Harvest Moon: Magical Melody Questions

How many hearts do I need to have to win the Horse Race?

Date of Question: Jan 27th 2011 | Question ID: 183272

You technically don't need many hearts with your horse to win the race. You will need 2 hearts with it to be able to ride it, though.
When it comes to winning the horse race, you want to increase it's training level as much as possible beforehand. You can train it up to a ten-star training level.
To train your horse, wait until it's full-grown and has at least 2 hearts with you. If you need it's heart level to increase faster, you should feed it by hand. Then, take the reins and equip them. Stand next to your horse and, while facing it, press the X button. Press it again and your horse should leave the barn. Put the reins back in your rucksack, go outside, and press X again while standing next to the horse. Now you should be mounted on the horse.
Use the controls like you normally would for walking/running around to ride the horse from place to place.
For every 12 hours you spend riding your horse, that horse will earn 1 training star. Keep in mind that you don't have to ride it for 12 straight. You could, for example, ride it for 4 hours one day, 3 the next day, then 5 the third day and get a star.
Training stars are important because the give you an advantage by giving you more stamina to start out with in horse races. 10 stars means that your horse will hav full stamina at the start of the race. Also, you should try playing the horse race mini game beforehand to practice first.
Hope this helped!