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

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

In the first part of this series of blogs about the paces we will look at the biomechanical effects and benefits of walk and also share tips on how to assess different qualities in the walk and how to improve them. You can learn so much more about this topic in the horse movement video course Anatomy in Action. Walk is a regular four-beat gait and compared to trot and canter, walk uses the most thoracolumbar rotation and lateral flexion - this is why it's great for mobilisin

Struggling with finishing off your shopping for your horsey friends? We're here to help you with some cracking gift ideas that provide education direct to your computer - and you don't need to rely on the post! There's a whole host of fascinating online courses and packages available from the Horses Inside Out Academy. Collections of Recorded Webinars - Series 1, 2, 3 or 4 These recorded webinars give the perfect opportunity to learn about how the horse works, anatomy and bi

I think most of us realise when it comes to horses you just never stop learning. These days, the way we find information has changed hugely –type a few words into a search engine and you’ll find all the information you need. But for me, you can’t beat a good book – curling up on the sofa and giving it your total attention for a few hours. It’s a chance to really focus as you turn the pages. There’s something really special about reading a book – the turning of the pages, the

Straightness is the fifth scale of training and is an important pillar of training. The ultimate aim is to have your horse as symmetrical and straight as possible. However, the reality is that no horse is completely symmetrical. It’s also easy to think that straightness is all about going in a straight line. However, straightness is as important through turns, circles and lateral work. There’s lots you can do to improve your horse’s straightness. Using the right exercises to

Transitions, transitions, transitions. Yes, your trainer is right – you can never ride too many transitions and they form the basis of all training. However, nailing perfect transitions isn’t easy and takes time, patience, repetition and careful preparation to master. Transition means change. Whether upward, downward, direct, progressive, between or within the pace. An ideal smooth transition requires balance, suppleness and a willing response to your aids and this needs to h

Is it best to feed your horse from the floor? PART 2 In our last blog we looked at how feeding positions can help or hinder the horse's musculoskeletal health - in particular feeding from the ground. Now we'll take a look at other feeding positions and when they might be beneficial to the horse's health . Feeding High Feeding in this position is bad for the back and causes uneven wear patterns in the teeth Learn more about this in Posture and Performance and How Your Horse

Asking your horse to move laterally can be something as straightforward as asking him to move over in the stable to the more complex ridden exercises such as half-pass. When ridden correctly these lateral movements can be powerful suppling exercises for the back, pelvis, thorax, neck and body. All lateral movements no matter how simple or complex can be thought of as gymnastic exercises, which help to create a supple horse who is loose, flexible and in balance. This type of w

The biomechanical effects of jumping, Tips for training and assessing your horse's jump. 'Skeleton' horses jumping in slow motion.

Having been through The Pony Club and BHS training as well as owning horses for over 30 years I feel I have a grasp of fitting a bridle – or do I? In this blog, horse owner Allison Lowther reviews Gillian's latest book Illustrated Head Anatomy. Reading Illustrated Head Anatomy has been a real eye-opener and made me look beyond what you can see in front of you when you’re assessing the fit of a bridle. Having an understanding and being able to visualise all the delicate and

On the bit, outline, frame whatever phrase you use, it's always a hot topic between riders, trainers, and dressage judges - in fact almost everyone in the horse world has an opinion on this subject. First and foremost, the horse's welfare is essential. He must be able to move freely with regular gaits, and allowed to carry his head in a relaxed, comfortable position without restriction. Where the horse positions his head and neck influences so many things including his balanc

I don’t think I’ve known the ground to be so hard so early in the year. I’m trying not to complain as the weather has been very kind (so far) but the price we have to pay for a dry spring and warmer days, is that the ground is rock hard already and worries surrounding concussion is happening months earlier than normal. So in this blog we will take a closer look at how horses absorb concussion and what we can do to minimise it. Of course with the longer days and sunshine, it r

With everyone looking forward to the Jubilee celebrations this weekend we thought it would be most apt to look back, remember and celebrate the day we painted a horse for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Hyde Park Barracks. It was such an honour to meet the queen and talk about horses. What a wonderful day it was! On Tuesday October 24th Gillian Higgins, equine anatomist and founder of Horses Inside Out, was invited to Hyde Park Barracks, London as part of a visit from Her M

My horse isn’t quite right. He's not lame, but he's just not quite right. How many times have you heard this as a conversation amongst rider and owners? When your horse isn’t quite performing as you would like, it can often leave you questioning your training, your tack, feeding and your day-to-day management routine to try and find the reason for his drop in performance. In this situation, it can be all too easy to overlook mild, multi-limb lameness and mild pain-related is

As a horse owner I’m always looking for ways to ensure both my horses are happy and comfortable in their bodies. Gillian and I thought it would be great to set a fun and interactive challenge for the Horses Inside Out followers. Each challenge is a simple exercise or technique you can do with your horse to help improve his comfort, health and performance. Not one to miss out on a good challenge and to join in the fun I gave them a go on one my own horses. Here’s how I got on

A well-fitting and balanced saddle is comfortable for you and your horse. Your saddle fitter is an integral part of the team of professionals that are there to ensure the best for the both of you. Here at Horses Inside Out we would always recommend that if you’re in any doubt about the fit of your saddle you need to enlist the help of a qualified saddle fitter. In this blog, Gillian Higgins offers her advice looking at saddle fit related to the anatomy of the horse and three

Last Wednesday we travelled north, with the car filled to bursting, to Netherton Equestrian Centre, Perth. Our journey to Scotland was to perform the first public live painted horse lecture demonstration since 2019. It was fabulous to be back out there again, to meet and chat to horse owners, trainers and other equestrian professionals in person. In this blog we share some of the top tips related to maintaining mobility from the night, what's involved on the day and a bit a

Head Anatomy, has to be one of my favourite webinars from Gillian so far. They are all fantastic but I loved this one's practical aspects.