Pony Magazine – September 2026

Summary

PONY Magazine September 2026 (19 August to 15 September) asks how to be confident with ponies and opens with a pre-ride checklist: if your hat is not PAS015:2011 it cannot give the highest protection, it must be snug not wobbly, and any fall means replacing it.

Meg Elphick supplies the jumping exercise at page 22, and Brilliant Balance at page 8 explains that a balanced horse spreads weight evenly over four legs while carrying more weight in front naturally. The figures-of-eight exercise starts at A or C with a 20m circle, changes rein through X, then repeats the other way.

HOYS gets the reading opener, with Pony Club members in the musical ride and mounted games, showing from miniatures to heavy horses, and the puissance for showjumping fans. The Dales Pony is the breed feature, laminitis gets the lowdown at p48, and dressage facts note the sport entered the Olympics in 1912 with every move marked out of 10.

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Content Guide

▸ Safety and Training

PRE-RIDE CHECKLIST
The checklist asks you to read the safety standard label inside your hat, because anything other than PAS015:2011 cannot offer the highest level of protection. Fit must be snug rather than wobbly, the harness secure under the chin, and any fall means the hat should be replaced since most damage cannot be seen. The page is marked Official Safety Partner of The Pony Club, established 1929. Check your own hat's label and chin strap before you ride today.

p.8 · BRILLIANT BALANCE — Follow our schooling tips!
Balance means weight spread evenly across four legs, but a horse naturally carries more weight in front, and a rider sitting near the front legs makes that worse. An unbalanced rider unbalances the horse, so the rider needs training too. A balanced horse is more comfortable, turns and circles better, puts less strain on the front legs, stays straighter and jumps better. The figures-of-eight exercise starts at A or C on a 20m circle, changes rein through X, then repeats the other way. Ride one 20m circle at each end of a figure of eight and count your strides.

p.22 · SQUARED UP — Meg Elphick's jumping exercise!
Meg Elphick supplies the jumping exercise, the issue's named training piece. A squared exercise gives a rider a shape to ride rather than a feeling. Build the square with four poles and ride each side in trot first.

p.12 · SET FOR SUCCESS — How to jump clear rounds
Clear rounds get a page in the Be a Better Rider section. A clear round is a plan as much as a jump. Walk your course and decide your line before you enter the ring.

p.18 · MOUNTING MADE EASY — Our ultimate guide
Mounting gets an ultimate guide, the small skill that decides how a ride starts. Bad mounting unsettles a pony before you have asked anything. Use a block and check your girth before you put a foot in the stirrup.

p.16 · GOING SOLO — Stay safe riding alone
Riding alone safely closes the training run. Solo riders need a plan someone else knows. Text one person your route and return time before you go.

▸ Care

p.48 · LAMINITIS LOWDOWN — Learn to spot the signs
Laminitis gets the lowdown, the cover's laminitis promise. Spotting the signs early is the whole game with laminitis. Check your pony's feet and digital pulse every morning in spring and autumn.

p.50 · TACK UP LIKE A PRO — We solve your problems!
Tacking up problems are solved here, one of the care pages. Poorly fitting tack causes most behaviour problems blamed on ponies. Run your hand under the saddle and check for even pressure on both sides.

p.54 · FABULOUS FORAGING — Take your pony foraging and boost your bond
Foraging with your pony builds the bond, the cover's promise. Foraging turns a walk into an activity for a bored pony. Walk one hedgerow and let your pony choose what to sniff.

▸ Reading and Breeds

p.6 · PONY LOVES… Horse of the Year Show!
HOYS opens the reading section, with Pony Club members showing their skills in the musical ride and mounted games, showing from miniatures to heavy horses, chances to meet idols, a shopping village, and the puissance for showjumping fans. VIP packages are available for a tip-top day. Book one HOYS class to watch before the tickets go.

p.26 · DISCOVER THE DALES PONY — All about this rigorous breed
The Dales Pony is the breed feature, described as a rigorous breed. Natives suit first ponies because they were bred for work. Compare a Dales' feather and feed needs with your own grazing.

p.56 · PARTY TIME! — How to throw a pony party!
A pony party page gives readers a plan, matching the cover. Parties are how many children first meet ponies. Plan one pony party with a quiet pony and short rides.

p.38 · TOO COOL FOR SCHOOL — Why we love horsey schools
Horsey schools get a directory, listing schools offering equestrian qualifications alongside classes and NSEA competitions where schools compete across disciplines. Friends for life are part of the pitch. Ask your own school whether it offers equestrian qualifications.

ASK THE TEAM: FAVOURITE ICE CREAM FLAVOUR
Polly picks carrots and apples, Sarah always salted caramel, and Alex mint choc chip. Light pages like this keep young readers turning. Take one carrot and apple treat out with you next ride.

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Editor's Take

The pre-ride hat checklist is the most valuable thing in PONY Magazine September 2026, because PAS015:2011, snug not wobbly and replace after any fall are rules a child can check alone. Brilliant Balance earns its place by explaining that a horse naturally carries more weight in front and that the rider's own balance is the first problem to fix. Weakest is the back of the issue, where a wordsearch, a true-or-false quiz and giveaways pad the pages, and the laminitis lowdown is shorter than the cover suggests. The HOYS page is enthusiasm over information. Buy this for the safety and balance pages; the party and puzzle pages are filler.

Strengths
• Hat checklist gives a standard and a snug-fit rule
• Balance page explains front-loading and rider effect
• Figures-of-eight exercise gives A or C and X
• Dales Pony and horsey schools widen the range

Weaknesses
• Wordsearch and quizzes pad the back pages
• Laminitis lowdown is shorter than the cover implies

Verdict: Recommended — the safety checklist and balance work earn it.