Northern Horse Magazine – July 2026

Summary

Northern Horse Magazine July 2026 (Issue 129) puts Christina Hesketh on Lady Lockdown on the cover, photographed by Equine Photography by Carolina. Editor Barry Reynolds opens at Appleby Fair, where The Donkey Sanctuary marked the event's 250th anniversary at Salt Tip Corner.

Penny Pleasant BHSAI's Camp Pleasant at Kelsall Hill has raised £10,091 over six years for Hounds for Heroes, with 22 riders over four days jumping from cross-poles to 1.25m. Priya Jones won the 60cm show jumping championship on Prada, and Ella Davies took the overall achievement award on Jack.

Features cover equine hearts, tetrathlon, channelling your inner cowboy, weight management, strangles and fly protection. National Racehorse Week and BD Quest get pages, and working equitation and the Royal Cheshire Country Show fill the events run. Local riders in the North get results and advice in one issue.

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Content Guide

▸ Events

Appleby Fair — The Donkey Sanctuary at 250 years
Donkey welfare advisers Nicola Liddell and Sally Bamforth joined The Donkey Sanctuary, the National Equine Welfare Council and seven other animal welfare charities at Appleby-in-Westmorland in Cumbria. The fair marks its 250th anniversary and is one of the largest events in the Gypsy, Roma and traveller calendar, drawing tens of thousands. The team based at Salt Tip Corner ran daily meet-the-expert sessions on water and fitness, routine care, and horse behaviour and handling. Walk your own horse's water and fitness checks before any long summer journey.

Camp Pleasant raises £10,091 for Hounds for Heroes
Penny Pleasant BHSAI, a Cheshire coach and founder of Be Horse Savvy, has raised £10,091 over six years through Camp Pleasant at Kelsall Hill. This year's camp had 22 riders over four days, jumping from cross-poles to 1.25m, and Penny's online platform now supports more than 60 learners including students in Dubai and Hong Kong. The next target is £15,000, and Penny is a finalist in the Great Britain Coach of the Year Awards 2026. Support one local charity camp before you enter another show.

Camp Pleasant awards
Alison Dixon took the Best Combination Award, Emma Riley the Most Improved Senior, and Kerrie Tattersall with her cob Mariah the Senior Exceeded All Expectations. Ary Froggatt with Holly won Most Improved Junior, Katie Lee with Bertie the Junior Exceeded All Expectations, and Lily with Coco the Best Newcomer. Ella Davies and Jack, owned just five weeks, took the Overall Achievement Award, and Priya Jones won the 60cm show jumping championship on Prada, a Welsh Section C. Enter one camp class rather than waiting to feel ready.

▸ Features

Veterinary Advice on Equine Hearts
The veterinary advice column covers equine hearts, the organ owners rarely think about until it fails. Heart trouble hides behind poor performance. Learn your horse's resting heart rate before you ride it hard.

What is Strangles in Horses
Strangles gets an explainer in the features run. Strangles spreads through yards faster than most owners expect. Isolate any new arrival before it meets your own horses.

Protect your Horse from Flies
Fly protection gets practical advice for summer. Flies spread disease as well as misery in July. Put a fly mask on before turnout rather than after the first bite.

Tetrathlon, What is it?
Tetrathlon is explained for riders wanting a new discipline. Multi-discipline events suit riders who bore easily. Ask your riding club whether it runs tetrathlon training.

▸ Campaigns and Regulars

National Racehorse Week
National Racehorse Week gets a feature page, linking to the issue's racing coverage. Retraining is the sport's biggest reputational question. Look up one rehoming scheme before you judge the sport.

Get to know BD Quest
BD Quest gets an introduction for dressage riders. Quest gives riders a team format below affiliated level. Enter one Quest competition with your riding club this season.

Channelling Your Inner Cowboy
The cowboy feature covers western-style riding in the North. Western riding is the fastest-growing corner of UK riding. Try one western lesson before buying any of the kit.

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Editor's Take

The Appleby 250th anniversary and the Camp Pleasant £10,091 total are the two pages that make Northern Horse Magazine July 2026 worth reading, because both give numbers and names rather than general goodwill. Penny Pleasant's 22 riders over four days, fences to 1.25m and 60 online learners make the fundraising concrete, and the award list naming Mariah, Bertie, Coco and Prada is what a regional title exists to print. Weakest is the cover, a Christina Hesketh and Lady Lockdown portrait with no link to anything inside, and the Trump Turnberry travel advertising runs through the issue again. The strangles and fly pages are short. Buy this if you ride in the North and want charity and camp news.

Strengths
• Appleby page gives a 250th anniversary and named staff
• Camp Pleasant reports £10,091 and 22 riders
• Award list names real ponies and riders
• Heart and strangles pages cover real risks

Weaknesses
• Cover portrait has no link to the contents
• Trump Turnberry advertising runs through again

Verdict: Selective read — the charity and camp reporting, too local for most riders.