A compelling documentary has been released based on Dr Sue Dyson’s groundbreaking work on signs of pain in the ridden horse. The 35-minute film features world-renowned expert in equine orthopaedics, Dr. Sue Dyson, and her research on how ‘bad’ horse behaviour can actually be an early indicator of pain. This video is a superb precursor to watch ahead of the recorded seminar: Recognising Pain Related Poor Performance About Sue Dyson: Dr. Sue Dyson specialises in equine orthop

You may think it's a bit of a cliché – but there is no truer saying. When you think about it logically, your horse has his entire weight loaded onto his four feet when standing and onto only one foot when galloping. Essentially, without good feet you have nothing. The hoof tells you so much about the state of your horse’s health and without a healthy horse it’s hard to have healthy feet. You can see good healthy feet are an integral part to your horse’s well-being, but the to

When your horse is not performing at his best taking a holistic view is the way to find the cause and suitable treatment. Discussing the issues you are having with your core support team that includes your vet, farrier and therapist can all help you find the best solution for your horse’s comfort and well-being. One of the most common issues that affects horses is lameness, this describes anything that causes an irregularity or unevenness of the gait. Often, it’s linked to pa

Earlier this year I received a phone call from Gillian Higgins of Horses Inside Out . Always nice to have a catch up with Gillian, we spent quite a lot of time together in 2021, as I attended many Horses Inside Out courses and was a helping hand during filming of the Autumn Webinar Series . What I wasn’t expecting during this call was for Gillian to ask if I would travel with her to Dublin to help with Horses Inside Out at the Dublin International Horse Show! How could I poss

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

I love the interactive element, getting hands on with the horses, bones, anatomical models and specimens as well as all the questions and di

You can have the best breeding and conformation but without a good temperament and trainability you may struggle to train and bring out the best performance in the horse. To understand a horse's temperament and how he learns you need to have an understanding of the equine brain and how the two link together. However, there has been very little research done on the equine brain. Dr Andrew Hemmings is keen to change this, for the good of the horse. Dr Andrew Hemmings is a worl

2022 seems to be zooming by, and there's so much is happening at Horses Inside Out I thought it was time I told you all about it! On the Road... Lecture Demonstrations It is lovely to be travelling out and about to do lecture demonstrations across the UK again. We aren't travelling abroad for events yet, but plan to do so from 2023. On the 4th July, we performed a lecture demonstration at Parklands Equestrian Centre at Aston near Sheffield. As soon as we walked onto the yard

A comfortable and happy horse is something all owners and trainers are aiming for. We know that feeding, management and training all play a big part together with correctly fitting tack. Saddle fit has long been a focus of attention and now thankfully bridle fit and bitting is seen as being just as important and can have a huge impact of your horse’s well-being and performance. As horse owners and professionals learn more about equine biomechanics and anatomy it’s becoming cl

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

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

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.

The recorded webinar Understanding and Improving Engagement and Collection focuses on the anatomy of the hindlimb. The main driving forces of your horse is provided by the muscles of the hindquarters and the upper hind limb. Impulsion is pushing power – the thrust that’s produced when energy created in the hindlimb is converted to forward movement. Impulsion and collection are needed in varying degrees in all disciplines not just dressage. For example, when your horse jumps

Tired and achy muscles make you feel miserable let alone feeling stiff, uncomfortable and generally lacking energy. Your horse will feel the same if his muscles are sore, but he doesn’t always have the option to take it easy for a few days. He’ll have to put up with it or communicate his discomfort to you in other ways as it impacts his ability to do the work you ask of him. Massage therapy has been used for thousands of years to help promote good muscle health in humans and

Good horsemanship and correct training are two key parts of the puzzle when it comes to your horse being able to perform at his best.