Northern Horse Magazine – August 2026
Summary
Northern Horse Magazine August 2026 (Issue 130) puts John Whitaker and Equine America Unick Du Francport on the cover after winning the 2026 Ripon Select Foods Cock O' the North at the Great Yorkshire Show. Editor Barry Reynolds fills the issue with show highlights and regional reports.
News carries the hardest number in the issue: a 2024 National Equine Welfare Council survey found 81% of respondents worried about rising costs. The Donkey Sanctuary hosted an online seminar for ten UK equine charities, with Hannah Bryer and Rosie Mogford named, and Bransby Horses in Lincolnshire involved.
David Bowles OBE of the RSPCA reports 66% of pet owners call backyard firework displays a major concern, with the RSPCA part of a 19-organisation Fireworks Impact Coalition. Features cover horseback archery, pony racing, the Suffolk Punch and veterinary advice.
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Content Guide
▸ Charity and Welfare
Equine charities come together to tackle shared challenges
The National Equine Welfare Council brought experts from ten UK equine charities to an online seminar hosted by The Donkey Sanctuary. Hannah Bryer, The Donkey Sanctuary's head of welfare and a NEWC director, and Rosie Mogford, head of horse care and training at Bransby Horses in Lincolnshire, who recently visited the Sidmouth sanctuary, are named. A 2024 NEWC survey found 81% of respondents were worried about rising costs, with challenges including cost of living, poor harvests and winter forage shortages, rising demand and limited charity capacity. Ask for advice early rather than waiting until a charity cannot take your horse.
RSPCA comments on fireworks announcements
David Bowles OBE, the RSPCA's head of public affairs, reports that 66% of pet owners see backyard firework displays as a major concern, and that the RSPCA is one of 19 organisations in the Fireworks Impact Coalition. The government opened a public consultation on loud fireworks outside organised displays. Fireworks can cause tinnitus, hearing loss and long-term damage in dogs and horses, and animals can injure themselves or die from fear; the RSPCA works with Classic FM on a calming Pet Classic programme for bonfire night and offers a Kind Sparks toolkit. Download the Kind Sparks toolkit and plan your horse's firework night now.
▸ Events
Great Yorkshire Show Highlights
The Great Yorkshire Show highlights run at page 32, with the Cock O' the North won by John Whitaker on Equine America Unick Du Francport. The cover photograph comes courtesy of the Great Yorkshire Show. Book one Great Yorkshire class for next year before the schedule fills.
Royal Lancashire Show — the magnificence of the Shire Horse
The Royal Lancashire Show returned in 2026 with mainly sunny and dry weather across three days, drawing large crowds. Northern Horse headed to the heavy horse section, where the magnificent breeds took centre stage over two days and increased entries produced an impressive display. Visit a heavy horse section and count the entries yourself.
Royal International Horse Show Highlights
Royal International highlights appear at page 48, balancing the northern shows with a national championship. National results matter to northern riders aiming upward. Pick one Royal International class to follow next season.
▸ Features
Archery on Horseback
Horseback archery gets a feature, the discipline that keeps appearing in equestrian titles. Archery from horseback demands a steady, trusting pony. Ask a centre whether it has a schoolmaster pony before booking a session.
Pony Racing
Pony racing gets an explainer in the features run. Pony racing is the route many jockeys start on. Look up one pony racing day and watch how the young riders start.
The Suffolk Punch
The Suffolk Punch is the breed feature. Britain's own heavy horse breeds need the page space. Check the breed's conservation status before you assume it is safe.
Veterinary Advice
The veterinary advice column returns at page 28. Regular vet pages are the most-used part of any regional title. Keep your vet's out-of-hours number beside the phone.
▸ Regulars
Dressage and show jumping reports
Dressage runs from page 12 to 23, with show jumping at page 36 and unaffiliated and affiliated results in between. Results are the backbone of a regional magazine. Compare your own scores with the placings printed here.
Local Show Reports
Local show reports run across pages 42 to 47, 50 and 55, covering Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside, North Wales and Yorkshire. Northern Horse asks for show reports, event reports and stories across all equine disciplines, even lorry dogs. Send your own show report to info@northernhorsemagazine.co.uk.
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Editor's Take
The 81% cost-worry figure from the National Equine Welfare Council is the most important line in Northern Horse Magazine August 2026, because it explains why ten charities are now planning together rather than separately. David Bowles's 66% and the 19-strong Fireworks Impact Coalition give the fireworks page a policy weight most regional titles miss, and the Royal Lancashire Shire Horse report is the best event page. Weakest is the cover: Whitaker and Unick Du Francport are a fine pairing, but a championship win is exactly what every other equestrian magazine also prints. The Trump Turnberry advertising runs through the issue a third month running. Buy this for the charity numbers; the show results are for northern readers only.
Strengths
• 81% cost-worry figure explains charity cooperation
• Fireworks page gives 66% and 19 organisations
• Royal Lancashire Shire Horse report is strong
• Breed features cover the Suffolk Punch
Weaknesses
• Cover championship win is not distinctive
• Trump Turnberry advertising runs again
Verdict: Selective read — the welfare figures matter, the results are local.
