Articles

Soundness isn't just something that happens to your horse, it's something you can actively build. Gillian Higgins helps you to understand how your horse's body works, and shares a few simple changes to how you care, ride, and train him can help strengthen the structures that keep him going, and give him the best chance of a long, active life.

There isn't one magic exercise that fixes kissing spines. Successful rehabilitation comes from combining a variety of exercises that encourage your horse to use their body more effectively. The aim isn't simply to make the back stronger, it's to improve the way the whole horse moves.

A diagnosis of kissing spines can feel overwhelming. It's natural to wonder what it means for your horse's future and whether they'll ever be comfortable again. The good news is that a diagnosis of kissing spines doesn't automatically mean the end of your horse's ridden career. With the right veterinary guidance, appropriate management and a carefully planned rehabilitation programme, many horses go on to become happier, stronger and more comfortable.

"Won't they get fat? Isn't turnout risky?" These are common questions Sue Dyson hears again and again from worried owners and yard managers. New research from 56 international dressage and show jumping horses tells a different story - one where free forage, turnout and the chance to touch another horse don't cause obesity or injury, but do make for calmer, happier, better-performing horses.

The prolonged hot weather in the UK has created: an unusual and rare opportunity, where harrowing can substantially reduce the level of parasites in the pasture.

What's really happening when your horse's head goes forward and down; stretching, or something else entirely? Gillian Higgins breaks down the anatomy behind a correct outline, from the nuchal ligament to the neck's key joints, and explains why the base of the neck matters more to your horse's frame than where the nose sits.

Once you have an understanding of how your horse's muscles work, you'll start reading their movement completely differently, whether you're in the saddle, working from the ground, or watching him move round during turnout.

When we look at a horse's back, it's tempting to think of it simply as the place where the saddle sits. However, underneath that saddle lies a fascinating, complex system of muscles that work together to allow movement, support posture, and help carry the rider.

If you're working with horses regularly, as a practitioner, coach, nutritionist, or student then this is for you.
The Horses Inside Out Conference 2027 is calling for scientific poster submissions on the theme of Wellness and Welfare, and you might be sitting on exactly the kind of valuable, real-world data that belongs on display.

Joint mobilisations are quiet, unhurried movements, but don't let that fool you. The effects they create throughout the body are anything but small and something that should be part of all horse's care routine.