Your Horse – December 2025

Summary

Becky Moody and Jagerbomb take the cover of Your Horse December 2025 (Issue 537, £4.75), under THE RISE OF BECKY MOODY, THE SECRETS OF HER SUCCESS, HER REGIME REVEALED and BRINGING JAGERBOMB TO YOUR HORSE LIVE. Photographed by Victoria Adams.

The issue is a bumper Your Horse Live preview with over 300 trade stands and 77 Christmas gift ideas starting under £20, plus train with the stars Gareth Hughes, Jason Webb and Lucy Jackson.

The news page is the issue's hardest fact: British Equestrian research, published Friday 3 October at Saddlers' Hall in London, puts equestrianism's social value at £1.2 billion a year. It counts 178 million ridden days, 850,000 horses in 331,000 UK households, and says 85% of regular riders are female, 30% over 55 and 14% from lower socio-economic groups.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story

p.18 · The Rise of Becky Moody
The feature goes to the home of dressage star Becky Moody and Jagerbomb as they prepare for Your Horse Live. Editor Aimi Clark calls them dressage powerhouses, and says Becky reports "Bomb" is not the most patient horse and will stand for photographs only as long as the carrots last. He has character: he undoes the ropes of other horses stabled beside him, is a reliable ride, hacks out often, sets an example to other horses and enjoys the odd jump. A horse that undoes his neighbours' ropes is the detail that makes a profile true. Watch your own horse's stable vices this week.

Meet the horse
Becky and Jagerbomb meet ticket holders in the new Meet The Horse Zone on both Saturday and Sunday, with more at Rescue Village on p40. Seeing a grand prix horse in person beats any video. Book one Meet The Horse Zone slot before the show.

▸ Your Horse Live Preview

p.28-42 · Show preview
The preview runs from the SEIB Main Arena Friday highlights at p28, through Lights, camera, action at p30 with Ben Atkinson and Emma Massingale, Excellence begins here at p32, Shut Up and Ride's The stage is set at p34, Hit the shops at p36, Size looks good on you on rare and largest breeds at p38, Share the love at p40 and Fast facts at p42. A show preview is the only reason to buy a December issue in November. Plan one arena visit before you arrive.

p.36 · Hit the shops
Shopping is Your Horse Live's highlight, with over 300 trade stands for bargains and Christmas shopping. Three hundred stands is the number that decides whether the trip is worth it. Make one shopping list before you go.

p.27 · Inside scoop · p.40 · Rescue Village
The editor's inside scoop on new zones and masterclasses is at p27, and Rescue Village with celebrity meetings including Jagerbomb is at p40. Rescue villages are the part of a show that changes minds. Spend one hour there rather than in the shops.

Editor's stand
The Your Horse stand is in the Strollers foyer, right by the SEIB Main Arena entrance, with the #Hack1000Miles wall. Stand locations are the detail you need on the day. Find one stand on the map before you travel.

▸ Training

p.48 · Braking with confidence
Pole exercises build confident braking. Braking is the school move riders never practise. School one downward transition today.

p.54 · A good stretch — Gareth Hughes
Gareth Hughes explains what correct stretch in trot looks like and the secret to a low, forward head carriage for your horse's conformation. Stretch work is the dressage aim most riders fake. Watch one stretch in the mirror this week.

p.58 · Walk this way — Diana Waters
Diana Waters covers riding with two reins. Two reins are the skill that separates schooled from unschooled. Check your rein length before the next lesson.

p.62 · Going indoors — Lucy Jackson
Lucy Jackson gives winter indoor season advice. Indoor season is the winter riders either use or lose. Book one indoor lesson this month.

p.64 · Pole position · p.64 · Inspiring four-pole patterns
Straightness, focus and four-pole patterns share p64. Pole patterns are the cheapest training tool there is. Set up one four-pole pattern this week.

▸ Care

p.72 · Finding forage — How to navigate the hay shortage
The hay shortage guide also promises to make your hay last longer this winter, the cover's promise. Winter forage is the cost that breaks budgets. Weigh your hay and check the waste this week.

p.78 · Sugar high — Avoiding autumn laminitis
Autumn laminitis prevention. Sugar is the spring and autumn risk owners under-manage. Strip graze one field before the next frost.

p.82 · Senior support — Helping veterans through winter
Veteran winter care. Veterans are the horses the winter hits hardest. Rug one veteran and check its weight this week.

p.88 · Lifeblood — What blood tests tell you
Blood testing is explained. Blood work is the check-up owners skip until it is urgent. Ask your vet for one baseline panel.

▸ Experts and Gifts

p.98-104 · Ask the Experts
Embryo transfer, its pros, cons and success rates, is at p98; tailored worming, resistance and poo-picking at p100; dehydration signs, encouraging fussy drinkers and salt at p102; and groundwork for connection and clear instructions at p104. Expert pages are the reference section readers keep. Ask your vet one embryo transfer question this month.

p.110-116 · Christmas gifts
Gifts under £20 from a horse calendar to a £5 knitted headband at p110, under £50 with jewellery or racing shares at p112, under £100 for rider and horse fashion at p114, and over £100 including a luxury cashmere scarf and online training at p116 — 77 ideas in total, starting under £20. Seventy-seven gifts is the number that makes the December issue a shopping list. Buy one under-£20 gift from the list.

▸ News Research

p.6 · Horse Talk — The value of equestrianism
British Equestrian research, done in 2024 by Sheffield Hallam University and the Sport and Recreation Alliance and released on Friday 3 October at Saddlers' Hall in London, puts the social value at £1.2 billion a year. It counts 178 million ridden days a year, 850,000 horses in 331,000 UK households, and equestrianism as the second largest rural employer. Of regular riders, 85% are female, 30% are over 55 and 14% come from lower socio-economic groups. Each riding centre delivers an average of £292,000 of value a year. Rider Jehmar Jonas attended, speaking about Ebony Horse Club and Power of Polo. The full report is at britishequestrian.org.uk. One point two billion is the number to quote when anyone asks what horses are worth. Read the report before your next funding argument.

Welfare research
A study of 12 advanced dressage horses found more conflict behaviours in a snaffle than a double bridle, mostly mouth opening and tongue out. Lead researcher Russell MacKechnie-Guire says most conflict behaviours did not differ between the two bridles, but where they did the snaffle was worse, and more research is needed. Bridle research is the welfare debate riders argue about without data. Read this before you take a side.

▸ Regulars and People

p.10 · #Hack1000Miles — Desensitising to loud, unfamiliar sounds
Hacking confidently past loud and strange noises. Noise desensitisation is the winter hacking skill riders need most. Ride one route with traffic noise this week.

p.16 · Send a Selfie
Reader photographs run here. Reader pages are the community a magazine is built on. Send one picture this month.

p.122 · Take Five with MJ Bassett
Film director MJ Bassett, a friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, talks about her life and working with horses in her latest film. Unexpected final guests make the last page worth reading. Read it last, as the editor intends.

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Editor's Take

The British Equestrian figures are the reason Your Horse December 2025 is worth keeping: £1.2 billion social value, 178 million ridden days, 850,000 horses in 331,000 households, 85% female, 30% over 55, 14% from lower socio-economic groups and £292,000 per riding centre, released on 3 October at Saddlers' Hall, is the sport's case made with numbers rather than sentiment. Becky Moody's Bomb undoing his neighbours' ropes and standing for photos only while the carrots last is the most honest horse description in the issue. The Your Horse Live preview with over 300 trade stands and 77 gifts starting under £20 is a genuinely useful bumper package. Weakest is the structure: it is a show preview in feature clothing, and the training and care pages from braking to blood tests are listed by title with no body text. The snaffle-versus-double study is the one piece of real research. Buy this for the news figure and the show preview; the rest is a contents page.

Strengths
• Social value gives £1.2bn, 178m days, 850,000 horses
• 85% female, 30% over 55, 14% lower socio-economic
• Bomb undoing neighbours' ropes is honest
• Over 300 stands and 77 gifts make the preview useful

Weaknesses
• Training and care pages have no body text
• Show preview dominates the features
• Bridle study is small, at 12 horses

Verdict: Recommended — the value figures and show preview, weaker features.