Kelly Marks needs very little introduction. Thanks to the work she has done with Monty Roberts and forming Intelligent Horsemanship in 1999, horse owners and lovers now have a much better understanding and appreciation for how horse’s think and behave. Intelligent Horsemanship allows Kelly to combine her three favourite things; horses, writing and supporting others in their equestrian journey. She is incredibly proud of everything Intelligent Horsemanship has achieved and lo

Dr Sebastian McBride will present "Recognising Clinically Depressed Horses” at the Horses Inside Out Conference at Loughborough University on the 17th/18th February 2024. In this blog article we learn all about the man behind the incredible work. Dr Sebastian McBride PhD is the programme leader for Postgraduate Courses in Animal and Equine Science, Department of Life Sciences at Aberystwyth University. Present projects include equine sleep, equine depression, equine stereoty

So as many you will know we adopted a fabulous pony from the Bluecross just under five years ago in 2018. We have been on a fabulous journey with him and I thought it was time to give you an update on his progress. Being too small for me to ride, we have done masses of groundwork with Pumpernickel, in hand, in long-reins and on the lunge and this really shows as he is so polite to handle and understands us so much better. It also set him up brilliantly for when we did back hi

The Horses Inside Out Anatomy Exhibition is a must see for every equestrian and anatomy enthusiast and one to rival aspects of the Natural History Museum! Each skeleton, specimen and anatomical model reveals different fascinating structure, anatomy, asymmetries, anomalies and pathologies. The next anatomy exhibition will take place at the 2024 Conference: Growth and Development . There is a great opportunity to get up, close and personal with each specimen, get hands on with

Equine nutrition is a subject often spoken about and one that can lead to some confusion. When it comes to young horses, their diet sets the foundation for their future and needs to be balanced and as natural a possible. Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer believes feeding doesn’t need to be complicated – it just needs to be balanced. Meriel has always had a keen interest in equine nutrition, loving to make up the feeds at the yard and looking at how feeds can have different effe

In our last blog Dr Sue Dyson highlighted the importance of correct front feet for long term soundness in horses. In this article, we chat to another of our Equine Conference 2024 speakers, Dr Simon Curtis, farrier, author, lecturer and horse hoof-care expert. Simon has been a farrier for over 50 years. He has spent most of his career and is probably best known in the industry for his work with foals, studying their conformation and how farriery can be used to aid them and pu

When we are looking to buy a new horse, we are encouraged to look at its conformation. Horse conformation is the study of the shape and structure of a horse's body. Conformation is influenced by the length and angles of the bones, the size and shape of the muscles, and the balance and symmetry of the horse. Correct conformation is important for long term performance and soundness because it may determine how well a horse can move, carry weight, and avoid injuries. In this art

*BA, DVM, CertES(Orth), Dipl ECVS, MRCVS As Jessica is presenting an online seminar for us on Saturday 7th October 2023 we thought it would be great for you to get to know her a little more. Many of you will have heard Jessica present before as she spoke at the Horses Inside Out Conference in February this year but in this article you will get the opportunity to know more about the person behind all her knowledge and experience. We are so pleased that I ntelligent Horsemanshi

As I sit here writing this article I am looking out over the North Sea in the lovely Danish town of Hirtshals on the last of my international trips this year. I have been delivering a two day CPD course for professionals equine therapists on Joint Mobilisations and Musculoskeletal Testing for Bettina Hvidemose and her team at the Center for Dyreterapi. This inspired me to write an article on how understanding anatomy of joints and joint movement can help us to improve and ma

A strong thoracic sling will improve your horse's performance, health, and well-being as well as enhancing his agility, power and lightness of the forehand. It can also reduce the risk of injury and lameness. A strong thoracic sling will reduce the stress on the back and spine making him better able to cope with the weight of the rider. Essentially, a strong thoracic sling means a happier, healthier horse. What is the Thoracic Sling? The horse has no collarbone and the thorac

Correct training and riding are key to keeping your horse happy, comfortable and sound. Combine this with a thorough understanding equine anatomy and how the horse works and you will be better able to train, ride, reduce the risk of injury allowing your horse to perform at his best. All horses are different in the way they move and think and it’s important to recognise and work with what you have got and train each horse accordingly. There is no such thing as a perfect horse.

Whoop whoop after months of preparation July finally arrived and we headed off to North America for a couple of weeks of lecture demonstrations and courses here with our friends at the North American Saddlery School . We flew out on Sunday the 9th arriving in Washington D.C. late in the evening to be met by Amber Markley from the North American Saddlery School. Our first day was spent acclimatising, while the temperature was something we were used to the humidity was definite

PART 2 Understanding the process of skeletal maturity in horses is crucial for appropriate management, training and care. Skeletal maturity refers to the point at which a horse’s bones have fully developed and growth plates have ossified. In this, the second part of our blog about young horses, we explore the age at which horses generally reach skeletal maturity and the timeline of growth plate closure in different anatomical regions. Skeletal maturity in horses signifies the

PART 1 The early years of a horse's life are crucial for their development and future success. Young horses, specifically those between the ages of three and six years, often experience a range of common problems that can affect their overall well-being, training, and performance. Growth and Development is the topic for the Horses Inside Out Conference in February 2024. Over the two days of the conference, you will be treated to a packed timetable with experts presenting th

I have already attended three of Gillian’s 2 Day courses so was excited to add another one to my growing list. This time round it was the One-Day Interactive Anatomy course. Now, I LOVE anatomy - it's a bit of a thing of mine - so I arrived nice and early to grab a seat at the front! The classroom - a specially converted barn - looked amazing and was filled with skeletons and bones! There were two fully assembled skeletons on what looked like giant skateboards; a painted mod

A happy, comfortable horse is something all owners and trainers are striving for. Good management, feeding and training all play an integral part together with correctly fitting tack. Bridle fit and bitting is now, and quite rightly, seen as being just as important as the saddle and can have a huge impact on your horse’s performance and well-being. Having a clearer understanding of equine biomechanics and anatomy of the head highlights the huge influence that using a correctl

Nature versus nurture is often talked about whether it’s considering child development or more relevant to us, in horses. Dr Andrew Hemmings has carried out lots of research that reveals that by having a detailed knowledge of innate biological characteristics (nature) can help us make decisions about the best management practices of the domestic horse (nurture). Generally, when you read about nature and nurture, the nature element very much refers to what's going on in the an

During the pandemic we made the decision not to do any foreign HIO trips until 2023. We'd been so busy focussing on working from home, producing books , courses and filming lectures for the Horses Inside Out Academy , that Spring 2023 was a shock to the system! So many wonderful things have happened in the last 6 weeks from full on lecture demonstrations and visiting incredible centres in Sweden, Holland and Wales, to under-water filming of swimming horses and seeing how WOW

If you are keen to improve your knowledge on equine biomechanics and anatomy, Horses Inside out is here to help. Horses Inside Out provides a range of accessible resources, including books, videos, online courses, workshops, and presentations. These resources are designed to suit various learning preferences and budgets, making valuable information available to a wide audience. The affordability and availability of these resources contribute to the exceptional value that Hors

As I write this blog I have recently returned from an incredible few days away with someone who has become a good friend over the last 3 or so years. Gillian Higgins called me a few months ago to say she had been invited to Sweden to present one of her painted horse lecture demonstrations and was wondering if I would like to accompany her on the trip to be a helping hand. How could I say no!? The trip soon came around and off we headed, flying in to Copenhagen, Denmark and th