Horse Rider UK – January 2026

Summary

Looking for winter riding tights, high-vis jackets or the best bitless bridle for your horse? The January 2026 Horse & Rider UK tests 25 winter tights, scores a dozen high-vis jackets, explains 8 equine bodyworkers, demystifies coat colour genetics and gets inside the Shetland Pony Grand National with SPGN Director Sebastian Garner.

Three training features aim squarely at winter riders: Caroline Powell's polework course teaches rhythm and approach without fences, Fiona Hunt introduces horseback archery as a discipline now recognised by British Equestrian, and Ali Williamson's posture self-assessment uses photo analysis to spot spinal, shoulder and gluteal asymmetries. On the behaviour side, Anna Haines shows how positive reinforcement turns tricky tasks like worming into low-stress routines, while Esther Waldren and Emma Garioch share their bitless bridle case studies.

Vet Grace Twitchett separates single-nostril nosebleeds from exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage, covers guttural pouch mycosis and gives a calm-handling protocol for bleeds in the stable. A simplified genetics guide walks through the EE and agouti genes, dilution variants, roan and grey, with breed-society and melanoma reasons to test. Sami Hodgson breaks down starch digestion, glycaemic peaks and how to feed the high-fibre, low-starch way without losing condition.

Shoppers get a 25-pair buyer's guide of winter riding tights, a dozen high-vis jackets independently tested for visibility and waterproofing, plus a curated Christmas gift guide and bitless product round-up. Lifestyle coverage includes an SPGN interview with Sebastian Garner, Friesian breed facts, dream horsey homes, solar-power ideas and a week with artist Georgie Turner.

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Content Guide

▸ Training & Riding

p.20 · Find your flow: course of poles

Caroline Powell, New Zealand eventer and Burgley- and Badminton-winner, builds a course of 8 to 16 poles scattered across the arena so riders must plan lines and hold rhythm through every element. The piece covers trot and canter polework, changing bend without losing tempo and translating the same discipline into jumping sessions. The follow-up parts cover the clockface exercise and serpentine jumping.

p.30 · Hit your target: horseback archery

Fiona Hunt, freelance coach at Epona Mounted Archers and Usk Valley, breaks down a discipline now recognised by British Equestrian. Six equipment essentials, a step-by-step ground-to-saddle progression and corrections for the three most common beginner faults (rushing horse, locked ankles, incomplete draw) get riders from walk to canter shots. The Quebec and Jamaki advanced shots give ambitious riders a clear next goal.

p.34 · Staying grounded: lungeing polework

Fizz Tickridge-Marshall, ex-Hartpury Equine Therapy Centre manager and former Carl Hester and Jonjo O'Neill groom, uses poles on the lunge to build engagement and power. Part three adds transitions, walk-and-trot polework and simple set-ups, with reminders that thorough warm-up and active canter come before pole work. Good groundwork for young horses and rehab cases alike.

▸ Behaviour & Mindset

p.52 · Going bitless

Esther Waldren's 12-year-old Tango and Emma Garioch's family cob Griffin both made the transition with happier, lighter mouths and easier steering. The feature walks through sidepull, hackamore, bosal and cross-under designs, with fitting advice, pros and cons, and a starter routine of groundwork, walk-halt transitions and gentle direction changes.

p.58 · Rewarding behaviour: positive reinforcement

Clinical animal behaviourist Anna Haines (MSc Applied Animal Behaviour and Welfare) shows why positive reinforcement outpaces pressure: dopamine release, calmer learning and quicker retention. Clicker mechanics, marker-word alternatives and barrier-based groundwork set up the Joules fly-mask case study, where a few weeks turned a daily battle into an enthusiastic routine.

p.64 · Getting it right: good decision making

Mindset coach and BHS APC senior coach Alison Buttery maps gut instinct against rational thought through pattern recognition, emotional memory and somatic markers. She flags when partnerships work versus when pain, management or confidence is the real issue, and offers a four-step reset before any rehoming decision. Part two of a behaviour series.

▸ Horse Health & Care

p.70 · On the nose: nosebleeds explained

Vet Grace Twitchett separates single-nostril bleeds (sinuses, guttural pouch, ethmoid haematoma) from bilateral bleeds linked to exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage. The piece covers procedural bleeds, sinusitis, fungal guttural pouch mycosis, endoscopy diagnostics and a settled-handling protocol with an ice pack and head-high stance to limit blood flow.

p.88 · Understanding coat colour genetics

A simplified genetics primer covers the EE and Ee extension genes that decide black versus chestnut, the agouti modifier that turns black into bay, and dilution genes producing palomino, buckskin, cremello, perlino and dun. The roan and grey sections explain white-hair mixing and progressive greying, plus why testing matters for breed societies and melanoma risk.

p.92 · Work that body: bodyworkers explained

Eight complementary therapies compared side by side: veterinary physiotherapy (often using ultrasound, laser and pulsed magnetic field therapy), osteopathy, chiropractic, McTimoney, craniosacral, massage (including sports and myofascial release), Rolfing and Tellington TTouch. A directory-style explainer with aims, indications, vet-consent rules, insurance coverage notes and registered-body websites.

p.100 · How low can you go? starch risks

Registered equine nutritionist Sami Hodgson (BSc, MSc, RNutr) explains how small-intestine starch digestion produces sharp glycaemic peaks and insulin spikes linked to obesity and metabolic issues. She then walks readers through high-fibre, low-starch alternatives including Thunderbrook's range, showing owners which cereal-free, ultra-low-starch conditioning feeds actually deliver on condition.

▸ Buying, News & Lifestyle

p.108 · Buyer's guide: winter riding tights

25 pairs of winter riding tights and breeches reviewed for fit, fleece lining, knee-patch grip, thermal weight and waterproof panels. Sizing notes, price bands and silicone grip options give cold-morning hackers a quick shortlist, with breathable full-seat and pull-on styles compared side by side. Cover feature for anyone still riding through January.

p.120 · Tried & tested: high-vis jackets

The magazine's flagship independent test scores waterproofing, breathability, visibility, fit and price across a dozen high-vis jackets. Real hacking conditions show which coats kept riders dry, warm and seen by traffic, with best-in-test and best-value badges. The trust signal the magazine leans on most heavily across its shopping pages.

p.8 · Race to the finish: Shetland Pony Grand National

SPGN Director Sebastian Garner explains how the London International Horse Show selects 10 Shetland-pony-and-rider pairs from 8 to 14-year-olds under five feet tall, with 60cm fences, two-and-a-half circuits and a middle-of-arena finish. The Shetland Pony Grand National has raised £240,000 for the Bob Champion Cancer Trust and sent teams to Aachen, Hong Kong and the Czech Republic.

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Editor's Take

January 2026 leans hard into the behaviour and tack-rethink agenda. The bitless cover feature earns its place by sourcing real rider testimonies (Waldren, Garioch) rather than evangelising, and Anna Haines's positive reinforcement piece explains dopamine, clicker mechanics and trust-building in plain terms. The coat colour genetics primer is the surprise star, finally explaining why two black horses can produce a chestnut through EE, agouti and dilution genes. The bodyworkers round-up reads like a directory rather than a buying guide. Weak points: the SPGN interview is short for a cover slot, and Friesians stays at listicle depth. Strong on practical winter content, lighter on emotional storytelling.

Strengths
• Eleven named experts with quoted guidance across training, health and behaviour
• Cited evidence: CMA vet-fees data, EIPH diagnostics, university equine enrichment study
• Real rider case studies anchor the bitless and positive-reinforcement cover features

Weaknesses
• Friesians stays at listicle depth, no narrative pull
• SPGN interview reads short for a cover star

Verdict: Best winter issue for behaviour-first riders — Anchors 2026 with practical training, evidence-led horse care and honest bitless rider stories.