Horse & Hound

Every week Horse & Hound brings horse lovers up-to-date with the latest news and event reports and provides expert equestrian advice on subjects including training and horse care, the latest equine products and feed. The weekly features inform and entertain inspiring readers to go out and ride to improve their horsemanship in every discipline from eventing to show jumping, dressage to showing, polo and hunting. It is also the must read for anyone wanting to buy or sell a horse.

Sing - ‘It's Christmas!’

Riding school licensing variation a major issue • Fees vary hugely, as some councils charge hundreds of pounds more than others for the same service

Measures in place to protect eventing's future • British Eventing operated at a deficit last year but is to save £176,000 in 2026 without reducing safety or value

HORSES IN THE NEWS

Money pressures affecting owners and charities alike • Equine welfare organisations look back at a challenging year in the sector, as rising costs are still biting deep

IN BRIEF

Groups show what's possible for off-road riding given effort and time • Groups of people have worked to create miles of hacking for equestrians and their horses to enjoy

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

GOOD WEEK

BAD WEEK

Jobs and public confidence the aim as police horses return • As other forces close or reduce the size of mounted branches, one has brought horses back into action

And finally… oh, deer!

LETTERS

H&H FROM THE ARCHIVES

Horse & Hound

‘Many wonderful memories’ • Carl Hester pays tribute to the lives of stable stars Valegro and Uthopia

Ian Cassells • Ireland's anchorman in team silver at the eventing Europeans talks to Pippa Roome about how early heartbreak shaped his career, his top horses and the feed change that helped his Blenheim result

Champion farrier • A six-time champion at the World Blacksmith Competition at Spruce Meadows, Steven Beane FWCF discusses the competition career that has taken him across the globe

Behind the scenes • Horse welfare is as critical as ever as we enjoy Christmas jollity. Howard Newitt MRCVS explains how racehorses are cared for during the festive racing period

How fence design helps

Style and substance • Attractive equestrian homes with plenty of practicality on offer

Winter warriors • These practical yet stylish riding gloves will be your trusty companions through the chill, promising warmth without compromising grip on the reins

THE big QUIZ • Grab some mulled wine and a pig-in-a-blanket, then settle down to this fiendish test of your equestrian knowledge

Inside Velvet • International Velvet was broadcast on Christmas Day on the BBC in the 1980s – filming it was like “grown-up Pony Club camp” with a Burghley frisson, finds Martha Terry

Highs, lows and glory days 2025 • H&H's editors highlight this season's moments, events and horses to celebrate in their sports – plus a few shocks we really didn't see coming

Glamourdale Airlines takes off • Lottie Fry puts a tricky year behind her by completing a London treble, and Charlotte Dujardin makes a high-profile return as British dressage enjoys two stellar days

LUXEMBOURG'S LUSITANO WINS OVER THE FANS

‘It felt easy’ for Easy Boy • A pair of puissance specialists set a new personal height record with their sixth win on the bounce over big red walls

A screaming hunt with ‘Dicker's Dogs’ • An autumnal November day with the Rockview Harriers proves to be “hunting at its purest”

Marvellous mayhem • Love them or loathe them, hunt balls are an integral part of most packs’ social scene – and fundraising efforts, says Tessa Waugh

‘May your meets be merry...