Reviews For Horse Illustrated Magazine

I recently picked up a copy of HORSE ILLUSTRATED after not having read it for years. I was once again surprised by how well-written and informative this magazine is.

If you are an average horse owner, who rides at a stable, or ownes a horse or two for the family, this magazine has all the information you would ever need to care for and enjoy your horse(s) to the utmost. Once you get into the horse business, as we were, you get involved in breed magazines and other specialized magazines, and loose track of the "grass roots" types.

HORSE ILLUSTRATED covers all aspects of riding--from huntseat and saddleseat to western. Whether your interest in horses is jogging around the pasture, or show jumping, you will find information covering the best ways to go about it. If you need information on breeding your mare, there are articles that describe everything from picking the stallion to getting your mare ready for the trip. Then, more articles about the foal's arrival, raising it, and basic training methods. There are also comparisons on wormers, different equipment, medications, and ways of doing things.

If you are just getting started, there are articles about picking the best horse for your situation, different breeds, sex, age, training for your specific need. You will also find plenty of advertisements here to help you find the things you need for your horse, because as any horse lover knows, you can never have enough "stuff"!

Buy this magazine at least once if you own a horse. If it doesn't suit your needs, pass it up next time, it's inexpensive and full of information. I think, however, that you will be happily surprised and look foreward to each and every issue.


Recommended:
Yes

This magazine is an excellent, all around horse magazine. It covers a wide spectrum of horse related topics. English, Western, Breeding, Grooming, Travel and so much more are talked about in this magazine!
The one thing I don't like about this magazine is that I'm strictly an English Jumper rider, so there are a lot of articles "wasted" by me because I'm simply not interested in them. However, this is certainly a great magizine for all around horse lovers. One can learn a lot from reading this magazine. And the horse care advice is always useful, well written and accurate! I highly recommend this magazine!


Recommended:
Yes

I have just began my venture with horses. Needless to say, I needed
to find a source of information which I could easily understand
and which would offer every day questions / answers that would
benefit me.

There are good topics every month, no matter what level of
experience you are, the information will be useful to know.

The photos are excellent, and often offer descriptive detail.

We recently had an unexpected foal, and instead of panicking,
I remembered I read an article in a previous issue on the birth,
and the first year of a foal. Although I did not need the article
at the time I read it, it was so well written and cute, that when
the time did come, I turned to it for assurance.



Recommended:
Yes

I started reading Horse Illustrated (HI) when I was a horse-crazy kid and I loved it. But now that I'm an adult and have gotten more serious with my riding, HI doesn't cut it anymore. It caters to both western and English riders and provides general horse care information. That means if you're looking for in-depth riding articles, you'll want to try discipline specific magazines like Practical Horseman, Dressage Today, or Horse & Rider instead.
My biggest gripe with HI is that none of the articles stick with you. Nearly every topic the magazine covers can be found in any horse care book. Also, the magazine is rather thin with LOTS of ads and breeder listings in the back.

The bottom line: If you love horses and just want a general horsey mag, you'll like HI. If you want to read something that goes more in-depth, you might want to look elsewhere.

HI is the industry's fashion magazine. There isn't really any depth, you just look at it for the pictures. Sometimes there's nothing wrong with that though.

I have been a subscriber to Horse Illustrated for many years, and have always praised it. The magazine was originally published with well written and thoughtful articles that covered both Western and English ridding, general horse care, and gave very helpful tips. But within the past couple of years the quality of the publication has gone downhill.

Not only has the magazine thinned out but the articles have become biased and poorly written. Adds and articles promoting a single product occupy more of the magazine than ever before and the shift from a well rounded equine magazine to 'snob mag' is quite clear. The majority of the magazine is now aimed towards the English rider with an eye for fashion. What where once helpful tips have now become one sided suggestions.

This magazine would be a welcome addition for a horse-crazy teen who is more likely to have a new car than a horse. But if you are looking for something with a bit more substance, advice, and general tips, this is not the magazine for you.