Horse Deals – December 2025

Summary

Horse Deals December 2025 (A$13.99 RRP) leads with TRIBUTE TO A CHAMPION — Finallygotagunner (p140), and Regardless Of Age, there is always joy to be found in the saddle, with Delwyn Ogilvy at p16. Hot King Prawn's new life off the track runs at p50.

The issue is built around 18 pages of galleries and a very full Australian contents: Emma Weinert at p38, Vicki Roycroft at p30, Standardbreds Beyond the Track at p58, and Mateja Martinovic, Miss Rodeo Queen of Australia, at p144.

The two most useful pages for owners are the training and health ones: Guy McLean on preparing for a horse's first show at p148, and Dr Nerida McGilchrist on why a coat looks "yuck" at p112. Small Talk at p79 asks the next generation what they think.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Tribute

p.140 · Tribute to a Champion — Finallygotagunner
The cover tribute to Finallygotagunner runs at p140; the source gives no show record, age or rider. Tributes are the reason buyers keep an issue. Look up one result before you read it.

p.50 · Off The Track — Hot King Prawn
Hot King Prawn's new life off the track is the cover's other horse story. Ex-racehorse retraining is the rehoming story with the most public interest. Read one off-the-track profile before you buy an ex-racer.

p.58 · Standardbreds Beyond the Track
Standardbreds after racing get their feature. Standardbreds are the most overlooked ex-racehorse breed. Ask one rehoming centre what Standardbreds it has.

▸ Hot Topics

p.16 · Regardless Of Age — Delwyn Ogilvy
Delwyn Ogilvy makes the case that there is always joy to be found in the saddle whatever your age. Later-in-life riding is the story most magazines ignore. Ride one quiet hack this month and judge by that.

Do Horses Mourn? — Dr Kate Fenner
Dr Kate Fenner asks whether horses mourn; the source gives no page number. Grief is the behaviour owners report and science rarely tests. Watch one horse after a fieldmate leaves.

p.92 · Hollywood Diva Debanks The Brumby Myth
The Brumby myth is debunked, involving The Brumby Project. Brumby debates are the Australian welfare argument most people get wrong. Look up The Brumby Project before you take a side.

p.144 · Meet Mateja Martinovic — Miss Rodeo Queen Of Australia
Mateja Martinovic, Miss Rodeo Queen of Australia, is interviewed. Rodeo queens are the role the sport rarely profiles. Read one interview before the next rodeo season.

▸ Interviews

p.38 · At Home With: Emma Weinert
Emma Weinert is interviewed at home. Yard visits are the property pages readers actually read. Compare one facility with your own setup.

p.68 · Horse's Tale: Riegel Sugar Plum
Riegel Sugar Plum tells its story; photographer Les Gordon is credited. Horse's-own stories are the most popular feature in any Australian magazine. Read one before you sell a horse.

p.79 · Small Talk — What our next generation has to say!
The next generation has its say. Young riders' views are the future of the sport nobody asks for. Ask one young rider what they want changed.

p.136 · Young Rider: Dana Mobberley
Dana Mobberley is the young rider profile. Young rider pages are how a magazine recruits its next readers. Name one young rider at your own club.

▸ Training and Advice

p.148 · Guy McLean: Preparing For Our Horse's First Show
Guy McLean covers preparing for a first show. First shows are the day most young horses and riders fail. Plan one quiet outing before your first competition.

p.101 · Mind — Dealing With An Anxious Horse When You Don't Have Confidence Yourself
The mindset page handles an anxious horse with an unconfident rider. Nerves are the combination that ends more seasons than injury. Ride one short session and stop while it is still calm.

p.98 · Polework Training Exercise — The Cross, Change The Pace
The polework exercise uses a cross with changes of pace. Poles are the cheapest training tool there is. Set up one cross this week.

p.44 · When The Joy Slips Away — Zoë Vorenas
Zoë Vorenas writes on losing the joy. Burnout is the riding problem nobody puts in a test. Name one thing that would bring the joy back.

▸ Health and Wellbeing

p.112 · Why Does My Horse's Coat Look so Yuck? — Dr Nerida McGilchrist
Dr Nerida McGilchrist tackles poor coat condition. Coat is the first visible sign of a health problem. Run your hand over your horse today and note what you feel.

Equine Sarcoids — Dr Paula Williams
Dr Paula Williams covers sarcoids; no page number is given. Sarcoids are the skin tumour owners most often mis-manage. Ask your vet about one lump you have been ignoring.

Health, Skin & Coat Care feature — p111
The skin and coat feature runs at p111. Coat care is the grooming decision owners guess at. Check one supplement's label this week.

▸ Lifestyle and Kids

p.166 · Dream Rig — Mark Nicholls & Justine Greer's Ultimate Dream Rig
The ultimate dream rig is profiled. Rigs are the purchase that shapes every trip. Measure one float against your own towing vehicle.

Signature Property — Turiya Farms Part 1
Turiya Farms gets part one of the property feature. Property pages tell you who a magazine thinks its readers are. Compare one facility with your own yard.

p.176 · King: Fun Pages · Your First Pony: Correctly Fitting Tack
Kids' Corner offers fun pages and correctly fitting tack for a first pony. First-pony tack fitting is the mistake new families make most. Check one pony's saddle fit this week.

▸ Galleries (18 pages)

p.11 · Equestrian In The Park
The park gallery opens the issue. Event galleries are why readers buy an Australian magazine. Name one class you would enter.

p.22 · Interschools Horse Extravaganza
The interschools extravaganza is covered. Interschools is the pathway most Australian riders come through. Support one school team this season.

p.132 · Northern Victor Quarter Horse Association 50th Anniversary Medallion Show
The 50th anniversary medallion show gallery. Fifty years is the milestone that marks a breed's strength. Look up one anniversary result.

p.65 · Regional Show Horse Championships
The regional show horse championships gallery. Regional championships are the results owners follow closest. Check one result against your own entries.

The Pet Circle Australian Showjumping Championships
The Australian showjumping championships gallery; no page number is given. National titles are the season's high point. Watch one round before the next season.

▸ Buyer's Guides and Advertising

Breed and retail sections
The buyer's guide runs by breed: Miniatures p82, Allrounders p83, Ponies p72, Show p64, Coloured p126, Quarter Horses p129, Australian Stock Horses p147, Arabians & Endurance p103, Warmbloods, Baroque p106, Heavy Horse & Horse-Drawn p108 and Western p136. Retail Round Up is at p46, a Christmas Buyers' Guide at p48, Saddlery & Retail at p128, Horse Transporters p105 and Transport p165, Property Improvements p155 and Real Estate p153. Breed-by-breed guides are the most used section in the issue. Find your own breed's page first.

Sheds and supplements
Advertising includes an EOY sale with $750,000 in shed savings; a Tottenham, NSW 2873 shed at 18M x 36M x 5.7M (60' x 120' x 19') for $67,090 to ABN holders, and a Kulwin, VIC 3490 shed at 18M x 22.5M x 3.5M (60' x 75' x 11'6") for $40,970 including GST. Ranvet is at 9666 1744, toll free 1800 727 217, nutrition@ranvet.com.au, with Recovery-Aid at 2.5kg net and Salkavite at 16kg net. Thomas Cook has traded since 1924. Advertising gives more hard numbers than the features. Measure one shed against your own yard.

▸ Publishing and Next Issue

Team and contact
Horse Deals is published by Rural Press Pty Limited, printed by IVE Group Australia Pty Ltd and distributed by Are Direct, from 7 Anthony St (PO Box 2049), Mount Gambier, SA 5290, phone (08) 8725 4744, mobile 0448 999 115, ABN 47 000 010 382. General manager and editor Kerri Cock, sales manager Kellie Curran, commercial team Alison Gordon, Tahnee Phillips and Joanne Conyers, administration manager Angela Leggett, administration assistant Helen Bignell, art studio manager and editorial coordinator Safari Smith, art production Helen Bignell, Emily Pannach and Matilda Jones. Named teams show who is accountable. Email one of them with a letter.

Next issue
The next issue features Hoof Care, Transport and an Arabs & Endurance Special, with a booking deadline of 5 December and on sale the week of 5 January 2026. Note the on-sale date before you look for it.

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Editor's Take

Guy McLean on a first show and Dr Nerida McGilchrist on a bad coat are the pages that make Horse Deals December 2025 useful, because preparing a young horse properly and reading coat condition are the two things owners most often get wrong and fewest magazines explain. Do Horses Mourn? with Dr Kate Fenner is the most interesting question in the contents, and the Brumby myth piece with The Brumby Project is the Australian debate worth reading. Weakest is the source: the tribute to Finallygotagunner, Hot King Prawn and every interview survive as titles only, with no show record, age, rider or body text, and the resource is largely cover, contents and advertising. The shed prices — $67,090 and $40,970 including GST — and Ranvet's product weights give more concrete figures than the features. Buy this for the training and vet pages; treat the tribute as a contents entry.

Strengths
• Guy McLean and Dr McGilchrist give usable advice
• Do Horses Mourn? is the best question asked
• 18 pages of galleries is a real package
• Shed prices give $67,090 and $40,970

Weaknesses
• Tribute and interviews have no body text
• Several entries lack page numbers
• Mostly cover, contents and advertising

Verdict: Selective read — the training and health pages, weaker tribute.