I remember when I was ten, and I got the book For Horse Crazy Girls Only! by Christina Wilsdon. Inside this book was a list of horse magazines, and I dreamed of the day that I would save up enough money to buy my own subscription. After much research and thought, I was finally down to two magazines: Young Rider and it’s sister magazine, Horse Illustrated.
Lo and behold, one Christmas I received a note from my grandfather saying that my wish had been granted! January came and I ran through the house screaming as I held the January/February edition of that year’s Young Rider magazine.
Over the years, I’ve subscribed to both of these magazines at one time or another, and I can say I am still quite in love! While I no longer subscribe to them, I can still say that these are well worth checking out for any horse crazy kid (or adult!).
Still not convinced? Well, read on my friend. We’re only just getting started.
Young Rider Magazine
Young Rider, the largest magazine in the world for horse-crazy kids, publishes 6 issues a year (at one point they published only 4, but several people were quite upset with that, so they switched back) and is packed full of information. I remember seeing my issues in the mailbox, reading the table of contents, and start screeching to my mother, “IT’S LIKE THEY’VE READ MY MIND!!” Everything from articles on the latest equine fashion to Breyer models is covered in this magazine, and they even have occasional short stories. There’s always an article on Western riding, English riding, horse people from real life, and horse breeds. They also have photo contests and art contests in each issue to look forward to.
Price: Currently $24.95 (they’re having a deal, normally it’s $34.95)
Pros: Packed full of information, plenty of articles, frequent publishing, fun contests.
Cons: Price. $35 per issue is roughly $5 a magazine. It’s a little hefty if you’re a kid trying to save your allowance. I recommend waiting until the end of the year. YR and its sister magazine Horse Illustrated will often put on awesome deals where you can get both subscriptions for a bargain price (and HI has 10 issues a year! More on that below).
Website: YoungRider.com
Horse Illustrated
Young Rider is the teens and tweens version of it’s predecessor, Horse Illustrated. Designed for adults (but simple enough jargon for a wide range of ages to understand), HI is the leveled up version of its sister magazine. For those who want straight informational articles (with maybe a buying guide here and there) HI is for you.
Like its sister magazine, HI always has articles on Western Riding, English Riding, a spotlighted Horse Breed, and a “Vet Adventures” column. With ten issues a year, HI provides a more mature aesthetic than YR along with more issues in general. The only stipend is the price: a hefty $59.90. It’s better to wait for the frequent deals and price drops. I love how sturdy these magazines are as well– YR is stapled together and thus I have a few that have begun to fall apart, but most of my HI issues are in like new condition as they are “perfect bound” (are glued together).
Price: Currently $29.95 (normally $59.90)
Pros: More issues than the average magazine, in-depth information on horse care, riding, and the finances of keeping equines, very sturdy and long lasting.
Cons: High price. May not be as intriguing for tweens.
Website: HorseIllustrated.com
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So there you have it! Two very excellent horse magazines well worth checking out! Like I said before, it’s best to wait until the end of the year for bargain deals, but in any case, these are still excellent magazines even at the normal price. And no, I wasn’t paid off to write this article. This is an honest review from my own heart, because these magazines were a huge part of my horse-crazy childhood, and I want to share them with those who would appreciate them.
Do you subscribe to any of these magazines? Which one would you rather subscribe to?
Ooh, I love these! They’re so interesting! I’ll have to put them on my Christmas list!