H&H magazine...what do you reckon?

[madmav]

Just out of curiosity, wondering if people on here buy the magazine regularly. I do occasionally. This forum is obviously quite different from the mag, but they are from the same stable (sorry!), would be interested to know what you think. Sometimes feel mag is more for adverts and listing results from shows. Do think it could have a bit more 'substance'. Or am I missing the point of it?

 

[Ditchjumper2]

i always used to buy it without fail, but don't anymore. Used to buy it for the hunting reports, but all shows and ads now.

 

[Elf On A Shelf]

I only buy the HOYS one each year. I am not interested in pages and pages and pages of show jumping, dressage and adverts. Plus it is stupidly expensive for what it is now.

 

[Red-1]

I had it on subscription for the last 3 or 4 years, but I have left work now and that is one of my economies. I think the one that arrived on Thursday was the last one....

 

[BlackRider]

i bought it for years and years, but then the content seemed to get thinner, and the price went up and up...

 

[ROMANY 1959]

Well I try to buy most weeks, but it's not been sent to my local spar these last few weeks, so I've missed it...

 

[Goldenstar]

I get it in the mail .
I think it's going through one of it's boring stages ATM , it's thin and generally a bit tedious .
I have been reading it for forty years and it's gone through these phases before .

 

[WelshD]

I buy it weekly in the show season but wont buy it over the winter regularly unless any showing appears in it - I bought one a couple of weeks back just for the half page Katie Jerram column, I read the letters and the little snippets of news at the front and the adverts for things I cannot possibly afford and just dip in to the rest

I do absolutely hate it when they push the price up for certain issues though (Badminton, HOYS etc)

 

[PorkChop]

i always used to buy it without fail, but don't anymore. Used to buy it for the hunting reports, but all shows and ads now.

This sums it up for me - also the fact that it was regularly delivered the day after it was available in the shops, or not at all.

 

[Evie91]

I love it and subscribe and I don't even hunt!
I'm interested in all equine sport ( not so much showing and dressage) and horse and hound covers every thing, plus vets page, letters and ads. I don't have chance to read it until the weekend anyway and love looking at the ads whilst waiting for my winning lottery numbers to come.
Bought another horse mag once and it put me off - articles on plus size jods and outsized saddles for big bottoms.
Love, love,love h&h - hoping for a subscription for Christmas

 

[Cortez]

I grew up with H&H (50+ years); used to get a 2nd hand copy from a favourite uncle, had it on subscription for years, even when I lived overseas, and then used to buy it faithfully every week from local newsagents. Stopped buying it 2 - 3 years ago when it got boring, puerile and uninteresting.

 

[Summer pudding]

i bought it for years and years, but then the content seemed to get thinner, and the price went up and up...

It's getting thinner and thinner....I'm not very impressed with the new editor either! Why did the last one get moved to other projects - I haven't seen her name since? I am able to download it from my library, and while I prefer a paper copy so I can share it this will be the future for me. In the old days H&H on Thursday was the go-to place if you wanted to buy a horse, but not any more.

 

[Goldenstar]

I grew up with H&H (50+ years); used to get a 2nd hand copy from a favourite uncle, had it on subscription for years, even when I lived overseas, and then used to buy it faithfully every week from local newsagents. Stopped buying it 2 - 3 years ago when it got boring, puerile and uninteresting.

I think their trying to be more inclusive but not doing a very good job of it.

 

[Moya_999]

Just out of curiosity, wondering if people on here buy the magazine regularly. I do occasionally. This forum is obviously quite different from the mag, but they are from the same stable (sorry!), would be interested to know what you think. Sometimes feel mag is more for adverts and listing results from shows. Do think it could have a bit more 'substance'. Or am I missing the point of it?

once is a blue moon only, the recent one I got is because I had an add in otherwise is was years and years ago. TBH nothing in there I want to read about for the money.

 

[cobgoblin]

For years I regularly bought it, then I subscribed, then I bought it again. A few years ago it became boring, thin and a rip-off. Can't even find a copy now, and it's not worth spending the time to look for one.
RIP Horse and Hound!

 

[bakewell]

I don't subscribe anymore. I buy it if I'm stuck in a train station. Still better than cosmo. At the moment.

I think it would be better to stick to it's guns of hunting being the primary focus (and other things hunters like to do, xc, ptp etc). It's a bit of a jack of all trades right now.
I want a combination of sporting coverage and aspiration. Oh that I might one day be a thruster of the week! I do not want show coverage of coloured cobs in H&H, sorry. (they're fine, just perhaps a different market).
It is incredibly difficult to do reviews or have classifieds as a major revenue scheme in the internet age.

I still subscribe to The Field which has handled the journey into more modern waters with much better results. And they have really great quality journalism (comparatively, for a sporting mag, I mean it's not Time magazine) in both print and on the website.
I also reckon they've probably got a better gender balance.

 

[Beausmate]

I mean it's not Time magazine..

Oh, but it is....

Sort of....



When did H&H and The Field become part of Time Inc.'s portfolio anyway?

 

[Honey08]

I tend to buy it pre and post big horse trials or if ther is an interview with someone I like. Not as much now as it's not available anywhere other than the big supermarkets. I used to buy it more when local shops or motorway services stocked it, but none do now.

Still, I probably save £100 a year now it can't be found lying temptingly on shelves! Digital ads on here just don't tempt me the same.

 

[bakewell]

Oh, but it is....

Sort of....



When did H&H and The Field become part of Time Inc.'s portfolio anyway?

Hahaha! touché!

Don't know but if I had to cut one I know which it'd be right now.

 

[JDH01]

I buy and read it every week without fail. Really happy with all content each year until we get to The run up to Christmas.

 

[JDH01]

Totally disagree re digital I love to read / hold paper

 

[Evie91]

Me too Jdho1 - can't read the iPad in the bath!

 

[madmav]

Very interesting replies. There are so many horse riders and owners in UK (statistic of 4million is in my head, but may be wrong) but 'trade mag' of our sport perhaps not speaking to us. Think they're missing a beat there. Or even a hoof beat....sorry!

 

[Summer pudding]

Very interesting replies. There are so many horse riders and owners in UK (statistic of 4million is in my head, but may be wrong) but 'trade mag' of our sport perhaps not speaking to us. Think they're missing a beat there. Or even a hoof beat....sorry!

So right..but what do we want....what would make you buy it regularly? I love the letters, eventing news, H&H writers visiting different hunts, regional dressage reports but not interested in showing, and def not show jumping or racing.

 

[DD265]

I only buy it when I want to look at pictures of pretty horses...

I tend to read more along the lines of Horse & Rider, Your Horse etc which are perhaps more educational on a day to day basis. As much as I like looking at pretty pictures, I can't magic myself into that good a rider through osmosis. Although I did go through a phase for about 5 years of not buying any horsey mags because I felt that the articles were all just repeats!

 

[Orangehorse]

Someone very kindly bought me a subscription last year, but I haven't renewed it. It didn't take me very long to read it from cover to cover so it is thinner than in the past, but that is due to the good old recession folks. A magazine can only print as many pages as it can afford, and it has to sell advertising space and if the advertisers aren't there = less editorial.

I like to read the eventing reports, and the hunting reports and the show reports in the summer. The veterinary articles are pretty good and the opinion columns - they are the top names in their sport. I still miss the Audax racing reports, far more in depth than now, and there was always an Off The Bit cmment article - this is going back some years.

However, if you are active in the horse world I think that H & H is essential reading to keep up with all that is going on. I can remember stopping in Stow on the Wold, Gloucestershire in the Cotswolds one Thursday and going into the newsagents and there was the most enormous pile of Horse and Hounds waiting to be collected, obviously a best seller.

 

[L&M]

As hunting is my main discipline I now buy 'Hound' magazine now - far better for hunting reports and hunt news.

I find the H&H in its current format is trying to offer something for everyone, but by doing that, is not doing anything in enough detail (if that makes sense!!!).

 

[Polar Bear9]

I subscribe and get very excited when it comes through the door on a Thursday BUT....

I really don't think the value for money is great
The only reporty section I ever read is the hunting section, I have never hunted but it's the only section which seems to have any passion behind it.
It's stuffed with insurance adverts.
It's really quite boring a lot of the time

I think H+H needs to be very careful that it doesn't get out competed by newer magazines like Horse and Rider which have about 20 times the content even if that content is a bit repetitive

 

[Honey08]

Horse and Rider and your horse bore me though. I don't see them as the same market. I'd rather buy a few good books a year than those mags.

Ps. Horse and Hound must want is all subscribing digitally, they have the link to subscribe all over the forum. I'm always accidentally setting it off when moving between forums!

 

[Sussexbythesea]

Horse and Rider and your horse bore me though. I don't see them as the same market. I'd rather buy a few good books a year than those mags.

I find them a bit banal now and resemble Pony magazine which I liked when I was 10! I've finally cancelled my Your Horse subscription which I kept meaning to do for the last few years. I wish we had some magazines that are available in the USA (I read my sisters when I visit) such as Practical Horseman, Equus, Dressage Today they seem to be aimed at a more mature rider with an IQ of more than 20 and have more in depth and also some more science based articles.

I do like H&H but it is rather slim on articles and there are big parts I'm not that interested in. I tend to buy it when I know I'm going to be stuck on a train for hours and need a variety of entertainment choices.