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.

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

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...

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

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...

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...

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...

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...

There’s no getting away from it – horses are truly amazing and as owners, riders, trainers, therapists and other equestrian professionals...

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...

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

Following a packed first day, would the second day deliver such a wide ranging set of presentations? The resounding answer is yes it did!...

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....

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...

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...

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...

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...