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

Myofascial release – it’s a bit of a buzz word in the horse world. But what is it, why is it so widely spoken about in the world of horses at the moment? This blog reveals how amazing this type of therapy can be, what it can do for your horse and how to learn some of the techniques. To learn about this subject in more detail check out the online course and book: Massage for Horses. What is Fascia? Fascia, is the largest system in the horse’s body. This 3D web encapsulates the

All owners want their horses to be happy, healthy and sound. Recognising when your horse isn’t performing as he should is key to his welfare. We know that neck and back pain has a negative effect on equine performance, but they can go untreated as they can be tricky to diagnose. However, with access to more diagnostic tools and targeted treatments, conditions in the neck and back can be treated successfully. To help you learn more about the current thinking in this area, Equi

With summer almost upon us, the competition season in full swing, and more daylight hours many of us will be planning to spend more time in the saddle and get out and about more with our horses. However, it’s vital to remember that an unfit horse, particularly, if he’s carrying an unfit rider, is more predisposed to injury. Whatever you are planning to do with you horse over the coming months your horse must be fit for the level of work he will be doing to help minimise the r

There’s no getting away from it – horses are truly amazing and as owners, riders, trainers, therapists and other equestrian professionals our aim is to ensure the horses in our care are happy and healthy. As their carers we must learn to ride sensitively, manage them effectively, learn to read their emotions and behaviour to ensure all their needs are met so they can thrive and perform at their best. Having a thorough understanding of how the horse’s body works will go a long

Massage is a powerful tool and has so many benefits, and now horse owners can learn how to massage their own horse with the Horses Inside Out Online Massage Course . Learning these skills will help owners to build a better bond with their horse and help keep him comfortable and happy between visits from their professional therapist. Pre orders for this exciting new course are now being taken. It will officially launch on Friday 5 May 2023. As riders and owners, it’s important

In this article I suggest four top tips that will help you ensure that your horse is comfortable, and his muscular skeletal system is prepar

Written by Jessica Limpkin Equine Massage Therapist When I saw that Horses Inside out were going to be running an online seminar with Dr Seth O’Niell and Gillian Higgins I was very excited. My first experience of hearing Seth talk was at the Horses Inside Out conference in 2020, where he presented on Tendons and Tendinopathy Management and his work on how this translates from human athletes to equine athletes. You can read all about this in my previous blog . I remember findi

Following a packed first day, would the second day deliver such a wide ranging set of presentations? The resounding answer is yes it did! Watch the Conference on Catch Up here: www.horsesinsideout.com/conference-2023 The first two talks given by Dr Chris Pearce and Dr James Cooling covered the subject of bitting but both complemented each other perfectly. Comfort First and Foremost Chris discussed bitting injuries and how to avoid them, and he started by quoting from a book,

In this blog article we will explore the importance of regular saddle fit, include some back assessment techniques and show you some simple

It was a year in the making but all the blood, sweat and tears was worth it as the Horses Inside Out Conference made a welcome return. Our last conference was in February 2020 just before the pandemic and the HIO team wasn’t sure whether, after a few years away, the conference would still be popular. We needn’t have worried, the two-day conference held at the Holywell Conference Centre, Loughborough was a huge success. The atmosphere was buzzing and everyone who attended in p

In this third and final part, this blog looks at canter. Discover training tips and the benefits of using canter to improve your horse's musculoskeletal health. Canter is an asymmetrical three-beat gait with a moment of suspension. A good canter is rhythmical, balanced, energetic and powerful. Riding exercises in canter helps to improve strength, elasticity, balance, expression - and mobility of the musculoskeletal system. The benefits of canter Whatever discipline or activi

With good back posture being key to a good performance as well as a happy healthy horse, understanding more about how the horse's back works should be high on the list for every rider, trainer and therapist as this information can help us to keep the horse's back healthy, strong and mobile. Knowing the names of the bones of course help us to communicate with our vet and other team members that help to look after our horses. But in my mind it is having an understanding of the

If you work in the equine world, you’ll know how rapidly things can change – thanks to new research, products and techniques the way horses are trained, treated and kept is constantly evolving. This is why it’s important to keep abreast of these techniques and skills by pursuing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) – for many professions it’s necessary to complete CPD on an annual basis. Continuing Professional Development describes the learning activities professionals

Caring for tendons, or managing a horse with a tendon injury is probably every horse owner’s nightmare. A horse with a tendon injury used to mean months of box rest, which is stressful for all concerned, and with no real guarantee of a full return to fitness at the end of it. Thankfully, vets are now learning better tendon healing strategies from human sports medicine that don't include ice, bute and box rest. You may be surprised to learn that experts now recommend preventio

In the second part of this blog about the paces we are looking at the biomechanics and benefits of trot. We will also study how to assess your horse's trot and there are tips to improve this pace too. Take a look at our horse in movement video course to discover more about trot Anatomy in Action. Trot is a two-time symmetrical, rhythmical gait where the horse springs from one diagonal pair to the other with the hindlegs at opposite phases of the stride as any one time. There

This is a blog I have been wanting to write for a while, and yet for some reason, every time I sit in front of my laptop with the intention of doing it, I seem to get a mental block. Not because I don’t have anything to say on the subject, but quite the contrary, I don’t even know where to start. But I know that this is a story I want to tell, as I am hoping it might inspire others…. When I first qualified as an Equine Massage Practitioner I had completed my studies over the

With life being such fast paced it can be so easy to overlook things that may be staring us in the face. This is also true for our horses – as we rush round trying to juggle family, work and horses we can be guilty of not listening to them and this is when the early signs of a health issue may be overlooked and not dealt with until the symptoms are really shouting at us. The topic of biosecurity is now in the forefront of our minds and there is a lot we can do on a daily basi

In this blog article, Jay Mackay, equine osteopathy student and Horses Inside Out social media assistant, reviews the online seminar, Pain Related Poor Performance with Dr Sue Dyson . The seminar recording is available (with handouts and CPD certificate on completion) to purchase and view in the Horses Inside Out Academy. Knowing Sue Dyson’s seminar was going to be 6 hours long, I cleared my Saturday schedule and made a flask of coffee just in case I needed perking up a few