Horse Hound – 6 August 2026

Summary

Horse & Hound 6 August 2026 (Volume CXLII, Issue 31) is the Aachen World Championships guide, with 31 pages of preview. The cover carries British team members Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, Becky Moody on Jagerbomb and Scott Brash with Hello Mango, photographed by Peter Nixon and Elli Birch/Boots and Hooves.

The preview runs from how to follow at p34 through dressage at p36, eventing at p42, showjumping at p48, para dressage at p54 and Oscar Williams's dressage form guide at p60, with eventing and showjumping form guides to follow next week. A new live blog on horseandhound.co.uk carries the action.

The rule story at p4 is the issue's real argument: the first full dressage rule revision since 2022, with 2027 FEI proposals putting four of seven championship judges on the long side at V, P, R and S instead of two, and the BEF calling for harmony to be judged inside every movement rather than as one collective mark.

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Content Guide

▸ World Championship Preview

p.34 · How to follow — Timetable and more
The guide opens with how to follow the Aachen World Championships. Timetables are the page readers plan a week around. Set one alarm before the first session.

p.36 · Dressage
Dressage is previewed. Dressage is the discipline where Britain's medals are decided first. Name one combination you expect to win before reading.

p.42 · Eventing
Eventing is previewed. Eventing is the discipline with the most British depth. Check one entry against your own calendars.

p.48 · Showjumping
Showjumping is previewed. Showjumping is the discipline decided by a single rail. Watch one round before the final.

p.54 · Para dressage
Para dressage is previewed. Para dressage is the discipline readers follow least and remember most. Read it before the medals.

p.60 · Dressage form guide — Oscar Williams
Oscar Williams writes the complete dressage form guide, covering the prospects of every horse-and-rider combination. Form guides are the most useful thing in a championship issue. Name your own podium before you read his.

Coverage
Editor-in-Chief Sarah Jenkins, magazine and eventing editor Pippa Roome and Oscar Williams go to Aachen, with Roome and Williams travelling next week. Clive Halsall, a List One judge, judges the grand prix test at C at Aachen, the test that decides the team medals. A new live blog on horseandhound.co.uk gives real-time reporting, with unlimited website access for magazine subscribers. A live blog is how a weekly stays relevant between issues. Follow one session live rather than reading the report later.

The cover team
Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo, Becky Moody on Jagerbomb and Scott Brash with Hello Mango are the British team members on the cover. Cover combinations are the season's shortlist. Pick one to follow through the championships.

▸ News

p.4 · Harmony definition debated in international dressage rule changes
The first full revision of dressage rules since 2022 has produced the first draft of 2027 FEI rule changes. IDOC and the EEF propose that four of the seven championship judges sit on the long side at V, P, R and S, instead of the current two. The BEF calls for harmony to be clearly defined and judged as part of every movement rather than one collective mark. Seven federations have submitted views on collective marks, a majority favouring a second collective mark. The IDRC and the German federation want one mark for the horse's training level and one for the rider's performance; the EEF and the Swiss federation want one for training level and one for horse-rider harmony; the DTC proposes abolishing all collective marks. On double bridles, new rules from this year allow snaffle or double bridle up to CDI3*; the Swedish federation and BEF want that extended to all levels. The DTC says allowing double bridles to CDI3* gives riders the choice in up to 90% of FEI dressage competitions, and strongly opposes removing double bridles in CDIJ junior classes. On welfare, the EEF wants welfare supervisors to oversee warm-ups at championships and big events; the DTC refuses, saying stewards and vet delegates already supervise, and is drawing up a new observation protocol while exploring mandatory video of warm-ups. Four judges on the long side is the change that would reshape championship judging. Read the full draft before the 2027 rules are settled.

p.6 · Tributes paid to successful showjumper
Tributes are paid to a successful showjumper. Obituaries are the news a sport measures itself by. Read the full tribute before the next show.

p.8 · Farewell to the man who listened to horses
The cover story says goodbye to the man who listened to horses. Horsemen like this are the reason a magazine keeps its memory. Read it before the championships begin.

p.10 · Horses first in new welfare action plan
A new welfare action plan puts horses first. Welfare plans are the policy riders are judged on. Read one clause before the next consultation.

▸ Opinion and People

p.12 · Letters of the week
Reader letters run here. Letters are where a magazine's community shows. Send one letter this week.

p.14 · Eventing — Andrew Nicholson
Andrew Nicholson writes the eventing column. Nicholson is the voice riders listen to on cross-country. Take one point into your next round.

p.16 · Showing — Rebecca Penny
Rebecca Penny writes the showing column. Showing columns are the pages producers read first. Check one point against your own turnout.

p.18 · H&H interview — Milly Hine, women's world number one in polo
Milly Hine, women's world number one in polo, is interviewed. Polo's world number one is the interview few equestrian magazines get. Watch one polo match before you read it.

p.22 · All in a day's work — The Aachen World Championships dressage judge
A dressage judge at the Aachen World Championships is profiled. Judges are the officials riders argue about and never read. Read it before you criticise a mark.

p.98 · Foal files — Full Moon II
Full Moon II gets the foal files page. Foal pages are how a magazine tracks the next generation. Name one youngster you are following.

▸ Vet, Kit and Riding

p.24 · Off to the best start — Early handling of foals
The vet clinic covers early foal handling. Foal handling is the work that shapes a horse for twenty years. Handle one young horse quietly this week.

p.30 · 'Channel your inner warrior' — Horseback archery, horseball and more
Horseback archery, horseball and more are covered. Alternative disciplines are the pages that recruit new riders. Try one new equestrian sport this year.

▸ Reports, Hunting and Advertising

p.72-88 · Reports
Eventing at Burgham at p72, with a reward for Barrington Boy from Izzy Taylor; showjumping at Chard at p76; showing at the Royal Welsh and more at p82; and dressage at Kingswood at p88. Reports are the results service readers rely on. Check one result against your own entries.

p.90-92 · Hunting
A farewell to Dr Marvin Beeman, a legend of the American hunting world, at p90, and From the field — Summer highlights at p92. Hunting pages are the closest thing to being out. Read one before planning a meet.

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Editor's Take

The rule story is the reason Horse & Hound 6 August 2026 matters: the first full dressage revision since 2022, four of seven championship judges proposed for the long side at V, P, R and S, the BEF wanting harmony inside every movement, seven federations split over a second collective mark, the DTC's 90% figure on double bridles and its opposition to removing them in CDIJ, and the argument over welfare supervisors in warm-ups is governance reported with real positions rather than a summary. The 31-page Aachen preview with Clive Halsall judging at C in the grand prix that decides team medals is the package a championship issue should be. Weakest is the source: all five preview sections from p36 to p60 survive as titles only, so no rider list, form or timetable can be quoted, and the DTC passage truncates mid-sentence. Buy this for the rule changes and the preview guide.

Strengths
• Rule story gives 2022, 2027, four of seven judges
• Seven federations and 90% on double bridles
• 31 pages of preview and Clive Halsall at C
• Cover gives Canter, Moody and Brash with horses

Weaknesses
• Preview sections have no body text
• No rider lists or timetables quoted
• DTC passage truncates mid-sentence

Verdict: Recommended — the dressage rule changes, preview unquoted.