My Horse & Me Riding for Gold is a simulation game that focuses on riding horses in competitive events. There are other aspects, too, such as grooming and feeding the horse, accessorizing the horse and rider, and playing mini-games. The meat of the game is the riding circuit, though.

When starting the game, players will choose the game’s difficulty setting, the color of the horse, the name of the horse, and name of the owner. Although the color of the horse can be changed, the actual horse is always the same. The game doesn’t differentiate between breeds. Once these options are settled, it’s on to the main game. At Green Valley Ranch, there are lots of engaging things to do with horses. There are training sessions, a free ride area, a stable area where players can groom and feed their horses, and a house where players can go and see their training statistics and change their outfits.

In order to enter competitive events in the career mode, players will need to visit the training area. Riders will first enter basic training exercises of dressage (certain proscribed moves), riding and jumping. After these exercises are successfully completed, players can then either continue more advanced training or enter competitive events. These events are sequential. They are also supposedly based on real venues in Europe and America.

When riding in either the training or competitive events, players will be concentrating on learning how to control their horse through floating lines of stars and over hurdles. Different colors of stars represent the different gaits of the horse. The nunchuk is used for controlling the horse. The directional thumb control stick on the Nunchuk is used for the first two difficulty levels, but not for the expert level, where the entire Nunchuck is used for the horse’s movement.

Riding the horse around is fairly exciting, and feels realistic. The sound effects of the hooves add to the sense of being on the horse. However, the controls for the Wii are not optimal. It’s difficult to line the horse up dead on the stars at anything over a trot. When trying to turn the horse on a curve, the horse lurches from left to right with each left or right movement on the thumb stick. The same problem happens when using the entire nunchuk in expert mode. The controls are also a little wonky when moving the game’s avatar around. She will often walk around in circles instead of a straight line. However, jumping is very easy and works well with the controls.

There are several mini-games which can be unlocked in the career mode. These are mostly riding games where the rider herds or directs animals or objects, races another horse, and rides through a maze. There is also a mechanical bull game. These games are simple, but fun to play.

The overall design of the game is good and there is a decent amount of variety. The career mode offers incentives such as awards, new outfits and unlocked mini-games. The feeding and grooming tasks are realistic and kids will enjoy undertaking them. The controls could be tighter, but they serve the purpose well enough and are only mildly annoying. The free-play area and mini-games offer something different to do when kids are tired of the riding events, and there is always something cool to put on the horse or rider.

My Horse & Me Riding for Gold is fun for young pre-teen girls who like horses and other animals. The set-up offers challenges in the career mode to work toward, but they are not too difficult. The free-play is fun and relaxing, and dressing up the rider and the horse is pretty cool. The controls could be better, and having actual horse breeds to choose would be nice, but the game as it stands is still fun and is a good game for girls.

Gameplay: 7.0
This horse simulation game is a decently designed game for the Wii. It has a good amount of variety, and the riding events in career mode are interesting and competitive. It’s pretty easy to win new stuff for the horse and rider, and girls will enjoy playing. The controls could be better, but the game is still fun.

Graphics: 7.0
Everything looks about average for the Wii. The characters are a little stiff, and the backgrounds could be better draw, but the game has bright and cheerful colors.

Sound: 8.0
The music and sound effects are good and fit the there well.

Difficulty: Medium
This game is not difficult or frustrating, but the controls can get a little annoying when moving the horse around a curve at a canter.

Concept: 7.0
This type of simulation is common territory, but the execution is good.

Multiplayer:  7.0
The multi-player mode allows players to race against friends, but not at the same time.

Overall: 7.5
A good game on the Wii for young pre-teen girls. As such, it is a good choice for families, especially if they have girls who love horses and other animals.