Breed Standard Guide
The NEP Breed Standard Guide explains how breed accuracy is judged during Nordstern Equine Program events and how to use the Breed Archive when choosing or preparing your horse.
Breed Standard judging focuses on how accurately your horse represents its registered breed within the possibilities and limitations of The Tackroom. You are not expected to create a perfect real-life representation. Instead, the available horse models, heights, coats and in-game genetics are taken into consideration.
Using the Breed Archive
Each breed in the Breed Archive has its own standard containing the information needed to create a realistic representation of that breed.
Breed Category
The general type the breed belongs to
Height Range
The recommended in-game height range for the breed
Common Coats
Realistic coat colors that are commonly found within the breed
Uncommon Coats
Realistic coat colors that occur within the breed but are seen less frequently
Unrealistic Coats
Coat colors or patterns that are not considered a realistic representation of the breed
Common and Uncommon coats are equally breed-appropriate and can both receive full points.
Uncommon does not mean less accurate, only less commonly seen.
Coat Judging
Coat accuracy is judged using the in-game genes selected for your horse as well as how those genes are visually represented by the chosen coat.
Gene Accuracy | 10 Points
The selected genes should be realistic and appropriate for the horse's registered breed. Points are only deducted when unrealistic genes are used.
Coat Representation | 2 Points
Additional points are awarded for how realistically the chosen in-game coat represents its intended color or pattern.
The Tackroom's genetics system does not always accurately reflect real-life horse genetics. To avoid confusion and keep judging consistent, NEP uses The Tackroom's in-game genes throughout the Breed Archive and during events.
Preparing for an {NEP} Event
Before entering your horse into an NEP Breed Standard class, use the archive to check its registered breed, height and coat genetics.
The Breed Archive is intended as a reference and judging aid. It allows participants to see the same standards that will be used by NEP judges, helping to keep breed-standard events consistent, understandable and fair for everyone.
✦ ARCHIVE USE ✦
This archive is free to use as a reference.
Please credit Nordstern Equine Program (NEP) or bIRDLady (Discord) when using or sharing information from this archive.
Last updated | August 2026