The Draft Horse Journal

What The Draft Horse Journal does

The Draft Horse Journal is a privately held quarterly publication founded in 1964 that produces print and digital content dedicated to draft horses (heavy horses) and the surrounding equestrian community in North America. The company's core products include a domestic print subscription priced at $40 per year and a combined print-and-digital subscription at $62 per year that grants access to a back-issue archive spanning every issue since 1964. Single quarterly issues, two- and four-issue bundles, digital editions, and a catalog of branded merchandise (apparel, accessories, books, pocket calendars, and storage slipcases) round out the product set, with advertising sold to draft horse breeders, equipment suppliers, and other industry businesses. The mailing address is PO Box 4, Olympia, WA, with customer contact handled by phone and email.

The publication operates a direct-to-consumer go-to-market model distributed through a Shopify-powered storefront at drafthorsejournal.com, with print fulfillment via USPS Priority Mail to US addresses in 7-10 working days and calculated international shipping to Canada and other foreign countries. Content covers breed spotlights (Belgian, Percheron, Clydesdale, Shire), stallion profiles, workhorse features, sale reports, show coverage, a 'Doc's Talks' veterinary column, and a 'Horses & the Law' legal column. The marketing mix is concentrated in organic channels: website content (free articles, breed association links, event and sales calendars), an active Facebook page, subscriber email management, and word-of-mouth within the enthusiast community.

Operationally, the company is a small independent business with 1-10 employees, no disclosed funding, no parent company, and no public listing. Revenue streams are diversified across recurring subscriptions, one-time back-issue and merchandise sales, and advertising, but no financial figures are publicly disclosed. Advertising contact is handled via a dedicated email, while subscription and customer service are reached through a single Iowa area-code phone number.

Name

The Draft Horse Journal

Legal name

The Draft Horse Journal

Website

https://drafthorsejournal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1964

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Draft Horse Journal is a privately held, quarterly print and digital publication founded in 1964 that serves draft horse enthusiasts, breeders, and industry professionals across North America with subscription-based issues, a full back-issue archive, advertising, and branded merchandise sold direct-to-consumer via Shopify.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Equine Magazine Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (513120)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721)

akta.pro primary industry

Business, Finance & Industry Trade Magazines (MPAJAEAM)

Keywords

• Equine magazine publishing
• Draft horse publication
• Quarterly print magazine
• Horse industry advertising
• Back issue archive

Headquarters

HQ city

Iowa City

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, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Print Magazine Subscriptions: Quarterly print magazine subscriptions delivered seasonally (March, June, September, December). Domestic US delivery included. Options for 1-year and 2-year subscription terms.
2. Digital Subscriptions: Digital subscription providing immediate access to all issues in the online archive, often bundled with print subscription.
3. Back Issues Sales: Sale of individual print and digital back issues spanning decades back to 1964. Offerings include specialty issues like Logging Special and Percheron Special.
4. Merchandise: Branded merchandise including ball caps, t-shirts, mugs, keychains, pins, calendars, playing cards, slipcases, and books related to draft horses.
5. Advertising: Advertising opportunities for businesses in the draft horse industry, as evidenced by the advertising information page on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Draft Horse Journal publishes a quarterly magazine dedicated to draft and heavy horses, released seasonally each March, June, September, and December, available in print and digital formats. It sells print subscriptions, combined print + digital subscriptions, individual and bundled back issues, branded merchandise, and advertising space to draft horse businesses. The publication has been in continuous operation since 1964 and maintains an online archive of all issues for subscriber access.

Product overview

The Draft Horse Journal is a quarterly print and digital publication dedicated to heavy horse enthusiasts, published since 1964. The company offers a multi-format subscription model combining print and digital access, with individual issues available for purchase alongside bundled packages. Core offerings include quarterly print subscriptions (USA $40/year, Print+Digital $62/year), individual quarterly issues ($12 each) themed around horse sales, broodmares, workhorses, and stallions, plus merchandise including apparel, accessories, calendars, and storage slipcases. The publication is available seasonally in March, June, September, and December, with a comprehensive online archive for subscribers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Print Subscription (USA) Quarterly print subscription for domestic US delivery, released seasonally each March, June, September, and December. Includes print-only access starting at $40 for one year, with a 2-year option at $72. Targeted at draft horse enthusiasts and breeders seeking a physical archive of issues.
• Print + Digital Subscription (USA) Combined print and digital subscription providing immediate access to all issues in the online archive plus domestic US print delivery, starting at $62 per year. For readers who want both a physical copy and searchable digital access to historical issues.
• Individual Print Issues Single print issues available for purchase, including current quarterly issues and back issues. Each quarterly issue is priced at $12 with seasonal themes such as Annual Horse Sale Issue, Annual Broodmare Issue, Annual Workhorse Issue, and Annual Holiday & Stallion Issue. Available in print format.
• Digital Editions Digital download versions of individual issues available for separate purchase, complementing the print offering for readers who prefer electronic access.
• Two Most Recent Issues Bundle Package combining the two most recent in-stock back issues with domestic US shipping included, priced at $20 (regularly $24). Discounted bundle for new readers catching up on recent coverage.
• Four Most Recent Issues Bundle Package including the current issue plus three most recent in-stock back issues with domestic US shipping, priced at $35 (regularly $48), offering a full year of content for new subscribers.
• Merchandise & Apparel Branded merchandise including apparel (t-shirts $15–$22, ball caps $24.95), accessories (mugs, keychains $8.95, koozies, pins $6.95–$7), books (Holy Shit by Gene Logsdon), signage (Aisle Closed Signs $25), 50th Anniversary items, slipcases $10, and playing cards $8.50. Sold directly through the online store to fans of the publication.
• 2026 Pocket Calendar Annual pocket calendar featuring major draft horse shows, sales, and events, priced at $5 with domestic shipping included. Sold as a standalone annual product for the draft horse community.
• DHJ Slipcases Storage slipcases designed to hold The Draft Horse Journal issues, measuring 3.25" wide x 11.5" high x 8.75" deep, priced at $10 each. Sold to subscribers wanting to preserve their print archive.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Western Horseman: Iconic Western horse magazine with print/digital subscriptions covering ranching, rodeo, and breed features — comparable as a long-running breed-and-discipline equine consumer publication with merchandise extensions.
• Equus: Long-running consumer horse magazine covering equine health, care, and riding — directly comparable as a paid-subscription equine periodical targeting horse owners and enthusiasts across multiple breeds.
• Horse Illustrated: Monthly consumer horse magazine with print and digital subscriptions, newsstand sales, and editorial coverage of breeds, training, and care — directly comparable subscription-based equine periodical.
• The Horse (now Kentucky Equine Research / TheHorse.com): Veterinary and equine health-focused publication with digital subscriptions, originally print-based — directly comparable as a subscription equine periodical with strong veterinary/breeder audience overlap.
• Chronicle of the Horse: Long-established equine periodical covering sport horse disciplines, breeding, and competition results; paid print and digital subscriptions plus event-related advertising make it a closely comparable subscription equine publication.
• American Quarter Horse Journal: Official publication of the American Quarter Horse Association, serving a single breed community with print and digital subscriptions plus breeder advertising — highly comparable model of a niche breed-society trade magazine.
• Horse & Rider: Print and digital western-performance horse magazine with paid subscriptions and a strong breeder/advertiser marketplace — directly comparable subscription equine periodical targeting enthusiast owners.

Emerging players

• Hobby Farms: Magazine and digital media brand covering small-scale farming and livestock, including draft animal power content; adjacent rather than directly competing, but appeals to a subset of the same self-sufficiency/rural hobbyist reader.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TheDraftHorseJournal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/draft-horse-journal

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 The Draft Horse Journal