February 2008
Henry was introduced an audience for the first time at Hartpury for the winners of the EHOA. True to form, the temperature was sub zero, but like Freddie last year, was painted under the solarium so was oblivious to the cold!. The new lecture, 'Core Stability for the Horse,' went down very well and Henry was well behaved if a little alarmed at some hammering on the roof just after we got started!
Freddie was on parade for the British Eventing Officials Weekend Conference at Moreton Morrel. It was slightly warmer and following a quick canter through the basic anatomy he was able to demonstrate to a mixed audience of course builders, scorers and Technical Advisers, 'How the Horse Jumps'.
For the Horses Inside Out winter lecture series,Liz Brown, (Asst Team Vet), gave a perceptive and humorous talk at The Royal Agricultural College on, The Veterinary Care of the Performance Horse' and gave many useful tips regarding looking after the horse at an event.
March and April saw considerable activity within Horses Inside Out. Jennie Killilea gave an inspirational talk on sports psychology for riders at the Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester.
Hinckley dressage group enjoyed their talk. Henry made his second appearance at a demonstration in Dorset, and was much less alarmed by the audience! Lectures followed at Ipswich, Ely and the Blue Barn in Kent. All were well attended and well received.
Wow saddles came to Kent and were able to offer advice on saddles and saddle fitting. Attendees in Kent also took the advantage of the opportunity to have muscular assessments on their horses. This proved to be very popular and is something we hope to do more of in the future. Following popular demand Horses Inside Out is currently working on producing a book which will be available in Spring 2009 and DVD which hopefully will be available in the autumn.
May and June
Horses Inside Out was invited to Bishop Burton College in May. This was our first visit and anatomy was brought to life for their students in a series of three lectures. The Musculoskeletal System, looking at How the Horse Moves and Pilates for Horses. It really is worth considering seeing a Horses Inside Out demonstration if you are doing exams. Not only does it make everything clearer but it has a real impact on training and riding programmes as well.
Following the success of their lecture demo last year Shuttleworth BHS held a Pilates for Horses evening which again was well attended. Henry was on parade and is now really getting into the swing of demonstrating his flexibility.
Horses Inside Out indoor winter series concluded with a Spring demonstration at West Wilts Equestrian Centre.
Midsummer Day saw us in Hay on Wye as guests of Karasel Saddlery. If you are ever in the region a visit to Karasel is a ‘must’ Ellie has a beautiful saddlery in lovely surroundings and you will be made most welcome.
This was our first outdoor demonstration and we had been praying for good weather. It poured! Ellie however had gone to enormous lengths to make the demo a success and people attended from as far afield as South Wales and the Midlands. We actually did the demonstration under a marquee. Freddie as usual was completely unfazed and took it all in his stride! The weather actually cleared enough for us to do a short demonstration out from under our shelter. Hay was characterised by a fantastically enthusiastic audience who were so full of questions that the demo was the longest we have ever done!
Having had a quiet start to the eventing season, both Henry and Freddie are in training for the late summer and early autumn events. They have both attended many photo shoots for magazines and our Horses Inside Out book which will be available in spring 2009. The DVD is still in the pipeline, but is certainly on its way. |