Configuration

Six toggles that let a server decide which systems are available on a world.

  1. The config file
  2. Options
    1. Accepted values
  3. Dummy mode
  4. In-game editing
  5. Common setups
  6. Related pages

The config file

Better Horses writes a JSON file to your config directory on first launch:

config/icys-better-horses.json

It’s created automatically with every option enabled, so you only need to touch it if you want to turn something off.

The default file:

{
  "stabilizer": "yes",
  "medkit": "yes",
  "hitchpost": "yes",
  "hooves": "yes",
  "horse_exclusivity": "yes",
  "multiriding": "yes"
}

Options

Key Default What turning it off does
stabilizer yes Horse Stabilizers stop deploying, so no gliding descent and no fall protection
medkit yes Horse Medkits never activate
hitchpost yes Hitchposts stop tethering horses
hooves yes Horse Hooves lose snow walking, fall reduction, and Frost Walker
horse_exclusivity yes Any player can ride any owned horse, useful for shared stables
multiriding yes Only one player per horse; no second rider

Accepted values

Each key is forgiving about format. All of these mean the same thing:

True False
"yes", "true", "on", "1", "enabled" "no", "false", "off", "0", "disabled"
true (boolean) false (boolean)
any non-zero number 0

Unrecognised values fall back to the default and log a warning. A malformed file is replaced with defaults rather than crashing the game.

Missing keys are filled in and the file is rewritten automatically, so a config from an older version picks up new options without you editing it by hand.

Dummy mode

Disabling a gear item doesn’t remove it from the game. Instead it drops into dummy mode: still craftable, still equippable, rendered normally, but inert.

That means a server that disables stabilizers doesn’t break existing worlds or delete anyone’s items, and players can still use the models decoratively in a display stable. Nothing fires in the world.

In-game editing

With Mod Menu and Cloth Config installed, the same options are editable through a settings screen at Mods → Icy’s Better Horses → Configure, without touching the file. Changes are written straight back to icys-better-horses.json.

Both mods are optional. Without them, edit the JSON directly.

The settings screen also exposes the three keybinds:

Setting Default Purpose
Horse Whistle / Info Key P Whistles your horse; opens the info screen while riding
Horse Command Wheel Key R Opens the command wheel on an owned horse
Manage Horses Key G Opens the roster of every horse you own

Keybinds are also rebindable the normal way in Options → Controls.

Common setups

Shared/community server. Let everyone use every horse:

{ "horse_exclusivity": "no" }

Before reaching for this, consider leaving exclusivity on and having players run /horse trust <player> for the friends they actually ride with. It keeps gear and disowning protected while still sharing the horses. See Commands.

Vanilla-flavoured. Keep the breeds, bonding, and riding fixes but drop the gadgets:

{ "stabilizer": "no", "medkit": "no" }

Solo play. No reason to change anything. The defaults are the intended experience.