H&H ought to rename to Dressage and Hound - Winter Championships Rant

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flyingfeet

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So Blue Chip Winter Champs versus Winter Dressage Champs

I flicked through H&H at lunch time in tesco, as I am currently refusing to part with money since there wasn't even a show jumping section this week

Blue chip SJ coverage = 3 pages
BD winter dressage coverage = 6 pages (8 if you include ads)

Now at the SJ they had over 120 starters in one class and two rings running, many more classes per day than BD champs

I didn't go so, maybe I am missing something here, but either
a) Blue chips was robbed on coverage
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or
b) H&H have too many dressage people editing
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I am really quite peeved and not parting with any money for H&H until they buck up their ideas, or tesco kick me out for reading and leaving.
 
my husband has the same moan about lack of hunting coverage when the magazine was started with hunting in mind and yet, even when heavily into the season, very little is covered on hunting. Certainly the hound ought to be taken out of the name.

Thinking of which, do they still have whyte melville's quote anywhere "I freely admit that the best of my fun I owe it to hrose and hound"?
 
Yes, the quote is now on the inside contents page
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which imho is a complete travesty
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I am finding less and less to read in H&H these days, and wonder if it's still worth subscribing (been subscribing nearly 20 years, hate to think what that's cost me
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)
 
Oh good, glad it is there - shows how carefully I read the inside cover - usually just look at the photos of the week! I agree though, I read less and less and don't really feel I've missed out if I don't buy it (too much of a skinflint to subscribe). The only time I avidly buy it is if I'm buying or selling a horse as I feel it has a distinct advantage in horse sales that other magazines don't offer, although I think the web will soon do away with that.
 
Having seen a few of these posts now I think anyone unhappy with the content of H&H should vote with their feet. Whinge by all means; the management will know that you can't please all of the people all of the time. However if you feel you're not getting your voice heard you should just stop buying it. Simple.
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At BD champs there were a lots of classes as they had 3 arenas running and also the indoor jumping for spillers but I think both champs deserve alot of coverage , it is bl**dy hard to get to both and everyone loves to get a mention. Should be equal for both.
 
On average theres more showjumping than showing and more showing than endurance and more endurance than driving...

We'd all love it if they'd devote more time to what we do, to the championships that mean something to us. Unfortunatly there just isn't room for everyone and everything. Particularly in the summer major events are going to clash. I don't envy the editors having to decide whats more important.
 
I personally get fed up with the reports that just list names all the way through and dont have any interesting info, like a horses breeding, quotes from the rider, etc. I agree though, it does seem to be the same names again and again. Probably because they are friendly with the reporters and so the reporters have to do less work finding things out!

Its all very well saying that the magazine is tight for space but am i the only one that thinks this weeks issue in particular was very thin?
 
No I'm sorry Rowreach, that was a Quick Reply on the subject in general, not me having a go at you.
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MissSBird hits the nail on the head saying we'd all love it if they'd devote time to what we do, but look how many of us there are and the variety of things we're doing. I had a big win at Belton one year but because Blyth Tait (yep, it was that long ago
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) won two advanced sections he got more coverage; fair enough, I didn't gripe about it, anyway I won more money than him.
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My own view is that H&H have upped dressage in response to magazines like "just dressage"

To be honest for the money I'd rather read Equestrian Lifestyle Magazine as it lasts longer than H&H even if more fluffy.

I only read H&H for reports, which are now lacking the local stuff I am interested in! Also if only 3 pages long for a champ I attended, can easily read in Tescos....
 
By not buying equestrian mags and just reading them in the supermarket, are we not kind of shooting ourselves in the foot?
If sales drop, mags won't have the money to run big reports from the shows we're at. If people from one discipline or another aren't buying the mag, why should they run reports on that discipline?
I'm a fan of show jumping so was also disappointed by the size of the Blue Chips report compared to winter dressage champs. So what's the answer? We don't buy if they don't print, but they don't print if we don't buy.
Personally, I always fill out reader surveys from any mag I get. I think that way, it lets them know who's interested in what.
 
Atleast you got a mention, the indoor driving nationals wasn't even mentioned even though it was promised. It wasn't even in the results section.

There were 2 rings running there too
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Actually Rara, apparently the driving is going in this week — my mum called to ask
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I agree that it must be so hard having to decide how much coverage one event gets over another, and whether things get in at all — they can't win really can they?! Always going to rub someone up the wrong way, and I'm a show jumper, not a dressage gal!

Also totally behind the point about shooting ourselves in the foot not buying it — I've always bought the mag and always will, even when I was a poor student! Imagine a life without H&H :$ Too sad...
 
I completely agree that there seems to be quite a bit more dressage than showjumping nowadays. I've been thinking that someone in editorial must be a keen dressage follower!

Seriously though, whilst I might like wall to wall sj I think it should reflect different disciplines according to their popularity.
 
Interesting to see so much interest in this post. I was amazed to notice that the week of the Grand National meeting Horse and Hound produced the Showing Number, (with grand national "Celebrity" tips inside). The next week, after an historic 100 to 1 winner trained by only the second female trainer to be victorious in the race, we have the dressage number (complete with more "Celebrity" info), followed the next week by an extra dressage number.....
Is the greatest steeplechase in the world no longer important to Horse and Hound?
Is the magazine now more interested in Celebrity, bling and cashflow than professional horsemanship?
 
Funnily enough I was thinking that it should be renamed "Eventing with a bit of hunting" and now that Ms Higginson is away it does appear to have become "Eventing with quite a bit of Dressage and the occasional bit of hunting" !

It would be nice to have a wider range of coverage - Le Trec, Endurance, Driving Trials would be of interest to many people.
 
I personally think it is such a shame that H&H seems to be "feeling the pinch".
I have read just about every single one since the 60's and have gradually seen it go downhill. It is a pity that I only threw the old ones out avbout 3 years ago when we moved house-I had ones from the 60's and could perhaps have given some examples.
It was interesting in one of the hunting reports last week that the correspondent wrote "Second horses have been well and truly credit crunched at H&H"
The local Equestrian Magazines give a much better coverage of events. Maybe this is where H&H is losing out, perhaps people are buying the local mags instead?
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I agree that H & H has gone downhill, but unless everyone who grumbles writes in whether by snail-mail or email, the powers-that-be don't know what we think. Like other publications H & H relies heavily on advertising revenue and I guess that's harder to come by in credit crunch times.
The SJ editorship changed recently and I've no idea about the circumstances, but remember that Kerry used also to be the driving editor. Possibly the new incumbent is finding their feet. I do feel that H & H is now lacking staff with enough knowledge. They've made serious errors but not bothered to publish apologies in later issues.
 
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