"Study the bones of a horse well and they will tell you a story, because anatomy reflects function."

For Gillian Higgins, this is literal truth. When you have dissected hundreds of horses, studied countless skeletonsand spent decades translating the invisible architecture of muscle, boneand connective tissue into knowledge that transforms how people ride, trainand care for their horses, you learn that bones do, indeed, tell stories.

And Gillian has dedicated her life to helping the world hear them.

Gillian's journey began, like so many great horsewomen, with a deep love for horses and a desire to understand them completely. She competed up to Advanced level in British Eventing, as well as in Team Chasing, Dressageand Show Jumping. As a student, she represented Great Britain at the Student Rider's Nations Cup in Austria and in Canada (2006), where she achieved Individual Gold for dressage.

For Gillian, riding was never enough. She wanted to know what was happening beneath the skin. How muscles worked. How bones moved. How biomechanics influenced performance, soundnessand welfare. She wanted to understand the "why" behind every movement, every asymmetry, every limitation.

So she studied. Relentlessly.

Gillian earned a First Class Honours Degree in Equine Science and Business Management from the Royal Agricultural University. She became a British Horse Society Senior Coach. She qualified as a professional Sports and Remedial Therapist for both humans and horses. She studied equine massage with Mary Bromiley, earned a Diploma in McTimoney-Corley Manipulation from the Oxford College of Equine Physical Therapyand pursued certifications in KinesioTaping, Myofascial Release, Equine Biomechanicsand Electrotherapy.

She travelled to America, France, Germanyand Sweden to study both traditional and holistic equine therapies. She worked with horses from all disciplines and levels, from leisure riders to Olympic competitors. She attended dissection workshops, studied cadavers, photographed skeletal structuresand built an encyclopedic understanding of equine anatomy that few in the world possess.

But Gillian recognised something essential: knowledge locked in textbooks and academic papers doesn't help horses. Knowledge needs to be accessible, visual, practicaland inspiring.

So in 2006, Gillian founded Horses Inside Out, an award-winning, internationally recognised organisation dedicated to giving riders, coaches, therapistsand horse owners a fascinating insight into equine locomotion, trainingand management from an anatomical perspective.

To bring anatomy to life in a way no one had ever done before, Gillian began painting. Not on canvas. On horses.

Using non-toxic paints, Gillian meticulously illustrates the musculoskeletal system, skeletons, muscles, tendons, ligaments, directly onto live horses. The result is breathtaking: a visual education tool that makes the invisible visible. When people see a horse with its skeleton painted on, moving through gaits and exercises, they suddenly understand what is happening inside. They see how the bones articulate. How muscles contract. How imbalance manifests. How proper training supports the horse's body.

It is education as art. And it is unforgettable.

Gillian has presented her anatomically painted horses to audiences around the world: at the Household Cavalry, British Horse Society, British Dressage, British Eventing, the Global Dressage Forum, the World Equestrian Games, the World Arabian Horse Organisation in Qatarand to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

She has lectured at leading veterinary faculties to professional saddlers and saddle fitters, to therapists and bodyworkers, to riding instructors and horse owners across 23 countries on 5 continents. Her online academy, webinarsand courses have reached thousands more.

In 2021, Gillian made one of the most difficult decisions of her life: to build the skeleton of her beloved horse, Freddie Fox, who had been her partner for twenty years. At the Horses Inside Out annual conference, when she unveiled Freddie's skeleton and spoke about his life, she demonstrated exactly what she meant when she said bones tell stories. "I could see everything about Freddie's life through his skeleton, from his medical history to how he rode under saddle. Bones can tell us about arthritic changes, muscular asymmetry through attachment pointsand so much more."

Freddie's skeleton now serves as a teaching tool, continuing to educate riders and professionals long after his passing, a legacy of love, knowledgeand service to the horse community.