Your Horse – March 2026
Summary
Pippa Funnell fronts Your Horse March 2026 (issue 540, £4.75) promising the champion secrets that change your riding, while Oliver Townend sets out his formula for keeping veterans active for longer with Ballaghmer Class at the Tokyo Olympics. The cover also asks whether you are right for an ex-racehorse.
Editor Aimi Clark opens by remembering Marcus, the warmblood who hid at the back of his box rather than face the vet, and notes vets suffer seven to eight career-limiting injuries on average. Emma Massingale explains how to become your horse's best friend, and Dr Holly Lenaghan shows how to train a horse to stay calm during vet visits. A Shetland called Diamond lost 30kg and got a new life.
The training section covers ex-racehorses, a winter riding reset, smooth transitions, bond building and gymnastic work. MPs debate road safety protections for riders at Westminster, and Annette Badland, the Ted Lasso actor and Brooke ambassador, takes the Take Five page. Readers get waterproof winter breeches tested, cooler rugs compared and a £15 for six issues offer.
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Content Guide
▸ Features
p.10 · Pippa Funnell — The horses that taught her everything
Pippa Funnell looks back at the horses that shaped her career, telling the issue her aim is to be friends with her horse. The feature sits in the opening pages ahead of the Westminster road safety report. Name one habit you took from a horse you no longer ride and use it this week.
p.8 · Support from Westminster — MPs debate new road safety protections for riders
Your Horse reports MPs debating new road safety protections for riders, part of the issue's hacking coverage on spook-free routes. The news feature runs before the Pippa Funnell interview. Check the Highway Code rules for passing horses before your next road hack.
p.24 · First-class horses — Why so many ex-racehorses shine in second careers
The training section opens on why so many ex-racehorses succeed in second careers, answering the cover's "Ferrari factor" question about whether you are right for one. It runs before the winter reset and transition pieces. Watch the horse loose-school before you ride it if you are viewing an ex-racehorse.
▸ Training
p.34 · Small changes — Learn the secrets of riding a smooth transition every time
This training piece works on riding a smooth transition every time, part of the issue's reset theme. It sits between the reignite piece and Emma Massingale's bond building. Ask for the transition one stride earlier than feels comfortable and hold your own balance.
p.38 · Bond building — Emma Massingale's tips for becoming your horse's best pal
Emma Massingale gives her tips for becoming your horse's best friend, flagged by Aimi Clark in the highlights as a way to be the person your horse wants to see. The piece runs before the gymnastic exercise feature. Spend ten minutes on the ground doing nothing before your next ride.
p.30 · Reignite your riding spark — Reset and banish those winter blues
Tijen Sheircliff offers a way to reset and clear the winter blues, matching the cover's essential winter reset for riders. The piece follows the ex-racehorse feature in the training section. Set one small riding goal for the week instead of a big season target.
▸ Care
p.54 · Protect your vet — Lower the risk by training horses to stay calm during visits
Dr Holly Lenaghan explains how to train a horse to stay calm during vet visits, prompted by Aimi Clark's memory of Marcus hiding from the vet. The editor notes vets average seven to eight career-limiting injuries. Teach your horse to stand for a fake injection with a pen before the real visit.
p.60 · When the kilos come off — Remarkable equine weight loss stories
The care section collects weight loss stories, including the Shetland Diamond, who lost 30kg and was given a new life. The piece sits between the future-planning and sway back articles. Weigh tape your horse today and write the number down rather than guessing.
p.68 · Work with, not against, age — Help your horse age gracefully
Oliver Townend's approach to keeping older horses working at the top runs here, illustrated with Ballaghmer Class at the Tokyo Olympics. The piece follows the sway back vet advice. Shorten your schooling sessions before you shorten your horse's workload.
▸ Regulars
p.14 · Hack 1000 Miles — An equine behaviour consultant on the causes, triggers and solutions for spooking
The Hack 1000 Miles column brings in an equine behaviour consultant on why horses spook and what to do, backing the cover's 11 solutions for spook-free hacking. The column runs in the regulars after Horse Talk. Give your horse a moment to look at the thing that scared it rather than forcing it past.
p.98 · Take Five With Ted Lasso star and Brooke ambassador Annette Badland
Annette Badland, the Ted Lasso actor and Brooke ambassador, answers five questions to close the magazine. The page ends the regulars after the gear tests. Look up Brooke's work if you want a charity to support this year.
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Editor's Take
Pippa Funnell and Oliver Townend give Your Horse March 2026 real authority, and Townend's Tokyo photo of Ballaghmer Class makes the veteran advice concrete rather than sentimental. Dr Holly Lenaghan's vet-visit training is the most useful page in the issue, especially with the editor's own Marcus story and the note that vets take seven to eight career-limiting injuries. Weakest is the winter breeches test, which lands late in spring, and the ex-racehorse cover line promises more than the feature delivers. The gear section runs long with hats, headbands and rugs. Buy this if you have an older horse or a spooky one; riders wanting hard training plans should look at the April issue instead.
Strengths
• Townend's veteran advice comes with Tokyo evidence
• Vet-visit piece pairs a real story with injury data
• Funnell interview stays about the horses
• Spooking column names causes and triggers
Weaknesses
• Winter breeches test arrives late in the season
• Ex-racehorse cover line overpromises the feature
Verdict: Recommended — strong for veteran and nervous-horse owners, light on new training plans.
