2026 marks 20 years of making the invisible visible. From one painted horse in a livery yard to a globally respected education platform, the journey has transformed how people understand, care for, and train horses.

This milestone is a celebration of innovation, education, collaboration, and honouring the horses, people, and ideas that shaped the journey. It's also an opportunity to look forward to the future of equine anatomy, welfare, and performance education. 

Over the last two decades, the way Gillian paints horses has changes quite a lot. From the first full skeleton on a horse (top picture) back in 2006 to the modern skeleton painting of today (bottom picture). The painting technique and style has significantly improved over the last 20 years!

In this article we take a look in pictures at 20 key milestones that have helped shape Horses Inside Out.

Milestone 1

The first Horses Inside Out Event! Gillian painted anatomical landmarks on Freddie Fox during An Introduction to Massage Workshop. 

Horses Inside Out was born in 2006 from a simple but powerful idea: to make equine anatomy visible. Early workshops and lecture demonstrations took place across England, with anatomy painted directly onto horses. Freddie Fox quickly became the face of Horses Inside Out, helping bring anatomy to life for horse owners and professionals alike.

Milestone 2

Calling in the Professionals

The first Horses Inside Out photoshoot with Matthew Roberts in 2007. This marked the start of a long-standing collaboration that continues today.

Milestone 3

2009 The First Ever Horses Inside Out Conference

Training from the Anatomical Perspective, held at the Unicorn Trust, Gloucestershire. From here annual conferences, dissection workshops, and professional CPD courses were regularly run.

Milestone 4

First Two Books are Published

Milestone 5

Gaining Worldwide Attention

Horses Inside Out were asked to give a lecture demonstration at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Florida. Demand grew rapidly, gaining national and international media attention. International workshops and lecture demonstrations followed across Europe, the USA, South America, and beyond. What began as an idea was now an established and growing international education movement.

Milestone 6

In 2012, the ambitious goal of painting every single anatomical system on a horse (mostly Freddie Fox) was achieved. This led to the publication of Horse Anatomy for Performance on 6th November and the Anatomy Poster Books on 24th April 2012.

Milestone 7

Appearing on TV

Also in 2012, Gillian and Freddie Fox star on ITVs Pet Nation with Liza Tarbuck and Joe Pasquale. Filmed at the London BBC Studios, it included a visit to the Blue Peter Garden! 

Milestone 8

Painting the 500th Horse

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In 2013 Dani Goldstein’s show jumper at West Palm Beach, Florida becomes the 500th horse painted firmly cementing Horses Inside Out as a leader in equine anatomy education.

Milestone 9

Painting the 500th Horse

Horses Inside Out was invited to give a demonstration at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, Normandy, France.

Milestone 10

First Life-Size Model Painted

Gillian completed her first full anatomical painting on a life-size model in 2015, establishing her as an equine anatomical artist and provider of educational models. Many of the models painted over the years can be found in equine educational institutions all round the UK.

Milestone 11

Another Book Published

Posture and Performance was published on 28th May 2015. This book looks at training and management from a completely different perspective and helps riders to make informed decisions to maximise their own and their horse's potential.

Milestone 12

Horses Inside Out Moves Home

In 2016 Horses Inside Out establishes its home at Wavendon Grange in Leicestershire, creating a dedicated base for education, horses, and anatomical collections. Classroom and educational facilities have been developed helping to make Horses Inside Out HQ a unique centre for equine anatomical excellence and learning.

Milestone 13

Painting for Royalty

Gillian was honoured to paint a horse for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. This was a defining moment in the organisation’s history.

Milestone 14

Equestrian Recognition

In 2018 Gillian was awarded the BHS Award of Merit for contributions to the BHS and equestrianism.

Milestone 15

The Pandemic!

The quiet time of 2020 led to more time for creating and writing. Three books were published in that year, including multimedia (book with videos) projects.

Sacroiliac Ligaments and Iliopsaos muscle group published on 28th June.

Exploring Equine Anatomy, published on 10th August.

Anatomy in Action book and biomechanics course published on 20th November 2020.

The pandemic was a time of significant change and to survive having to think differently. This led to the launch of an online learning library, the Horses Inside Out Academy. This was a huge turning point for Horses Inside Out. Enabling Gillian to catalogue and present her lectures online as well as offering educational opportunities with other leading equestrian experts.

Milestone 16

A Lasting Legacy

In July 2021, aged 25, in a field he knew, surrounded by the people who loved and cared for him, whilst munching his favourite treat, Freddie Fox, the original Horses Inside Out star was peacefully put to sleep. Then reborn in skeleton form a year later to continue educating equestrians about anatomy.

It was emotional building and then unveiling Freddie Fox’s skeleton at the Horses Inside Out Conference in 2023. This also led to the publication of the Bare Bones of the Matter Documentary Series in 2025. This is a lasting legacy of Freddie Fox and tells the story of how one horse’s lifetime will transform the future welfare and well-being of our horses.

Milestone 17

Competition Winner

Gillian won the Institute of Anatomical Science’s 2024 Open Competition with the Anatomical Head Model, Poseidon.

Milestone 18

13th Book Published

The Complete Pilates for Horses Programme launched on 20^th November 2024. – it includes a book, online tutorial course, ebook and planner.  Taking the total number of books authored by Gillian up to 13. Gillian’s books have now been published in 15 different languages.

Milestone 19

Continuing to Learn How the Horse Functions

Having led dissections courses since 2008, in 2025 Gillian performed her 50th dissection.

Milestone 20

Still Painting Horses!

The 1500th horse was painted for a live painted horse lecture demonstration at Aberystwyth University. This was the fifth biennial visit to the university for a demonstration for the students and equestrian public in 2025.

Here's to the Next 20 Years!

As we celebrate this incredible 20-year journey, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has been part of Horses Inside Out—our horses, supporters, students, collaborators, and friends. You’ve helped turn a simple idea into something truly impactful. But this isn’t the finish line… it’s just the beginning. There is so much more to come, and we’re more passionate than ever about making a difference to horse welfare through education. If you believe in what we do, please help us spread the word, share it with your horsey friends, your yard, your community. Together, we can reach even more horses and the people who care for them. The next chapter starts now.....