‘If you don’t use it, you loose it’ or ‘To rest is to rust’. Two phrases you will often hear Gillian Higgins share in her lecture demonstrations, in reference to joint mobility and muscle memory. However on a recent trip I took to Sweden to assist Gillian with not only a lecture demo but also a day of teaching students to develop their palpation and anatomy, I realised it applies to your memory too!
Read MoreIt was at the 2020 Horses Inside Out Conference that I first became aware of Dr. Sue Dyson’s RHPE (Ridden Horse Pain Ethogram). You can read more about this in one of my previous blogs.
Since then Sue has been campaigning to get this information spread far and wide in the equine community and for it to become a go to assessment technique for musculoskeletal discomfort in horses & ponies for vets, therapists, owners, riders & trainers alike.
Read MoreThis year as part of the Horses Inside Out conference at Loughborough University in February, there was the opportunity to visit Gillian Higgins’ bigger and more comprehensive than ever Anatomy Exhibition. Either as part of the whole weekend experience, or as a stand alone entry for the exhibition alone.
I had heard a few rumours about some of the additions to this year’s exhibition and was so excited to see it.
Read MoreI couldn’t believe it when the weekend of the 2024 Horses Inside Out conference arrived in February. Where has the last year gone?
I had been looking forward to the conference as I have been laid up with a back injury for a few months and this was my first proper outing, I knew the line up of speakers was going to be incredible and this year the anatomy exhibition was going to be bigger then ever. That along with the opportunity the conference brings to catch up with my peers and friends and to meet new ones, I had been practically focusing my rehab from injury so that I would be fit enough to attend!
Read MoreWhen I first heard world renowned Equine Veterinarian and Dental Vet Specialist Dr. Chris Pearce from the Equine Dental Clinic present at the Horses Inside Out Conference in February 2023, I came away with mixed feelings. What I had just heard and learnt from Chris was absolutely fascinating and exciting for horses and the future of Equine Dentistry whilst at the same time making me feel uneasy about some of the dentistry practices, dental complaints and bitting injuries that horses have had to and are still having to in some cases endure.
Read MoreWhen I heard that Horses Inside Out would be hosting a whole day online Seminar with Jessica I could not wait to get my ticket so that I could watch it presented live.
And I have to say I was not disappointed.
This seminar, titled ‘Understanding Equine Orthopaedic Problems’ was an absolutely jam packed full day of information and fantastic dissection photographs and diagnostic imaging to see and have explained by Jessica.
Read MoreLast week I attended another CPD in person training day at Rose Holistic Therapies & Training.
This day course was led by Lucy Yeomans who I did Equine Acupressure training with earlier in the year. Lucy works with horses & dogs very much energetically. This was something I took some interest in during the Acupressure training and wanted to learn more about. And I was also very interested to learn how this type of work can be used to realign & rebalance a horse’s body and also release the Psoas muscles.
Read MoreThis week I have been on some training with Osteopath Sara Farina at Rose Holistic Therapies and Training School.
I have spent quite a bit of time at Rose Therapies this year doing various CPD days and have a few more planned too. Jo Rose hosts a number of different courses with a variety of course leaders.
This was my first time meeting Sara. She is an Osteopath from Italy, who works in the UK and around Europe treating humans, horses and dogs. She is very passionate about her subject and was a great course leader, open to discussion and happy to answer any questions.
Read MoreThis week I attended a CPD course with Racheal Maxwell of Animal Botanicals at Jo Rose Therapies & Training on Lymphatics.
I have been interested to gain some more in depth knowledge of the Equine Lymphatic System and how as a therapist I can help horses with lymphatic issues or edema.
Read MoreThe latest CPD I attended was just a few weeks ago with Jo Rose Therapies, the subject of the day was Integrating the McTimoney Corley Approach with Tuning Forks into Animal Structural Therapies.
This was an Equine and Canine CPD day, which meant I got to take my own dogs Elsie and Vera along as models :)
As I write this blog I have recently returned from an incredible few days away with someone who has become a good friend over the last 3 or so years. Gillian Higgins called me a few months ago to say she had been invited to Sweden to present one of her painted horse lecture demonstrations and was wondering if I would like to accompany her on the trip to be a helping hand. How could I say no!?
Read MoreLast week I was excited to be attending a CPD in Animal Acupressure with Lucy Yeomans.
Lucy is a Reiki, Acupressure, Quantum Touch Healing, Myofascial Release and Visceral Release practitioner as well as an Equine Communicator.
The course was hosted by Rose Holistic Therapies who I have done multiple CPDs with before in Positional Release, Muscle Energy Techniques and Kinesiology Taping.
I have been looking forward to learning about Acupressure and how to apply it to horses, this course also included working on dogs which is cool, as although I am not a dog therapist I do have my own dogs and this was an opportunity to take them with me for the 2 days and learn how to give them some therapy too.
Read MoreWhen I saw that Horses Inside out were going to be running an online seminar with Dr Seth O’Niell 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 incredibly engaging and so couldn’t wait for this seminar to come along so that I could learn more from him as well as look forward to the presentation from Gillian Higgins on Understanding the Tendons & Ligaments of the Lower Limb.
Read MoreEarlier 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 represent Horses Inside Out at the Dublin International Horse Show! How could I possibly decline!
August soon crept up on us - this year seems to be flying by - and it was time to head to Dublin.
Read MoreHave you ever heard the saying ‘lateral flexion comes before longitudinal flexion’ or how about ‘without true bend you can’t have true straightness’ ?
Both sayings I have heard a few times over the years, and I understand what the principles are behind them, but putting this into practice can be more of a challenge.
How does the horse’s body create bend?
Read MoreEvery Wednesday through the Autumn, Winter and Spring months Gillian Higgins from Horses Inside Out brings us an educational webinar, each on a new and exciting topic.
This month the topic was The Anatomy of the Head: Related to Bridle Fit and Design.
Read MoreA day long seminar with Dr. Andrew Hemmings.
This day was aimed at Equine Professionals and designed to help us understand more about the brain itself, how it works, what stimulates certain behaviours.
Read MoreThis weekend I was really excited to be attending the online seminar ‘Digestive Anatomy, Feeding & Nutrition’
The seminar was hosted by Horses Inside Out and there were 3 speakers during the day.
Anatomist Gillian Higgins
Independent Nutritionist Clare Macleod
Vet Liam Gamble
This month was the welcome return of ‘Webinar Wednesdays’ with Gillian Higgins of Horses Inside Out.
This month’s topic was ‘Muscular Misconceptions’ and all about the muscles in the horse’s body on which we place the saddle and sit.
Read MoreHow does your horse use their body to jump and how can jumping help your horse?
Find out more with Horses Inside Out.
This year I was very fortunate to be asked to be a part of the preparation and filming for a series of Horses Inside Out lecture demonstrations that were to be aired this Autumn as a series of live webinars.
You can read more about the filming days for these webinars at the Horses Inside Out Blog page.
The latest to be released was the final episode – Jumping From An Anatomical Approach.
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