Writer's Guidelines
Horse & Rider is the magazine of Western riding. Its mission is to educate, inform, and entertain both competitive and recreational Western riders with tightly focused training articles, practical stable management techniques, hands-on health care tips, safe trail riding practices, well-researched consumer advice, and a behind-the-scenes, "you-are-there" approach to major equine events. We do not print fiction or poems. Please know we concentrate on horse and rider--not rodeo, mule, driving or Western-themed articles.

We strongly urge you to pick up a copy of our magazine and familiarize yourself with our subject matter and style before you send an article query or submit a manuscript. The magazine is available at most major newsstands. Please know freelance material accounts for only 20% of our magazine. Still, we welcome and encourage your written query (No submissions will be accepted by email ). Our payment scale ranges from $25 to $400 depending on article length, department, and research. Payment amounts are discussed after a query has been accepted. Note: there is no pay offered for Horse Tales submissions.

1. Readers you're writing for...
Our readers are: 80% female; 38 years old; college-educated; hold professional/managerial jobs; have an average household income of $84,300. (But a lot of readers are trying to manage their horse lives on a budget.)

Our typical reader: Lives in a small town or rural area, either around a metro area with a good economy (equals higher disposable income), or in a place that's so rural horse ownership is doable, but not big-bucks spend-able; cares for three or four horses, at home, generally on 20 acres; is a "do-it-yourselfer" and hasn't had anything resembling a formal riding education; wishes to connect with her horse physically, mentally and emotionally; spends a large part of her disposable income on horses.

Horse interests: Half of our readers compete in shows/contests, half don't; 80% of those who show compete only at a local level; 70% trail ride for fun and relaxation; 25% are interested in breeding; other activities include camping with horses, attending equine clinics and seminars and participating in riding clubs.

Horse ownership: 1/4 of the readership has owned horses for 4 years or less; 1/4 has owned them for 20 years or more--the remainder fall in the middle; favorite breeds (in descending order): Quarter Horse (65%), Paint/Pinto, Arabian/Half-Arabian, Appaloosa, Gaited Horse, Grade Horse

2. H&R writing style...
Tone: Please address the reader as "you," just as though you were speaking one-on-one to a person with whom you already have some degree of familiarity.

Voice: As the writer, you assume the voice of a well-informed, well-connected, good horse pal, whose advice you can trust when you need it.

Title and Subtitle: Think of the title and subtitle as part of the text--they're tools for establishing the premise of the story, and its promised benefit to the readers. (Note examples throughout every issue.)

Subheads: Use subheads as organization devices, but envision them as graphic elements in the finished layout to avoid long, daunting expanses of gray text. Never go more than two manuscript pages before inserting a new subhead.

Lead paragraphs: Use the first three to four paragraphs of text to "get into the reader's head," and to state briefly--what you're about to help him/her get a handle on. Provide a road map of all the story's elements, including charts and sidebars. The first couple of graphs should establish relevancy of upcoming material to the reader's horse life.

Article Format: If possible, format the main body of text into digestible bits and pieces that can be bulleted, italicized, enumerated, and/or grouped. (See examples throughout our magazine.) Our method is to shape pieces up front, and we love writers who can help us do that.

Sidebars:Sift material for sidebars. We think of sidebars as graphic, as well as editorial, elements. We like lists, checklists, needs-evaluating quizzes, real-life slices, ranges of what things cost, principles for choosing between Choice A vs. Choice B, etc. We love sidebars that are info "fast-food," "bonus-in-the-cereal box," or "quickie-read-in-the-bathroom" stuff. For a major feature assignment, plan to provide at least two sidebars.

Research: When you have occasion to speak with manufacturers, retailers, etc., state that you're researching an article for Horse & Rider, so they don't confuse you with salespeople who might be calling them. If you're particularly impressed by anyone or anything encountered in your research, by all means, include names and examples. Do tread lightly, and carefully, in the whole area of advertiser sensitivity: If in doubt, contact the assigning H&R editor.

Sources: To credit important sources, including any industry people who assist you, add an "editors thank..." note after you conclude your main text. The format is "The editors thank xxxxx, of yyyyy company, in city, state for their assistance with this article." You don't need to say what they contributed to--just give them public acknowledgment, as it's our professional courtesy policy.

Expert Bios and Author Profiles: If you use one expert source throughout your story, such as in a major training or health care feature, please provide their professional credentials, as well as biographical and geographical information, for use as a possible sidebar or editor's note. Also, please furnish us with a couple of biographical sentences about you to run at the conclusion of the piece. Clue us in on any special insights or experiences you may have had while producing the article or personal knowledge you may have with the subject matter. We like to personalize our writers to the readers.

3. Submission instructions...
Send a query (which includes the focus of the story along with a fairly detailed outline; please be succinct, to the point, no long stories) or completed manuscript and accompanying art to:

Horse & Rider
Debbie Moors, Associate Editor
2000 S. Stemmons Freeway, Suite 101
Lake Dallas, TX 75065

• Send the manuscript by mail--either a hard copy or on a floppy disk. No queries will be accepted by phone or email.
• We prefer to work with documents in PC Word or text formats if you send a floppy disk. Please specify what computer program you used.
• Don't send original photos or illustrations, as we can't guarantee their return. Note: Our graphic standards are quite high. We usually assign the photography or illustration of a story to one of our professional photographers or artists. Also, we rarely accept photographs without an accompanying manuscript.
• Please allow three months for us to respond to your submission.
• We do not accept simultaneous submissions. Please target your ideas to our audience as best possible.

Photography Guidelines
As a general rule, Horse & Rider does not buy bulk submissions of stock photography for future use. We do occasionally seek stock photos from equine photographers for specific stories. Those requests are posted with the American Horse Publications and the Equine Photographers Network.

We assign photographs as needed to illustrate feature articles and our monthly departments. The vast majority of the pictures in our publication are the result of photographic assignments. It's best to query us first before you send originals or even dupes in the mail. When sending any art, please include a self-addressed, stamped envelope for its return. Also, include a photo spec sheet that details what you're sending us (transparencies, prints or discs) and the number you're sending us. We accept no responsibility for unsolicited photography. Please allow 3 months for us to review and return them.

If you're assigned to photograph a story for us, please follow these guidelines. Work closely with the writer/editor of the article or the producer of the photo shoot to photograph all key points of the article. Often, there will be a shot-sheet to follow.

• Please be familiar with our Photo Shoot Guidelines, which are specifications we like to follow regarding the rider and/or horse to be photographed.
• Edit your photographs for exposure, clarity and content. Then offer your best selections to us--those you think represent the story. However, also send us the outtakes. It's possible we may think one of them suits the article better than your selection.
• Identify the horses and people in each photo. You can write the identification on a separate piece of paper.
• We prefer to work with 35mm slides; however some good-quality prints are acceptable. If you choose to send your work in a digital format, make sure the images are high-resolution Photoshop files (300 DPI TIFF or EPS format) that are Mac-compatible. You may send images on CDs, or Zip disks.
• Payment depends on the type and extent of the assignment. Please negotiate your fee and expenses ahead of time.
• We purchase First North American rights to the photographs.