Horse Hound – 19 March 2026

Summary

Horse & Hound 19 March 2026 puts dressage European champion Zonik Plus and rider Justin Verboomen on the cover, leads on Cheltenham Festival with Paul Townend's record-breaking fifth Gold Cup, and runs the full Muddy Menace vet clinic on pastern dermatitis. Coverage spans Mark Phillips on eventing's fragility, Ireland's traceability reform, and twelve competition jackets reviewed.

Issue 11 of Volume CXLII arrives with Paul Townend and Gaelic Warrior dominating the racing pages after an eight-length Boodles Gold Cup success, Townend's fifth in the race, beating Pat Taaffe's record. Cheltenham's Friday brought Willie Mullins' record-equalling fifth Gold Cup as trainer, JP McManus leading owner, and the 67,000-strong Gold Cup Day crowd. Cover star Zonik Plus takes the spotlight slot, judge Peter Storr explaining how the partnership earned a freestyle in Aachen that 'brought judges to tears'.

News from page 4 forward: Eleanor Jones reports on concussion awareness, with British Equestrian rolling out reciprocal 21-day suspensions; Ireland's chief vet June Fanning outlines how a 2024 RTE documentary triggered 38 traceability reforms, and all 147 horses from the cancelled Doha LGCT are flown home. Mark Phillips argues eventing needs to stop relying on state funding, while Showing's Rebecca Penny pushes back on the NPS blanket ban on the Swedish crank noseband.

Health, kit and hunting fill the back pages. Kieran O'Brien MRCVS walks through a two-phase mud fever protocol, while Becky Murray traces riding-hat materials from 1900s cork to EN1384:2023 and the FEI's coming dual-standard rule. Bethany Stone profiles Horace Batten, Albion and Lincoln; Will Goffe retires from the Warwickshire after 50 years; Tessa Waugh's Goodnight column closes on helmet-induced frown lines.

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Content Guide

▸ Cover Story & Features

p.4 · Concussion still a major issue and underestimated

Eleanor Jones outlines Riders Minds research with Amelia Collins showing concussion is widely underestimated in horse sport, with some riders facing two-year recoveries. British Showjumping's Iain Graham explains the new 21-day suspension triggered when medics suspect a head injury, with the BEF building a centralised shared-suspension database. British Dressage and BRC now follow the same rule. Action: Bookmark britishequestrian.org.uk/other-pages/concussion for symptoms and referral guidance.

p.9 · Horses and people home safe from Middle East

Eleanor Jones reports that all 147 horses stranded at Doha's Al Shaqab complex after the cancelled 4-7 March Longines Global Champions Tour leg are safely back in Europe, flown out from 9 March. The cancellation followed US-Israeli air strikes that weekend; riders and grooms had been stuck for a week. European Horse Services and Qatar Airways organised two charters into Liege. Action: Riders booking international transport should ask about contingency clauses for geopolitical disruption.

p.18 · Jess Dunn

Becky Murray profiles Lancashire-based Jess Dunn, 36, who switched nationality from Britain to Ireland at the start of 2026 and targets World Championship selection in Aachen. Dunn's grand prix horse Dan It's Carston, a 13-year-old Durable son owned by Jennifer Whittaker, scored 72.91% to win the Wellington CDI3* freestyle in October. Her training plan: one specific focus per week, horses simple through the aids. Action: Use her structured weekly sessions as a template if you have multiple horses at different levels.

p.22 · Zonik Plus

Oscar Williams explores the partnership of Justin Verboomen and Zonik Plus, the 10-year-old Glock's Zonik stallion crowned individual and freestyle European champion in 2025 and now FEI world number one. Judge Peter Storr describes the Aachen freestyle where 'my scribe and I were crying', Carl Hester says the horse's warm-up is as classical as his tests, and Verboomen refuses to sell despite big offers. Action: Watch for the trademark hood coming off in competition – lightness, harmony and a willing horse without a forced frame.

▸ Racing & Eventing

p.14 · 'We must not be complacent'

Mark Phillips warns that 2026 will be a balancing act for eventing, with the cancellation of Maryland five-star a 'stark reminder of the sport's fragility' and over-reliance on state funding. The BE Lite plan to embrace unaffiliated competition at BE80-100 has hit a roadblock with one high-profile organiser. New FEI director Molly Day is consulting widely on Olympic format and modern tech. Action: Book early for Kronenberg in the Netherlands if you want an early-season four-star option.

p.40 · Cheltenham Festival

Paul Townend makes history with a record fifth Gold Cup on Gaelic Warrior, an eight-length victory, beating Pat Taaffe's record. Willie Mullins matches Tom Dreaper with his fifth Gold Cup as trainer, and JP McManus leads owners with four Festival wins. Day three saw Heart Wood (Darragh O'Keeffe) take the Ryanair by 10 lengths; 67,000 attended Gold Cup Day, total 226,223. Action: Note Mullins' unique Champion Hurdle, Champion Chase, Gold Cup hat-trick – the Townend-Mullins partnership is now the one to follow.

p.52 · Roddy Kan Do it

Kylie Roddy opens her eventing season with an open intermediate win on the 16-year-old five-star campaigner SRS Kan Do, scoring 27.1 in dressage and one second over the optimum cross-country. She's invested in Horse Light therapy boxes to simulate summer for three stables. Tom Jackson takes OI section E on home-bred Sage Soldier and intermediate section G on Brookfield Lando; Austin O'Connor wins the third OI on Nicky Bennell's Sixmilewater. Action: Try light-therapy box sessions to mimic summer for horses that peak late in the year.

▸ Vet & Welfare

p.5 · Ireland's positive change for horses from a crisis

June Fanning, Ireland's chief veterinary officer, addresses the 2026 National Equine Forum on how the RTE Investigates documentary Horses – Making a Killing, aired in June 2024, triggered 38 concrete traceability reforms. Ireland now requires all owners to complete the mandatory equine census before foal registration or export; food-chain data must match the central database. Future plans include mandatory DNA profiling. Action: UK owners should expect similar traceability rules – check your horse's passport data matches its microchip now.

p.24 · Muddy menace

Kieran O'Brien MRCVS explains why 70% of owners treat mud fever without vet advice and why most treatments fail. His two-phase protocol: clip the affected pastern with fine clippers, remove all scabs by sweating with aqueous cream under cling film for 24-48 hours, then apply antibiotic cream until fully healed. Stop hosing muddy legs – the cold wet predisposes pasterns to dermatitis; instead apply indoor leg wraps over wet mud to wick away moisture. Action: Replace your evening hose routine with stable wraps on wet mud; the difference in two weeks will be visible.

▸ Kit & Heritage

p.28 · Dressed to impress

Twelve show-ring jacket picks from HY Equestrian Roka Reign at 89.99 pounds to Cavalleria Toscana Competition Zip at 499 pounds, with Equetech Launton pure wool tweed at 174.95 pounds, Pikeur Phelia technical jersey at 294.95 pounds and Coldstream Harthill Diamante at 329.99 pounds. Most feature UPF protection, moisture-wicking linings and water-repellent fabrics; Harry Hall Ladies Stretch uses lightweight breathable fabric, Aztec Diamond uses laser-cut ventilation. Action: For value, HY Roka Reign and Dublin Albany Tweed at 104.99 pounds; for premium, Cavalleria Toscana; for fit, Holland Cooper at 199 pounds.

p.30 · A very British export

Bethany Stone profiles Horace Batten Bootmakers (Northamptonshire, since 1804, seventh-generation Emma Batten at the helm), Albion Saddlemakers in Walsall, Champion's equestrian safety range, and Battle, Hayward & Bower's Stubbs and Lincoln brands. British manufacturing still represents the world's 11th-biggest output by value; Racesafe just acquired Nuumed and Thermatex. Buyers increasingly weigh provenance against price. Action: Ask retailers whether their saddlery is genuinely British-made – Horace Batten customers sometimes fly in for fittings because export tariffs make shipping prohibitive.

p.34 · Adapting over ages

Becky Murray traces helmet history from 1900s cork liners through fibreglass shells to today's ABS plastic, EPS foam and MIPS slip layers. Current standards: British PAS015:2011 and European EN1384:2023; the FEI is bringing in a dual-standard minimum threshold in coming years, with British Eventing, British Showjumping and British Dressage expected to follow. Champion's Ben Hanna and Charles Owen's Jade Faulkner explain why EPS still wins on price, weight and energy-absorption. Action: Always buy a hat for the standard it meets and get it professionally fitted by a BETA-approved fitter, not for the price tag.

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Editor's Take

Strongest issue of the spring so far. The Cheltenham wrap-up hits the right notes with Townend's record fifth Gold Cup on Gaelic Warrior, Il Etait Temps pouncing in the Queen Mother Chase after Majborough fluffed the last, and JP McManus topping the owner table with four wins. The Jess Dunn profile gives readers a working blueprint for switching flags and training a grand prix horse from the ground up. Weakest is the Kit Focus spread: twelve nearly identical tweed-and-technical jackets crowd two pages with little editorial filter. This is an issue for active competitors – eventers, dressage followers and Cheltenham devotees – rather than occasional riders. Mud fever advice and the British-made export feature both reward close reading. Hunting readers get a genuine send-off for Will Goffe.

Strengths
• Paul Townend's fifth Gold Cup and Il Etait Temps' Queen Mother win get rich detail
• Jess Dunn profile gives a working blueprint for switching flags and grand prix training
• Mud fever vet clinic and the British-made export feature both reward close reading

Weaknesses
• Kit Focus spread lists twelve nearly identical jackets with little editorial filtering
• Several kit pages recycle brand quotes rather than offering original comparative reporting

Verdict: Recommended — Strong Cheltenham and welfare content; kit pages need more curation.