Thank you so much for your lovely comment, I really appreciate it - I'm so glad you enjoyed the style!
I definitely agree, in the end of the jam I sadly couldn't find more time to refine the gameplay itself... but I really want to tinker with it more, so hopefully sometime after the voting period I can upload an improved version. (And just in case, you can currently either win by defeating the abomination or lose to the horses hunting you, although I do admit that's where I need to focus the balancing efforts on!)
It's mainly an homage to Bella Sara, a fantasy horse card collecting game! Back in the day, you could transfer the horses you got cards of to a browser game and interact with them there. The hoof scraping and brushing mechanics were so satisfying, they're still ingrained in my brain! Otherwise I took some elements from Zoo Tycoon DS, a game where you built and managed your own zoo (in which dangerous animals would also attack your visitors if they ever got out xD)
Visually, I wanted to go for a look similar to Don't Starve! I really love artwork with scratchy lines and heavy blacks, which I think also goes very well with the 'countryside horror' vibe. Then there's the good ol eldritch abominations - and while this might not have been a direct reference, the artwork of the TTRPG Heart - The City Beneath (artist Felix Miall) has probably influenced me a little as well!!