There’s no getting away from it – horses are truly amazing and as owners, riders, trainers, therapists and other equestrian professionals our aim is to ensure the horses in our care are happy and healthy. As their carers we must learn to ride sensitively, manage them effectively, learn to read their emotions and behaviour to ensure all their needs are met so they can thrive and perform at their best. Having a thorough understanding of how the horse’s body works will go a long way to help us...

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 Out Online Massage Course . Learning these skills will help owners to build a better bond with their horse and help keep him comfortable and happy between visits from their professional therapist. Pre orders for this exciting new course are now being taken. It will officially launch on Friday 5 May 2023. As riders and owners, it’s important to take...

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

Written by Jessica Limpkin Equine Massage Therapist When I saw that Horses Inside out were going to be running an online seminar with Dr Seth O’Niell and Gillian Higgins I was very excited. My first experience of hearing Seth talk was at the Horses Inside Out conference in 2020, where he presented on Tendons and Tendinopathy Management and his work on how this translates from human athletes to equine athletes. You can read all about this in my previous blog . I remember finding Seth...

Following a packed first day, would the second day deliver such a wide ranging set of presentations? The resounding answer is yes it did! Watch the Conference on Catch Up here: www.horsesinsideout.com/conference-2023 The first two talks given by Dr Chris Pearce and Dr James Cooling covered the subject of bitting but both complemented each other perfectly. Comfort First and Foremost Chris discussed bitting injuries and how to avoid them, and he started by quoting from a book, The Loriner by...

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. Our last conference was in February 2020 just before the pandemic and the HIO team wasn’t sure whether, after a few years away, the conference would still be popular. We needn’t have worried, the two-day conference held at the Holywell Conference Centre, Loughborough was a huge success. The atmosphere was buzzing and everyone who attended in person seemed to...

In this third and final part, this blog looks at canter. Discover training tips and the benefits of using canter to improve your horse's musculoskeletal health. Canter is an asymmetrical three-beat gait with a moment of suspension. A good canter is rhythmical, balanced, energetic and powerful. Riding exercises in canter helps to improve strength, elasticity, balance, expression - and mobility of the musculoskeletal system. The benefits of canter Whatever discipline or activity you do with...

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 works should be high on the list for every rider, trainer and therapist as this information can help us to keep the horse's back healthy, strong and mobile. Knowing the names of the bones of course help us to communicate with our vet and other team members that help to look after our horses. But in my mind it is having an understanding of the locations, shapes...

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 engage in to...