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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 definitely something...

In July 2021 we sadly said good-bye to the wonderful Freddie Fox, who most of you will instantly recognise as the face of Horses Inside Out. He was the horse of a lifetime and he gave so much to the world of horses and helped to educate thousands of people across the world through Horses Inside Out. Gillian Higgins winning the 1* class at Gatcombe, receiving the prize for the best young rider under 25 from HRH the Princess Royal. After 24 years, it was such a sad day when we lost him. During...

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 completion of...

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 the latest...

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 model of a horse;...

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 correctly fitting bit and...

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 animal's genetic...

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 saddles are made...

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 Horses Inside Out...

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 then taking a train...