warning: there are a lot of issues with shows lately. 

Link to Bug Post, Link to New Issue

It is possible that your horses will flop big time due to issues. Personally, I locked my show horses because they flopped and ride-schooled the rest. I know several players who did same thing. I also know several players who did just fine with shows. I know some players who left the game.

It is up to you. You can take a risk and hope for the best with showings, you can choose riding school instead, or lock your horses/don't get too invested in your breeding.

I feel as though riding school is a safe bet for a stable, but small, income. If you want your horses to be high earners, showing is the way to go. Personally I haven’t really felt the effects of the showing bug (aside from when shows were fixed, I had let my horse’s happiness deplete since it didn’t affect anything before, now it does but that should’ve always been the case anyways) but I know people who have. I don’t think it’s as prominent as it once was. My horses are doing fine and they have foundation level non-specs (50-60). 

I like to do a combination of riding schools and shows. While a horse is at the top of their bracket in their level, I show them. If they’re lower than I’d like them to be, enter them in the riding school! I also have a herd dedicated to just being riding school horses, they can also farm treats that way as well.

TD;LR showing is more of a gamble than riding school, but tends to pay off better if planned correctly, at least in my experience. 

I have found, through multiple testings, that riding schools will give on average 2.55 stats per horse. The highest i've ever gotten was 7 stats (4 times in 500 horses collected)

from 500 horses
132 gained 1 stat
128 gained 2 stats
129 gained 3 stats
71 gained 4 stats
28 gained 5 stats
8 gained 6 stats
4 gained 7 stats