The rules you will struggle to believe are true — and other stories that made you laugh in 2018

1. 26 of the best (OK, weirdest) horse names we have ever heard

Read by +36,500 website visitors

From Broomstick the skinny thoroughbred who liked to take off, to the German-bred Kraut, some horse names are so bad, they’re unforgettably good.

2. 13 things you should never say to your farrier

Read +29,000 times

Good farriers are like gold dust and should be generally prized and looked after. Try not to frighten them off with one of these…

3. Immaculate plaits, perfect beds and marvellous muck heaps: 7 pictures that will make you want to up your horsey game

Read +25,500 times

When the H&H team saw this impeccably neat bed (pictured, above), we were seriously impressed and decided to ask our talented readers for pictures of their impressive horsey feats. From amazing plaits to marvellous muck heaps, this perfectionist bunch is taking equestrian standards to another level…

4. 7 humiliating Royal Windsor Horse Show moments

Read +22,000 times

Getting to the Royal Windsor Horse Show is a career highlight for many — not much beats the prestige of competing in The Queen’s back garden. But things don’t always go to plan…

5. ‘Sit tight, I’ve got this’: British para rider clears extra 1.50m fence in 90cm class

Read +19,500 times

Evie Toombes was up on the clock when her mare locked-on to a huge upright, which had been in a CSI3* class. The pair cleared it with ease!

6. TV presenter risks life and limb to stop runaway racehorse

Read +19,000 times

The former jockey, who was presenting live on air, stepped in to catch the three-year-old who was ‘galloping in blind panic’.

7. 13 things you’ll remember us you were pony-mad in the 80s

Read +19,000 times

If you were a pony-mad child during the 1980s, you will probably remember some of these…

8. 16 barmy livery yard rules you’ll struggle to believe are true

Read +16,000 times

If you keep your horse at a livery yard, you’ll know that the Yard Owner makes the rules, and everyone has to stick to them. Fair enough — unless your YO is completely bonkers. Here are some of the more unusual rules unlucky liveries have had to put up with…

9. 24 of the most embarrassing comments you’re likely to get from a dressage judge

Read +15,500 times

When your test hasn’t gone quite as planned, there are some comments from the judges that you have to laugh at (…in hindsight)

10. 7 examples of really bad equestrian advice

Read +14,500

Whether it’s via social media, online forums or from the mouth of the yard know-it-all, there is plenty of bad advice offered up by some where horses are involved. Here are a few examples that we’ve been lucky enough to receive over the years…

For all the latest news analysis, competition reports, interviews, features and much more, don’t miss Horse & Hound magazine, on sale every Thursday

Stay in touch with all the news in the run-up to and throughout the major shows and events during 2026 and beyond with a Horse & Hound subscription. Subscribe today for all you need to know ahead of these major events, plus online reports on the action as it happens from our expert team of reporters and in-depth analysis in our special commemorative magazines. Have a subscription already? Set up your unlimited website access now