Horse Hound – 8 January 2026

Summary

Vittoria Panizzon riding Borough Threepence fronts Horse & Hound 8 January 2026 (Volume CXLII Issue 1) under "Train like an Olympian," photographed by Jasmine Punter Photography. The issue also carries trouble spots: all about melanomas, and thousands backing trail-hunts' fight.

Polly Portwin of the Countryside Alliance leads the news: the government's 22 December animal welfare framework reaffirmed the trail-hunting ban and confirmed a consultation on "how" rather than "whether," which she says "acted as a spark" and drove Boxing Day attendance up.

Honours go to equestrians in the New Year list, Brynley Powell is remembered at 70 after a 30-year career with a Burghley fifth, and Olympic event rider Vittoria Panizzon's balance masterclass at p32 is the cover training special. Melanomas get the vet clinic at p28.

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Content Guide

▸ News

p.4 · Pride and solidarity as thousands back trail-hunts' fight
The government published its animal welfare framework on 22 December, reaffirming the commitment to ban trail-hunting and confirming a consultation on how, not whether, to legislate. Countryside Alliance hunting director Polly Portwin says Boxing Day 2025 will live long in memory not just for the crowds but because "something profound may have shifted," calling it pride, fight and above all solidarity; she says the 22 December announcement could have cast a shadow but "it acted as a spark" and attendance surged. She is campaigning with the British Hound Sports Association. Oliver Cornock, master of the Bicester with Whaddon Chase, tells of a non-verbal boy reaching out to touch a hairy Bicester hound, and the joy of father and son. Read this before the consultation closes.

p.10 · Equestrians in New Year Honours List
The New Year Honours List is reported for equestrians. Honours are the one place a sport's volunteers get recognised. Look up one name from the list and thank a volunteer you know.

p.8 · Small changes that can benefit horses, the environment and finances
Small management changes are set out as benefiting horses, the environment and finances at once. Sustainability is sold as self-interest here, which is why it may work. Change one thing on your yard this month and log the cost.

Horses in the news
Champagne Fever, a two-time Cheltenham Festival winner trained by Willie Mullins who later went eventing and dressage, has died aged 18. Djembe de Hus Old, 11, made his World Cup debut at Mechelen with European champion Justin Verboomen, second in both grand prix and freestyle. Botticelli, a 20-year-old stallion ridden by Belgian Charlotte Defalque from youth level to the 2022 World Championships and two European Championships, has been retired. Name one of these horses before you back the next Mullins runner.

▸ Training Special

p.32 · COVER STORY — Masterclass with Vittoria Panizzon: Hone your balance and your horse's technique
Olympic event rider Vittoria Panizzon gives the cover masterclass on balance and technique. Olympic training pieces are worth more than most coaching columns. Take one balance exercise into your next schooling session.

p.36 · When the going gets tough: Teaching horses to jump out of soft ground
Teaching horses to jump out of soft ground is covered here. Winter ground is the training problem every rider faces in January. Set one small fence on soft ground and ride it quietly this week.

p.38 · Sharper, smarter, stronger: Mix disciplines to up performance
Mixing disciplines to raise performance is the argument, with Jennie Loriston-Clarke quoted saying that training horses on grass "doesn't excite them, it fulfills them." Cross-training is the cheapest improvement available. Add one discipline you have never tried this month.

▸ Opinion and People

p.14 · COVER STORY — Dressage, Anna Ross
Anna Ross writes the dressage column, quoted in the editor's letter: "If your horse finishes a training session thinking: 'Well, that was all quite reasonable,' you've probably done it right," and "most good training looks dull." That single line is worth the issue for any rider who over-schools. Ask yourself after your next session whether it was reasonable or exciting.

p.18 · H&H interview — Swiss Maryland victor Felix Vogg
Felix Vogg, winner at Maryland, gives the interview. Five-star winners are worth hearing before the spring season. Follow his next entry before the entry list closes.

p.24 · All in a day's work — The hunt groom Rachel Salt
Hunt groom Rachel Salt is profiled on taking pride in her horses' turn-out. Grooms are the workforce every yard depends on. Thank one groom at your yard this week.

p.66 · Goodnight — Tessa Waugh's hunting diary
Tessa Waugh closes with her hunting diary. Her diary is the closest thing to being out with hounds. Read it before planning a January meet.

▸ Vet and Kit

p.28 · COVER STORY — Trouble spots: All about melanomas
The vet clinic covers melanomas, the cover's health strand. Grey horses get melanomas and owners rarely check early. Run your hands over your grey horse's dock and jaw tonight.

p.31 · Best foot forward — Short riding boots
Short riding boots get the kit focus. Boot choice is the kit decision riders get wrong most. Try one pair before the spring season.

▸ Reports and Hunting

p.50 · COVER STORY — Showjumping: Hartpury, Chard, Doha and more
Showjumping reports run from Hartpury, Chard and Doha. Winter shows decide the spring entries. Check one result against your own plans.

p.44 · Christmas cheer — Festive fun with the Pytchley with Woodland
The Pytchley with Woodland's festive meets lead the hunting pages, with the spirit of the countryside at p48. Festive meets are the hunting year's peak. Read both pages before the season ends.

p.54, 56 · Racing at Sandown Park, point-to-point at Thurlow
Racing covers Sandown Park and festive highlights, with point-to-point at Thurlow. Festive racing is the jump season's hinge. Watch one Sandown replay before the Cheltenham preview.

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Editor's Take

Anna Ross's line — that if your horse finishes thinking "that was all quite reasonable" you probably did it right, and most good training looks dull — is the best thing in Horse & Hound 8 January 2026, and it is the sort of sentence riders should tape to their mirror. The trail-hunting page earns the news lead, because Polly Portwin saying the 22 December framework "acted as a spark" and drove attendance up is a campaign describing its own momentum honestly. Weakest is the obituary, where Brynley Powell's tribute is truncated in the source after his 1992 Burghley fifth on Spiderman III, so the career is not fully told. The TopSpec advertising and the £250,000 investment offer sit beside the news. Buy this for the training special and Anna Ross; the rest is for regulars.

Strengths
• Anna Ross on reasonable training is quotable
• Trail-hunting gives 22 December and "acted as a spark"
• Training special gives three usable pieces
• Melanoma page is practical for grey horse owners

Weaknesses
• Powell obituary truncated after Burghley fifth
• Advertising sits heavily beside the news

Verdict: Recommended — the training special and Anna Ross's column.