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A Documentary Series

This is an informative documentary series which focuses on the challenges facing horses in the modern world.

 

Using the story of her own horse and original Horses Inside Out star, Freddie Fox and his skeleton as a case study, equine anatomy and biomechanics specialist, Gillian Higgins, is joined by special guests and celebrities, all  equestrian professionals and world leaders in their field, and many of whom were part of the multi-disciplinary team involved with managing Freddie during his lifetime.

 

They illustrate anatomy and biomechanics relevant to improving performance, dispel myths and misconceptions, question traditions, throw light on what modern standards should be and discuss assessment, management and training methods. This fun, conversational style series aims to help horse owners learn more about their horses, raise awareness about comfort, movement, welfare and methods for ensuring the best possible standards in the equine world, whatever we do with horses.

 

They illustrate anatomy and biomechanics relevant to improving performance, dispel myths and misconceptions, question traditions and throw light on what modern standards should be and discuss assessment, management and training methods.

 

Professionally filmed and produced by videographer Matthew Roberts, this fun, conversational style series aims to help horse owners learn more about their horses, raise awareness about comfort, movement, welfare and methods for ensuring the best possible standards in the equine world, whatever we do with horses.

This documentary series is dedicated to Caroline Moore,
a dear mentor, coach and friend.

In collaboration with

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Freddie's Story

£25
with Gillian Higgins
Wednesday 24th September 2025

In the first Chapter of The Bare Bones of the Matter, equine anatomy and biomechanics specialist, Gillian Higgins shares the full story of the original Horses Inside Out star, Freddie Fox, She reminisces on the fun times and tales, shares the lessons that can be learnt from his life and Talks about the team required to manage him and keep him comfortable and performing well at each stage of his life. Gillian introduces us to Freddie’s skeleton, explains his anatomy and the story we can learn from his bones. Understanding anatomy can help us improve the comfort and performance of our equine companions and be better able to understand and avoid issues, whatever we do with horses. We hear from a selection of equine scientists and professionals as they discuss different elements of Freddie’s skeleton relevant to their areas of expertise. This is a must- see chapter for all equestrians.

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Holistic Training

with Caroline Moore and Richard Davison
Wednesday 1st October 2025
£25

The Holistic Training chapter of ‘The Bare Bones of the Matter’ focuses on coaching and training for longevity and performance. Gillian is joined by eventing performance coach Caroline Moore FBHS and Olympian and dressage specialist Richard Davison. They discuss holistic training, finding a good horse, producing horses, longevity, preventing injury, the correct outline, anatomical misconceptions, neuromuscular training, how to find the right coach and welfare issues facing coaches in the modern  equestrian world. There is also a short interview with behaviour specialist and trainer Kelly Marks who discusses the importance of learning. If you are interested in riding, training or coaching horses this is a must- see chapter.

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Healthy Bones

with Dr Sue Dyson
Wednesday 8th October 2025
£25

In the Healthy Bones Chapter of The Bare Bones of the Matter, lameness consultant and performance specialist Dr Sue Dyson and Gillian discuss the story bones tell us, bony changes from bits, and common problems such as arthritis, neck pain, ECVM, navicular disease, kissing spines, congenital abnormalities, hock problems, the importance of strengthening, how to assess your horses back and so much more. As well as myth busting, this chapter is full of methods horse owners can adopt to assess and improve their horses.

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Hoof Care and Balance

with Mark Johnson
Wednesday 15th October 2025
£25

In Chapter 4 of ‘The Bare Bones of the Matter’ Gillian is joined by farrier and barefoot specialist Mark Johnson. They discuss the importance of the hoof, anatomical connections, methods for improving and the effects of hoof balance, assessing movement and hoof shape, bare foot vs boots and shoes and so much more. There is also a short interview with farriery legend Simon Curtis who literally wrote the book on angular limb deformities and asymmetry in young horses. If you want to get the most out of your horse’s feet this is a must- see chapter.

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Dentistry, Performance and Beyond

with Dr Chris Pearce
Wednesday 12th November 2025
£25

In the dentistry chapter of The Bare Bones of the Matter, Gillian is joined by vet and dental specialist Dr Chris Pearce. They discuss dental pain as a cause of poor performance, common dental problems every equestrian should know about, commonly misunderstood issues and areas of the head such as the hyoid, the TMJ, balancing the incisors and what we as horse owners should expect from a modern dental examination. If you want to have a great contact and if you want your horse to be comfortable in the mouth and head - this is a chapter not to be missed.

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Saddlery and Symmetry

with Laurence Pearman and Catherine Baker
Wednesday 19th November 2025
£25

In the saddlery and symmetry chapter of The Bare Bones of the Matter, Gillian is joined by master saddlers Laurence Pearman and Catherine Baker. They discuss the anatomical challenges of designing and fitting saddles, how to check saddle fit, what to expect from a saddle fitting session, asymmetry and fitting for the rider as well as the horse. There is also a short interview with research scientist and biomechanist Dr Russell MacKechnie Guire and saddle engineer David Kempsell. They discuss anatomy relevant to research into saddles, symmetry and horse and rider interaction. This is a must see chapter for anyone into riding horses. 

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Veterans and Veterinary Care

with Matthew Barlow
Wednesday 26th November 2025
£25

In the Veterans and Veterinary Care Chapter of The Bare Bones of the Matter, Gillian is joined by vet Matthew Barlow and they discuss managing older horses, cushings, choke, strangles, melanomas and more. There is a short interview with the head of Welfare from Redwings Horse Sanctuary Dr Nic de Brauwere. This is an emotional chapter and the last in this series, as Gillian shares details about the final part of Freddie’s journey. This is a challenging but important subject for all horse owners to face. 

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Live Question and Discussion Session*

with Gillian Higgins, Sue Dyson, Chris Pearce, Catherine Baker, Mark Johnson, Clare MacLeod and Richard Davison
6.30pm GMT Wednesday 3rd December 2025
*included in the whole series ticket

After viewing of all the chapters in this series, join Gillian and the feature presenters for a lively group discussion with the opportunity to ask questions.

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Purchasing Options

Buy series before 20th June and SAVE £100!

EARLY BIRD WHOLE SERIES TICKET PRICE: £75 

Buy individual episodes:

£25 per episode

Purchase the whole series after 20th June:

£95 for whole series (SAVE £80)

How it Works

Chapters in this documentary series are approximately 1 hour and 20minutes long.

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There will be opportunity to ask questions at the live discussion session with the feature presenters on 3rd December. This is included in the whole series ticket.

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Each chapter will be available to view from the date listed above. 

 

Enjoy lifetime on-demand access 

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A certificate of participation will be available after viewing.

About the Feature Presenters

speakers

About the Short Form Presenters

About the Collaborators

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The British Horse Society is collaborating with the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series in particular; Chapter 2: Holistic Training in relation to the BHS training and exam system, Chapter 4: Dentistry Performance and Beyond - in relation to their campaign - No Pain Check Again and Chapter 7: Veterans and Veterinary Care in relation to the BHS campaign Friends at the End

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World Horse Welfare is collaborating with the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series in particular; Chapter 2: Holistic Training in relation to the importance of understanding learning theory and Chief Executive Roly Owers contributes a short feature in this episode.

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The Society of Master Saddlers is collaborating with the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series in particular; Chapter 6: Saddlery and Symmetry in relation to the importance of saddle fitting with a qualified professional helping to demonstrated the modern gold standard.

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The Performance Mentoring Programme (PMP) is Caroline Moore's legacy aiming to advance the training of the young professional event rider to excel in the sport of eventing. This is something we hope to support through this documentary. Caroline presents in chapter 2 and fives a great insight into her training methods as well as the PMP.

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The 24 Behaviours is Dr Sue Dyson's superb ridden horse performance checklist and gives a fabulous system for horse owners and equestrian professionals to recognise the ridden horse in pain. Sue touches on this in chapter 3: Healthy Bones of this documentary series.

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The Equine Dental Clinic, a true centre of excellence for equine dentistry offering advanced and referral services as well as routine dental appointments, is collaborating on the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series and Chapter 5: Dentistry Performance and Beyond in particular. 

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Intelligent Horsemanship, an educational horse training membership organisation, is collaborating on the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series and Chapter 2: Holistic Training in particular as Kelly Marks features with a short interview in this chapter.

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Clare MacLeod, Horse Nutrition Health and Fitness, is collaborating on the Bare Bones of the Matter documentary series and Chapter 1: Freddie's Story and Chapter 7: Veterans and Veterinary Care as Clare gives advice on how to feed and manage veteran horses. 

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