Horse Hound – 22 January 2026

Summary

Ad Blue, the double HOYS-winning show cob, takes the cover of Horse & Hound 22 January 2026 (Volume CXLII Issue 3) under "You can't take your eyes off him in the ring." Isobel Pearce Photography shot the cover, and the spotlight runs at page 22.

Road safety leads the news: on 14 January, nearly a decade after the BHS launched Dead Slow, Newbury MP Lee Dillon hosted a debate where 33 MPs spoke. The trigger was the racehorse Knockalla killed in Dillon's constituency in 2024, and BHS figures show 3,118 incidents reported in 2024 including 58 horse deaths.

Danny Chambers, the Winchester MP and equine vet, said he had stitched and euthanased many horses hit by cars, and that one had been put down in Winchester that morning. Brough Scott recalls Arkle, Piggott and Red Rum at p16, and Richard Davison asks whether riders banned for horse abuse need a return protocol at p14.

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Content Guide

▸ News

p.4 · MPs unite on horse and rider road safety
Lee Dillon, MP for Newbury, hosted a debate on horse and rider road safety on 14 January, nearly ten years after the BHS launched Dead Slow, prompted by the racehorse Knockalla killed in his constituency in 2024. BHS figures show 3,118 incidents reported in 2024 including 58 horse deaths, and 33 MPs spoke. Danny Chambers, the Winchester MP and an equine vet, said he had stitched and euthanased many horses hit by vehicles and that one had been put down in Winchester that morning. Lee Dillon wants the Highway Code to change "should" to "must" for passing at 10mph, and roads minister Lilian Greenwood promised to consider improvements with the BHS. Write to your MP about the 10mph passing rule this week.

p.8 · Waste to wonder — Plastic substitute from horse muck
This news piece reports a plastic substitute made from horse muck. Stable waste is the one by-product every yard has too much of. Ask your yard what it does with its muck heap.

▸ Cover Stories

p.22 · In the spotlight — Ad Blue, double winning cob at Horse of the Year Show
Ad Blue, a show cob and double HOYS winner, gets the spotlight for why he became a judge's favourite, with the cover line that you cannot take your eyes off him in the ring. Show cobs rarely get this space in a sport-led magazine. Watch one cob class and judge the turn-out yourself.

p.16 · H&H interview — Racing journalist Brough Scott
Brough Scott recalls Arkle, Piggott and Red Rum in an interview with reader Kate Johnson, describing the classic moments with "I was there…" Racing history is best told by the people who saw it. Read one Arkle race report before the next National Hunt season.

p.44 · Enthusiasm, optimism and continuity — VWH
The VWH gets the hunting cover story, with Sarah Jenkins noting their relentless positivity brings optimism, and Tim Llewellen Palmer pictured out with them. Continuity is what keeps a hunt alive. Thank one hunt volunteer who has served for years.

▸ Opinion and Vet

p.14 · Dressage — Richard Davison
Olympian Richard Davison asks whether protocols should exist for riders returning to the sport after a ban for horse abuse. Sarah Jenkins replies that a rider saying "I don't like some of what I did, I'm going to change" is a rare and powerful example. Ask your governing body what its return protocol is before you assume one exists.

p.24 · Feather foes — When leg mites appear and what to do about them
The vet clinic covers leg mites, when they appear and what owners should do. Feathered legs hide problems until they are advanced. Run your hands down your horse's legs tonight and check for any lump or scab.

▸ Training and Kit

p.36 · Like ducks to water — Training event horses to keep up the momentum in the wet stuff
Nicola Wilson and Chris Bartle give their cross-country advice on training horses to jump into, through and out of water. Water is where most eventing rounds are lost rather than won. Walk one water complex on foot before you ride it.

p.38 · Fuel the season — Feeding for gut health, energy and performance
The feeding feature covers gut health, energy and performance for the coming season. Feeding plans fail through timing as often as content. Weigh your horse's feed for a week before changing anything.

p.28 · Take the edge off — Supplements for stressful situations
Supplements designed to support horses in stressful situations get the kit focus treatment. Calmers sell on hope more often than evidence. Ask your vet what the supplement is meant to do before buying a tub.

p.56 · Racing — Ascot and Windsor
The racing report covers Ascot and Windsor, with Harry Skelton and Protektorat pictured. Reports run from Myerscough dressage, Kelsall Hill and Aintree showjumping, and South Wold and Royal Artillery point-to-point. Check one result against your own ante-post bet.

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Editor's Take

The road safety debate is the reason Horse & Hound 22 January 2026 matters: 33 MPs, 3,118 incidents in 2024 including 58 horse deaths, and Danny Chambers saying he had put down a horse in Winchester that same morning is reporting with a cost attached. Ad Blue earning a cover and a spotlight is the magazine at its best, giving a show cob the space usually reserved for eventers. Weakest is the kit section, where calmers and feed balancers read as advertising, and the freelance groom page is thin. The reports run as lists. Buy this for the road safety debate and the Brough Scott interview; the vet and kit pages are secondary.

Strengths
• Road safety debate gives 33 MPs and 58 horse deaths
• Danny Chambers speaks as a vet, not just an MP
• Ad Blue gives a show cob real cover space
• Water training quotes Wilson and Bartle

Weaknesses
• Calmer and balancer pages read as advertising
• Freelance groom page is thin

Verdict: Recommended — the road safety debate and Ad Blue carry the issue.