The Horse Magazine: History, TheHorse.com, Content and Editors
Profile updated November 2026
The Horse magazine, full title The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care, has focused on one subject since 1995: keeping horses healthy. Written for hands-on owners and managers of every breed and discipline, it turns veterinary research into practical advice in print and through TheHorse.com, a busy site of news, podcasts, webcasts and free reports.
| Launched | 1995 |
|---|---|
| Full title | The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care |
| Owner | Equine Network, LLC |
| Format | Print magazine, digital edition and TheHorse.com |
| Audience | Hands-on horse owners and managers, all breeds and disciplines |
| Editorial Director | Stephanie L. Church |
| Official website | TheHorse.com |
History of The Horse
The Horse began publishing in 1995 with a narrow, practical mission: to serve responsible horse owners and caretakers with reliable health-care information. Rather than covering one breed or sport, it set out to be an all-breed, all-discipline equine education provider, drawing on equine veterinarians and researchers for its content.
From early on The Horse reported on the science and professional meetings behind horse health, from veterinary conventions to farrier education events such as the International Hoof-Care Summit, whose second edition it covered. As readers moved online, TheHorse.com grew into the brand's main channel, with daily news and a deep archive of articles on disease, lameness, nutrition, reproduction and behavior.
The Horse is now part of Equine Network, LLC, which owns the THE HORSE and THEHORSE.com trademarks and publishes sister titles including EQUUS, Practical Horseman and Stable Management.
The Horse Today
The print magazine continues, with issues such as the Fall 2026 edition offered by subscription and as a digital edition. Online, TheHorse.com publishes news, features and Q&A commentaries, plus webcasts, infographics and slideshows.
Podcasts include Ask TheHorse Live, Equine Innovators and Feeding Horses. The site also offers free reports and fact sheets, newsletters and polls, and practical tools such as a feed cost calculator and a mare gestation calculator.
What The Horse Is Publishing Now
Health and disease
Coverage of infectious disease, lameness, colic, dental care, parasites and senior horse management, often explained by veterinarians and researchers.
Nutrition and management
Feeding, pasture, facilities and stable management advice, supported by the Feeding Horses podcast and calculators.
Research news
Reports from veterinary conferences and university studies translate new science into plain advice for owners.
The Horse Editors and Staff
TheHorse.com's staff page lists:
- Stephanie L. Church - Editorial Director
- Stephanie Ruff - Managing Editor, The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care
- Haylie Kerstetter - Digital Editor, TheHorse.com
- Yvonne Long - Account Executive
Who Reads The Horse
Readers are horse owners, barn managers, trainers, breeders and equine professionals who handle horses every day, from backyard pleasure horses to performance and breeding stock. Land-grant universities are major sources of the research The Horse reports, and programs such as the University of Kentucky's equine extension and UConn's equine extension program offer owners complementary local education.
Readers of The Horse spend a lot of time worrying about colic, hoof abscesses and whether that cough means anything. When they need a break from the vet bills, farm.FM offers farm satire and farm humor about barn life, plus ranch humor for the stock-horse crowd. The farm jokes there carry no side effects and need no withdrawal period.
For context, farm.FM is the nation's first satirical farm site and the home of Tractor Tunes, country music for farmers. Its contributors each keep an archive, and this one is a good sampler of ranch humor and farm jokes.
The Horse Sources and Agriculture Authority Links
- The Horse: About Us - the magazine's mission since 1995.
- The Horse: Meet the Staff - current editors and team.
- The Horse: Second International Hoof-Care Summit - an example of its professional event coverage.
- University of Kentucky Equine Extension - land-grant horse health and management programs.
- UConn Equine Extension Program - extension education for horse owners.
The Horse FAQ
When did The Horse magazine start?
In 1995, as The Horse: Your Guide to Equine Health Care.
Who owns The Horse?
Equine Network, LLC, which also publishes EQUUS and Practical Horseman.
Is The Horse still in print?
Yes. It publishes a print magazine and a digital edition alongside TheHorse.com.
Who edits The Horse?
Stephanie L. Church is editorial director and Stephanie Ruff is managing editor.
For three decades, The Horse magazine has kept its focus where owners need it most: on the health of the horse.