Pilates for Horses
A Day Course for Horse Owners with Gillian Higgins
This practical day course focuses on 'Pilates' exercises that you can do with your own horse. Learning how to do these groundwork exercises can be hugely beneficial to all horses and can help boost performance.
During this course you will learn how to perform exercises that will improve:
Posture
Core stability
Strength
Flexibility
Suppleness
Coordination
Balance
And more.
You’ll go home with ideas for exercise programmes for:
Preparing and strengthening young horses
Supporting posture and musculoskeletal health of performance horses
Maintaining the health and mobility of older horses
There will be plenty of hands-on participation with the opportunity to practise the exercises on different horses with Gillian present to help and guide you.
Course Trailer
Gillian developed her 'Pilates' for horses exercises and techniques as she recognised that many horses, as well as people, could benefit from improved posture, core strength, stability, flexibility, coordination and balance.
Many of the Pilates principles can be applied to the horse. Core stability and strength are as important to horses as they are to riders. Maintaining stability, posture and balance can contribute to more effective training, improved performance and can reduce the risk of injury.
By performing these specific exercises, the core muscles that make for good posture, a strong back and assist in carrying the weight of the rider can be strengthened. These include the deep internal muscles of the abdomen, pelvis, thoracic sling, and back together with the more superficial muscles of the trunk.
Core strengthening exercises can be invaluable as part of a rehabilitation programme following injury. Using specific exercises to target and stimulate weak or injured muscles can be particularly useful. Following permission from your vet, any well-qualified therapist will be able to advise on an individually designed programme of exercises.
Course Details
Timetable
09.00 Welcome and Coffee
09.30 Principles of Posture - Theory Session
11.00 Break
11.30 In Stable Postural Exercises - Practical Session
12.30 Lunch
13.15 Postural Exercises - Practical Session
14.30 Break
15.00 Pole work Exercises - Practical Session
16.00 Discussion
16.30 Close
Notes
Tea, coffee and homemade cakes will be available throughout the day
Please bring your own packed lunch
This course is held both inside and out so please bring appropriate warm clothes for a day out on the yard.
This course is limited to 14 people to ensure small groups and individual attention.
You do not need to bring your own horse for this course.
Course Price
Course Leader
Gillian Higgins
Gillian is an equine anatomist, biomechanist, BHS Senior Coach, professional Sports and Remedial Therapist and author with a first class honours degree in Equine Science and Business Management.
She specialises in assessing the musculoskeletal systems and designing exercise programmes for improving posture and performances as well as assessing and addressing individual horses’ weaknesses.
Gillian works with horses from all disciplines and levels from leisure to Olympic and they all benefit from Gillian's specialised exercise programmes.
In 2008 she developed her own 'Pilates' for Horses when she wrote a book 'Pilates and Stretching for Horses' and later followed this up with a DVD and videos on Pilates for Horses. With a passion for equine 'Pilates' and with the welfare and comfort of the horse in mind, she has given 'Pilates' workshops all over the world.
All of Gillian's courses are supported by a wealth of photographs and video footage taken from years worth of work including footage of her anatomically painted horses and from her dissections.
This ensures that you will be better able to visualise the anatomy in relation to the horse.
This course is run at the Horses Inside Out headquarters, Wavendon Grange near Melton Mowbray in Leicestershire.
The facilities at this central UK location include a small yard with a variety of horses, arenas and a classroom complete with audiovisual facilities.
This is a comfortable and professional space for learning where you are always guaranteed a friendly welcome.
Gillian has many bones, skeletons and anatomical models in the teaching barn for you to view and handle.
Being able to bring horses into the teaching barn alongside the anatomical models really helps to combine the theory and the practice!
