EquinePost’s Best of the Web program belonged to the early equestrian internet, when a thoughtful link from one horse community could introduce readers to a completely new corner of the web. The award was intended for a site that combined two qualities: useful, entertaining horse content and graphic design that made the material easy to enjoy.
Recipient: Girls Horse Club
Girls Horse Club was the recipient named in the surviving award announcement. EquinePost described it as a horse-centered place created by women with experience developing products for young people. Its purpose was to nurture the connection between girls and horses through stories, games and activities, including for readers who did not have a horse of their own.
The selection focused on what the site offered at that time. EquinePost praised a clean, distinctive design, navigation that felt inventive without becoming difficult, and content that encouraged young visitors to learn about horses and take part in an online community. The page treated usefulness and presentation as inseparable: a beautiful site needed substance, and good material needed a welcoming structure.
The award criteria
Graphic design
Visual choices were judged by clarity, usability and character rather than decoration alone. Navigation had to help a visitor understand where to go next.
Content
The selected site needed material that was useful, fun or genuinely interesting to horse readers, not simply a collection of links or promotional messages.
Contribution
The strongest candidate added something constructive to the online horse world and gave its audience a reason to return.
A closed historical record
This page records the recipient that EquinePost announced; it does not reopen the award, accept nominations or evaluate current websites. Online communities change, and a description written for one era should not be treated as a present-day review or endorsement. The value of the record lies in showing what this equestrian community admired: thoughtful design in service of horse knowledge and imagination.
That same editorial principle continues in the equine resource spotlight, which explains how to evaluate authorship, evidence, scope and commercial pressure. Readers can also visit the article library for EquinePost’s standing column themes.