Young Rider

What Young Rider does

Young Rider is a bimonthly print and digital magazine publisher serving youth equestrians aged 8-15 who are interested in horses and ponies. Founded in 1998 and operated under parent company EG Media Investments LLC, the publication has been in circulation for more than 25 years and delivers riding instruction (both English and Western), horse care and stable management guidance, breed information, contests, color posters, and stories about real young riders. EG Media Investments also publishes the related equestrian titles Horse Illustrated and Western Life Today, positioning Young Rider within a diversified group of horse-focused publications.

The company operates a direct-to-consumer model through its e-commerce storefront at youngrider.com. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring print and digital magazine subscriptions (a 1-year print subscription with Esme Journal is priced at $29.95 and auto-renews, billed by EG Media Investments), one-time sales of single and back issues (digital issues at $3.99 and print issues at $5.99), and sales of branded merchandise such as the This Esme Merch line tied to columnist/ambassador Esme Higgs. The product portfolio also includes gift subscriptions, a free Young Rider MINI Digital bonus PDF for subscribers, online directories (schools/universities, horse camps, youth organizations, scholarships), and classifieds.

Go-to-market and audience engagement rely on a multi-channel approach spanning an extensive website content library (blog articles on horse care, riding, breeds, and lifestyle), organic social media across Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and TikTok, and an email newsletter. The company maintains editorial partnerships and content collaborations with equestrian organizations including United States Pony Clubs, 4-H, the Interscholastic Equestrian Association, the Retired Racehorse Project, the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group, and the charity The Brooke. The business is US-based with a customer service operation on Central time; specific office location and revenue figures are not disclosed.

Name

Young Rider

Legal name

EG Media Investments LLC

Website

https://youngrider.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Young Rider is a bimonthly print and digital magazine, published by EG Media Investments LLC since 1998, delivering horse riding instruction, care tips, contests, and stories to youth equestrians aged 8-15 through a direct-to-consumer subscription and e-commerce model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Equestrian Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Book Retailers and News Dealers (45921)

akta.pro primary industry

Middle Grade Publishing (MPAJAFAC)

Keywords

• Youth equestrian magazine
• Horse riding publication
• Print magazine subscription
• Digital magazine issues
• Horse care education

Headquarters

HQ city

Durham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Magazine Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from print and digital magazine subscriptions. Subscriptions auto-renew and are billed by EG Media Investments.
2. Single Issue Sales: One-time purchase of individual print and digital magazine issues at $3.99-$5.99 per issue.
3. Merchandise: Sale of branded merchandise including This Esme Merch and other horse-related products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Young Rider is a bimonthly print and digital magazine publisher focused exclusively on youth equestrians ages 8-15, delivering English and Western riding instruction, horse care guidance, breed spotlights, contests, color posters, and stories about real young riders. The publication sells annual print subscriptions ($29.95), individual digital issues ($3.99) and print issues ($5.99), and offers a free Young Rider MINI Digital bonus PDF for subscribers, complemented by branded This Esme Merchandise.

Product overview

Young Rider is a bimonthly print magazine publisher for youth ages 8-15 who love horses and ponies. The product portfolio consists of the core print magazine ($29.95/year subscription), individual digital issues ($3.99 each), the free Young Rider MINI Digital bonus PDF for subscribers, branded This Esme Merch merchandise, gift subscriptions, and online directories/classifieds. The magazine delivers riding instruction (English and Western), horse care tips, contests, color posters, and stories about real young riders. Content covers horse breeds, horse care, riding and training, lifestyle topics, and horse ownership. The publication has been in circulation for more than 25 years and is published by EG Media Investments LLC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Young Rider Print Magazine Bimonthly print magazine for youth ages 8-15 who love horses, featuring riding instruction (English and Western), horse care tips, contests, color posters, and stories about real young riders pursuing their passion for riding and horsemanship.
• Young Rider Digital Issues Individual digital magazine issues available for purchase, priced at $3.99 per issue, including back issues from 2018 through 2026.
• Young Rider Print Back Issues Past print issues of Young Rider magazine available for purchase, including Summer 2020, Fall 2020, Spring 2021, Summer 2021, Fall 2021, Winter 2022, and March/April 2022.
• Young Rider MINI Digital Free digital PDF magazine with bonus content for subscribers, including trending topics, trivia quizzes, advice columns, English and western riding tips, grooming articles, safety recommendations, and horse product recommendations. Must be 13+ or have parent/guardian subscription.
• Young Rider 1-Year Print Subscription Annual subscription to the print magazine priced at $29.95, includes Esme Journal. Auto-renews unless cancelled.
• Young Rider Gift Subscriptions
• This Esme Merch
• Young Rider Holiday Gift Guide Annual digital special edition featuring horse-themed holiday gift recommendations and ideas.
• Young Rider May/June 2026 Issue Bimonthly print magazine edition scheduled for May/June 2026 release.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• United States Pony ClubscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Rider collaborates with United States Pony Clubs to provide educational content about horse care and riding. Pony Club offers education and hands-on opportunities for equestrians of all ages. Young Rider publishes content from USPC experts on topics like winter horse care.
• The Brooke (Charity)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEsme Higgs serves as an ambassador for The Brooke, a charity that helps support working equines primarily donkeys in some of the world's poorest communities. The charity provides education, vet care, and support to these animals and their caretakers.
• Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Rider featured the Wild Rose Mustang Advocacy Group's Youth Trainer Program, which provides educational opportunities for the next generation of horse trainers ages 10-15 to work with Mustangs.
• Retired Racehorse Project (RRP)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Rider publishes content about the Retired Racehorse Project, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization that helps place Thoroughbred ex-racehorses in second careers. The magazine promotes the Thoroughbred Makeover event and youth participation.
• 4-HminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Rider features content about 4-H youth organization which offers horse and pony projects to help youth learn about horses through project manuals, educational components, and horse shows.
• Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung Rider provides information about the IEA which offers competitive riding opportunities for students in 4th through 12th grade in dressage, hunt seat, and western disciplines.
• The Jockey ClubminorOthersYoung Rider references The Jockey Club which maintains the American Stud Book of Thoroughbred horses and was established in America in 1894.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Sidelines Magazine: Equestrian lifestyle and show-circuit magazine distributed at hunter/jumper venues. Comparable direct-to-consumer subscription model and shared equestrian-youth family readership.
• Horse Illustrated: Adult-focused equestrian magazine published by the same parent (EG Media Investments LLC). Direct sibling publication; highly comparable product format, distribution, and audience vertical.
• Equus Magazine: Long-running general equestrian magazine covering horse health, riding, and ownership. Closest mainstream direct competitor to Young Rider's adult readership; comparable magazine format, subscription model, and horse-categories editorial mix.
• Western Horseman: Iconic American Western riding and horse culture magazine. Overlaps Young Rider's Western-riding content vertical and target subscriber household profile (parents/grandparents of youth riders).
• Practical Horseman: English-discipline equestrian magazine with riding instruction and horse care content. Comparable subscription-based magazine format and youth-to-adult instruction pipeline that mirrors Young Rider's editorial mix.
• Dressage Today: Discipline-specific equestrian magazine with instruction content and youth rider coverage. Shares Young Rider's magazine subscription model, instructional editorial style, and equestrian-youth audience overlap.
• Western Life Today: Western-horse-focused lifestyle magazine published by the same EG Media Investments parent. Direct sibling across shared sales, billing, and audience overlap with Young Rider.

Regional players

• Horse & Hound: UK-based flagship equestrian magazine serving British and Irish equestrian communities. Comparable magazine format and editorial depth; geographic focus limits US-market overlap, positioning it as a regional rather than direct competitor.

Emerging players

• The Plaid Horse: Modern equestrian lifestyle magazine with a strong social-media and youth-friendly digital presence. Targets a similar demographic of young equestrians and emerging rider households, positioning it as an emerging competitor to Young Rider's core niche.

Broad incumbents

• Chronicle of the Horse: Long-established equestrian sport news and lifestyle publication covering foxhunting, eventing, show jumping, and dressage. Broader, more sport-focused incumbent that shares equestrian-youth content adjacency (IEA, USPC, USEF).

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/youngridermag
• Facebookfacebook.com/youngrider
• Instagraminstagram.com/youngridermagazine
• TikToktiktok.com/@youngridermag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/young-riders

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Young Rider