Horses Inside Out

14/02/2025

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗙𝗮𝗰𝘁 - 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 is the largest of all the cranial nerves and one of the most important to consider when fitting a bridle.
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This complex nerve has three branches - Opthalmic branch, Maxillary branch and Mandibular branch.
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This nerve is responsible for sensation to the head and face, and for the motor function of the chewing muscles.
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The information sent to the brain covers everything from temperature and pressure to proprioception, and pain.
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For lots more fascinating facts about the horse's head take a look at my book, 𝗜𝗹𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗛𝗲𝗮𝗱 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆. Discover how the anatomical structures of the head influence movement and biomechanics, as well as the muscular and skeletal health and performance of the entire horse.
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13/02/2025

Are you struggling with a horse that isn’t performing quite as it should? Do you ever wonder if it’s a training challenge - or something more?

Recognising when performance issues stem from pain is a crucial skill for every rider, coach, judge, therapist, and equestrian professional. For the good of the horse, we must learn to identify subtle signs of discomfort before they become bigger problems.

Movement and Behaviour is an eye-opening online course featuring Dr. Sue Dyson and her Ridden Horse Performance Checklist. This course will empower you with the skills to assess performance issues with confidence and clarity.

If you'd like to know more send us a DM.

12/02/2025

Overwhelmed by the sheer number of supplements, additives, and balancers on the market for your horse? Wondering what your horse really needs (and what’s just clever marketing)?

Join Professor Meriel Moore Colyer for an exclusive webinar where she’ll break down
✅ The must-haves vs. the myths
✅ Joint supplements, calmers, and digestive aids – do they work?
✅ How to choose wisely and avoid wasting money

📅 When? Wednesday 19th February 2025
⏰ Time? 6.30pm (GMT)
💻 Where? Online via Zoom – join from anywhere!

Don’t miss out on expert advice that could save you time, money, and stress!

Book your spot today! www.horsesinsideout.com/webinars

11/02/2025

Variety is the spice of life!

🐎 As your horse's personal trainer it’s important to expose him to a wide variety of surfaces and experiences.

As more and more of us ride on artificial surfaces, some horses aren’t being ridden over more natural terrains such as grass, hills, tracks, or different road surfaces.

If your horse is worked only on one type of surface it will make him less resilient and more susceptible to injury when he's faced with a different surface.

Riding your horse over different terrain and surfaces makes him more surefooted, improves his spatial awareness (proprioception), neuromuscular and motor control.

If you can plan your hacks so you ride over different terrains – some roadwork, riding on grass – up and down hills etc.

Hill work is great for improving your horse’s cardiovascular fitness as well as giving him a full body workout, improving topline, balance, coordination and lower leg strength.

📸 Share pictures of you and your horse out and about exploring and riding over different terrain in the comments below.

09/02/2025

🎨 Relax, Learn & Explore Equine Anatomy!

Exploring Equine Anatomy – A Mindfulness Colouring Book by Gillian Higgins! 🖌️ This unique book blends art, education, and relaxation, offering a soothing and inspiring way to deepen your knowledge of equine anatomy.

🖍️ 30 stunning black & white anatomical drawings to colour
🎨 3 beautiful colour plates for inspiration
💡 Insightful anatomical terminology to expand your knowledge
🧘‍♂️ Mindful colouring to calm the mind & feed the soul
🐎 Perfect for all horse lovers – from equestrians to artists & anatomy enthusiasts!

Order your copy today - tap the link in the photo

08/02/2025

Poles for Posture – On-Demand Webinar!

Want to improve your horse’s posture, strength, and suppleness? 💪 For just £10, get 2 hours of expert guidance in this on-demand webinar – watch anytime, anywhere!

📌 What You’ll Learn:
✅ How polework enhances posture, balance & flexibility
✅ Exercises to improve symmetry, strength & coordination
✅ Step-by-step demonstrations at walk & trot, in-hand or ridden
✅ Slow-motion videos of anatomically painted horses showing biomechanics in action

This webinar is a must-watch for every horse owner! 🐎

Watch now for just £10!
The product is linked in the image - tap on it to go to our website

07/02/2025

The Lymphatic System - Essential for strong immunity, the lymphatic system protects the body against bacteria and disease. 💪

The lymphatic system consists of lymph, lymph vessels, lymph nodes and bone marrow.

05/02/2025

🐴 Healthy Gut, Healthy Horse – A Must-Watch Webinar!

Are you feeding your horse the right way, or could you be killing with kindness?

Join Professor Meriel Moore-Colyer for an essential live webinar on Wednesday, 12th February 2025, at 6:30 PM (GMT) to uncover the truth about feed-related metabolic disorders.

📌 What You’ll Learn:
✅ The causes & symptoms of EGUS, Colic, EMS, Laminitis, and PPID
✅ How inappropriate diets contribute to these serious conditions
✅ The secrets to keeping a ‘hungry horse’ satisfied without risk
✅ How to combine dietary ingredients for maximum benefit & minimum risk

💷 Price: £35
🎥 Live & interactive – don’t miss out - Get your questions answered!

Sign up now 👇
📩 www.horsesinsideout.com/webinars

04/02/2025

STRAIGHTNESS is a key pillar of training

👉 Walk is the most effective pace to see how straight your horse is because it’s the slowest and gives you the time to watch and make assessments.

👉 Observing your horse as he walks towards and away from you is an effective way of evaluating symmetry and soundness.

👉 A horse that’s straight, sound and symmetrical should move on two tracks with his head and neck aligned with the middle of his chest.

👉 As your horse walks towards you look at the alignment of his joints starting at the hoof and working upwards.

CANTER is the most difficult pace to ride straight as this gait is asymmetrical.

🐎 Riding your horse in a slight shoulder-fore position in canter will help to straighten, strengthen and balance him.

What exercises do you use to help improve your horse's straightness - share them in the comments below. 👇

03/02/2025

The horse has not evolved to carry the weight of a rider on their back, and if we would like them to this job for us we owe it to them to help them develop the body they need to do that job. This was the focus of the Preventing Back Problems webinar.

Find out what Jessica Limpkin - Equine Massage Therapy thought about this webinar and she also reveals a few of the take home messages in this new article.

Read the article in full here 👇

Back issues in horses can vary from tight, sore back muscles to muscle atrophy or even bony pathology such as Kissing Spine. There are lots

02/02/2025

Discover the Secrets of Your Horse's Anatomy! 📚

𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗺𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 is beautifully illustrated book which brings the 11 anatomical systems of the horse to life, showing you how their structure influences everything from care and management to riding and training.

✨ Learn how the systems interact and impact performance.
✨ Gain practical, easy-to-understand insights into equine anatomy.
✨ Perfect for every horse lover, from riders to trainers!

Whether you're a competitive rider, coach, a caring owner, or simply fascinated by equine anatomy, this book is a must-have.

👉 Grab your copy now and elevate your understanding of these amazing animals!

01/02/2025

📢 Master the Biomechanics of Lateral Work with Gillian Higgins!

Leg-yield, shoulder-in, travers—these essential exercises are the key to unlocking your horse’s suppleness, balance, and strength. But do you truly understand how your horse moves sideways?

This on-demand webinar breaks down the biomechanics of lateral work using anatomically painted horses and slow-motion videos, helping you visualise exactly what’s happening beneath the surface.

✅ Learn the differences between leg-yield vs. half-pass, shoulder-in vs. renvers & travers
✅ Understand how myofascial chains influence movement
✅ Discover mobilising, strengthening & stretching exercises to enhance your horse’s performance
✅ Gain practical techniques to assess and improve lateral work

Perfect for riders, coaches & therapists who want to refine their knowledge and ride with more precision and harmony!

🔗 The product is linked in the image.

31/01/2025

Did you know this about your horse’s vision?

Horses have almost all-round vision, able to scan their surroundings with just a slight movement of their head. 🐴 Here are a few more fascinating (and important!) things to keep in mind about how your horse sees the world.

👁️ Horses have a wide field of vision, but it changes when they're working in an outline. In this position, their focus shifts downward, restricting their view.

🚫 Blind Spots: Horses can’t see directly behind them or straight in front of their forehead.

📏 Objects less than 1.5 meters (5 feet) in front of them are a blur!

👀 If you can’t see at least one of your horse’s eyes, they can’t see you either!

Understanding your horse’s vision helps improve communication and ensures a safer, more rewarding partnership.

Share this post and tag your horsey friends to help everyone understand more about how the horse works.

30/01/2025

Last Chance!

⏰ Time is running out....Join the Horses Inside Out Academy before the end of January and get FREE lifetime access to the on-demand webinar Understanding The Horse's Back. This FREE Gift is worth £10!

The Horses Inside Out Academy is your go-to online learning resource! And here's the BEST part: It's completely FREE to join!

📚 Gain exclusive access to recorded webinars, online lecture demonstrations, and video lectures designed to deepen your understanding of equine anatomy and biomechanics. Learn which exercises improve your horse's posture and stay updated with the latest research from leading equestrian experts.

💻There's also a FREE Tutorial Video channel where you will discover lots of effective ways to ensure your horse's comfort and well-being.

📥 Sign up today ➡️ www.horsesinsideout.com/academy

29/01/2025

📣1 week to go...Nutrition Nurtures Everything
Episode 2: Galloping Forward with Healthy Lungs

📅 Webinar Date: Wednesday 5 February 2025
🕒 Time: 6.30pm (GMT)
🌐 Format: Online via Zoom (Join from anywhere!)

In this webinar Meriel will discuss the importance of respiratory health, alongside the most common lower respiratory tract problems encountered by 14% of all horse owners.

This is a fast-moving area of equine research, so Meriel will review the latest results and its relevance to you, the horse owner.

How can dust interaction be reduced while still providing the necessary forage is a conundrum facing owners with horses with allergic respiratory disorders.

The pros and cons of different feeds and how season can affect dust levels and respiratory health will also be covered.

Book your place here -

28/01/2025

𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘅 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 - a basic myofascial release technique which can be performed anywhere on the horse’s body.

As the name suggests, this technique involves slowly circling the skin and moving it over the structures underneath. It's particularly effective in areas where there is a lot of skin movement and where the muscles underneath are aligned in multiple directions. For example, around the girth area and the thoracic sling muscles in between the front legs.

This technique is really good for performing in the areas under the saddle, girth and bridle to release and rehydrate the superficial fascia after the horse has had the pressure of tack in those areas.

Skin Circling is good for:
✅ Relaxation
✅ Mobilising the skin and superficial fascia
✅ Easing tension in superficial muscles and fascia
✅ Stimulating the circulatory system
✅ Stimulating nerve endings


𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻 𝗖𝗶𝗿𝗰𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴
1. Check your posture and lower your energy before you start.

2. Place your hands on the area you are going to massage and allow a moment of acclimatisation. One hand will be the circling hand and the other your feedback hand, so for example if you are massaging along the back, place your other hand on the withers and allow your forearm to rest against the horse too.

3. Imagine your hand is stuck to the skin and move the skin slowly over the structures underneath in a circular motion.

4. Try to encourage the skin to move as far as it will and a little further in each direction, in other words try to move the skin in as large a circle as you possibly can without letting your hand slip over the skin.

5. Move your hand onto another area of the body and repeat.

You can also do a double handed technique (as shown in the picture) where you use both hands together to create the circle.

If you'd like to learn other massage techniques that your horse will love, 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘂𝗽 to the 𝗛𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗢𝘂𝘁 𝗢𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲.

Head to www.horsesinsideout.com/omc for more details

27/01/2025

The Complete Pilates for Horses Programme is a game changer for horse owners and Equine Musculoskeletal practitioners alike.

Read Jessica Limpkin - Equine Massage Therapy review of this programme in full here 👇

Ever since my journey as an Equine Massage Practitioner began, Horses Inside Out has been has been my go to resource for anything regarding

26/01/2025

📚 Take a look at equine training and management from a completely different perspective with the book Posture and Performance 📖

🐎 Based on the principles of anatomy and biomechanics with welfare in mind, learn about:
🌟 Skeletal maturity
🌟 How to achieve good back posture
🌟 How stresses and strains in one part of the body affects another
🌟 Why some muscles become long and weak and others short and tight
🌟 How to reduce strain on ligaments and tendons
🌟 Which movements strengthen and condition muscles
🌟 Exercises for suppleness and core stability
🌟 Why pole work and gymnastic jumping benefits horses for all disciplines