Horse Hound – 4 June 2026

Summary

Anya Dewey Clarke and her ponies Jim (Cobid) and Esperando SK front Horse & Hound 4 June 2026 (Volume CXLII Issue 22), which carries a 48-page junior special inside. Her secrets of success are the cover story at page 34, with "my ponies are my world" on the cover.

The news pages carry the hard numbers. University of Liverpool researchers surveyed 52 yard managers for CABI's Human-Animal Interactions journal, and Tamzin Furtado's team found managers doing organisational and emotional labour — handling euthanasia decisions, being shouted at, horses being dumped on them — while subsidising the yards they run. EC Pro's 2026 price guide, built on 200 riding schools, puts an adult group lesson at £31 in the North East and £54 in the South East.

Olympian Nicola Wilson gives the polework masterclass at p48, and the special runs first ponies, hobby horses, pony racing, tack cleaning, mindset, first aid and show jackets. Laura Tomlinson and Chris Smith write the opinion columns, and BEVA president David Mountford gives the interview at p16.

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Content Guide

▸ Junior Special

p.34 · Anya Dewey Clarke — secrets of success
Anya Dewey Clarke tells H&H how she got where she is with Jim (Cobid) and Esperando SK, the cover's main interview. Young riders learn more from a named rider's routine than from advice. Write down one part of her routine and try it on your own pony this week.

p.48 · Train with Olympian Nicola Wilson
Nicola Wilson gives her top training methods for turning a horse into a winner, the special's polework masterclass. An Olympic rider explaining poles to children is rarer than it should be. Set three poles and ride the exercise before the end of the week.

p.40 · Top riders' first ponies
The special collects top riders' first ponies. First ponies shape riders more than later horses do. Ask an older rider at your yard what their first pony was called.

p.62 · Let's go pony racing
Pony racing gets an introduction in the junior special. Pony racing is the route most jockeys actually take. Look up one pony racing fixture and watch how the young riders start.

▸ News

p.4 · Research shines spotlight on challenges of managing yards
University of Liverpool researchers surveyed 52 equestrian yard managers, publishing in CABI's Human-Animal Interactions journal. Lead researcher Tamzin Furtado found yards are unique ecosystems whose managers carry organisational and emotional labour, from euthanasia decisions to being shouted at by clients and horses being abandoned with them, with many subsidising the yards they run. Cheryl Johns of LiveryList and Sarah Dale of the BHS approve-centre scheme are quoted, and the BHS supports licensing. Thank your yard manager for one thing they did this week that you never noticed.

p.8 · Equestrianism is at a 'pivotal moment'
This news piece reports equestrianism at a pivotal moment, part of the issue's industry coverage. Industry warnings matter more when they come with a named source. Read it alongside the yard managers research before deciding what to change.

Riding lesson prices — EC Pro 2026 guide
EC Pro collected 2025 data from more than 200 British riding schools and equestrian centres to build its 2026 price guide, with CEO Beth Lothian quoted. An hour's adult group lesson averages £31 in the North East and £54 in the South East, children's group lessons run from £31 in the North West to £53 in London, and a 30-minute adult group lesson costs about £35 nationally. BHS chief operating officer Sarah Phillips says riding schools are the backbone of equestrianism. Book one lesson at a local school this month and thank the instructor.

▸ Features and Opinion

p.16 · H&H interview — BEVA president David Mountford
British Equine Veterinary Association president David Mountford gives the People and Horses interview. The vet body's president is the person owners should hear from. Ask your own practice what BEVA guidance it follows.

p.22 · A critical choice — Decisions for veterans
The vet clinic covers the decisions owners face with veteran horses, the second cover story. End-of-life decisions are the ones owners regret most. Write down what your veteran can still enjoy before any decision is forced.

p.14 · Dressage — Laura Tomlinson
Laura Tomlinson writes the dressage opinion column, with Chris Smith on jumping opposite her. Olympic voices carry more weight than unsigned opinion. Take one schooling point from her column into your next test.

▸ Reports and Regulars

p.80 · Eventing — Florence Drewitt wins the Bicton pony class
Florence Drewitt wins the Bicton pony class in the eventing report, the picture the cover points to. Pony class results are how young riders see themselves in the sport. Enter one pony class this season rather than waiting.

p.20 · All in a day's work — The online instructor
Young horse producer Connie Colfox describes her working day. Producers do the work riders never see. Ask who trains your horse when you are not there.

p.25 · Splash out — Equestrian homes with pools
The property pages cover equestrian homes with pools, one of the lighter entries. Property pages tell you who the magazine thinks its readers are. Compare one home's fencing with your own yard's.

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Editor's Take

The 48-page junior special makes Horse & Hound 4 June 2026 worth buying for any family with a young rider, and Nicola Wilson's polework masterclass plus Anya Dewey Clarke's interview give it substance rather than pictures. The yard managers research is the strongest single page, because 52 managers, Tamzin Furtado's name and the finding that they subsidise the yards they run is reporting owners rarely see. Weakest is the property section, where homes with pools sit in a children's special, and the NAF product advertising runs through the issue. The lesson price guide is useful but numbers-only. Buy this for the junior special and the yard research; the reports are thin.

Strengths
• Yard managers research gives 52 managers and a named lead
• Lesson prices cover 200 schools and four regions
• Nicola Wilson teaches polework to juniors
• Junior special spans racing, first aid and mindset

Weaknesses
• Homes with pools sit oddly in a junior issue
• NAF product advertising runs through

Verdict: Recommended — the junior special and yard research carry it.