Explore Your Autumn & Winter 2026 IH Magazine!
What’s Inside?
This time, there’s a particularly poignant thread running through the magazine as we remember Monty Roberts, whose recent passing has touched so many of us. Kelly shares her personal memories in My World, and we also look back at the extraordinary impact Monty had on horses and people around the world.
We’ve brought together another brilliant line-up of contributors this issue:
• Our Big Interview features Spanish dressage trainer Isaac Ares Rio, whose thoughtful, sympathetic approach to training focuses on biomechanics, communication and developing a genuine partnership between horse and rider.
• Abi Pass explores The Therapy Puzzle, looking at how to choose the right therapist for your horse and why understanding the different approaches available is so important.
• Gillian Higgins looks at joint mobilisation – small, subtle movements that can have surprisingly significant benefits for comfort, movement and soundness.
• Dr James Cooling explores therapeutic schooling and how thoughtful, biomechanically correct training can help rebuild the horse and rider through connection, balance and compassion.
• Dr Sue Dyson takes us through what a full work-up for lameness or poor performance actually involves – a really useful guide if you’ve ever felt that something isn’t quite right with your horse but struggled to know where to start.
• Jo Powell shares the wonderful story of Sandy, from a frightened, malnourished rescue pony to a ridden horse with a very exciting future ahead of him. It’s a lovely reminder of what patience, kindness and time can achieve.
• Dr Rosie Jones-McVey asks us to think about what happens when someone says “stop” – and whether being stopped, or being the person doing the stopping, is actually harder than we might imagine.
Plus, we’ve got fascinating member stories, IH news, a very special book review and extract from Merely a Rider, a spotlight on IH Trainer Christina Wyman-Smith, and our ever-popular IH Trainer client feedback.
Why You’ll Love This Issue
This is a particularly special issue for us as we remember Monty Roberts, whose recent passing has touched so many people within the IH family and far beyond. Monty’s influence on how we understand and communicate with horses has been enormous, and his ideas have shaped so much of what we do at Intelligent Horsemanship. Kelly’s personal memories in My World, together with the other memories and reflections in this issue, make this a very special opportunity to celebrate Monty and the legacy he leaves behind.
Alongside our tribute to Monty, there is plenty of practical help for anyone wanting to understand their horse better and improve their comfort, movement and way of going. If you’re ever unsure which therapist is right for your horse, Abi’s Therapy Puzzle gives you some really useful questions to ask and things to consider before booking someone. It’s a sensible reminder that there isn’t necessarily one magic therapy or quick fix, and that good assessment and communication matter.
If you’re interested in improving your horse’s movement and comfort, Gillian’s joint mobilisation article and James Cooling’s therapeutic schooling feature offer plenty to think about – particularly the idea that we should help our horses develop the strength and understanding they need to carry us well.
Sue Dyson’s feature is essential reading if you have concerns about lameness, poor performance or a change in ridden behaviour. It explains why a thorough investigation needs to look at the whole horse and, importantly, why some problems may only become apparent when the horse is ridden.
And Jo Powell’s story of Sandy is one of my favourites in this issue. From a tiny, desperately thin rescue pony to becoming a much-loved riding companion, it’s a beautiful story of hope, patience and giving a horse the time he needs.
There’s also plenty to make you stop and think, from Katherine Harberd’s exploration of why horses lean and how we can help them develop better symmetry and focus, to Abi Pass’s reflections from the Horses Inside Out Conference and Rosie Jones-McVey’s thought-provoking look at being “pulled up”.
And, of course, this issue is also a chance to remember Monty. His influence runs through so much of what we do at IH, and Kelly’s personal tribute, together with the memories shared by others, makes this a particularly special edition.
All our members can access this magazine for free, along with our full archive and loads of exclusive videos, webinars and resources. Not a member yet? Come and join our friendly community – we’d love to have you!
Complete Contents with Article Descriptions
04 Kelly Marks – My World: Remembering Monty
Kelly shares her personal memories of Monty Roberts and reflects on the extraordinary influence he had on her, on IH and on generations of horse people around the world.
08 Letters and Cartoon by Nat Herman
Your feedback, your stories and Nat’s brilliant cartoon – including some very useful thoughts about being prepared for an emergency with your horse.
10 IH News and Updates
All the latest from the IH world, including congratulations to IH Trainer Charlie Carr on completing her MSc in Equine Science, the success of the Vets with Horsepower tour and a behind-the-scenes look at putting the IH Magazine together.
11 IH Members’ Photos
More lovely moments shared by our members and their horses.
12 Meet a Member: Gerri Drought
Gerri shares her lifelong love of horses, her experiences as an instructor and how IH and horse psychology have continued to influence her work and learning.
14 Big Interview: Isaac Ares Rio, Spanish Dressage Trainer
Kelly Marks and Dr James Cooling talk to Isaac about his lifelong relationship with horses, his approach to dressage and his belief in creating sound, willing and physically balanced horses through progressive, sympathetic training.
18 IH Training: The Therapy Puzzle – Abi Pass
Abi explores the different types of therapy available to horse owners and explains how to choose the right practitioner for your individual horse, including the questions worth asking before booking.
24 IH Training: Joint Mobilisation – Gillian Higgins
Gillian explains how small, controlled movements can help maintain joint health, assess movement and identify areas where the body may be compensating or restricting movement.
27 IH Training: Therapeutic Schooling – Dr James Cooling
James explores how schooling can be used therapeutically to rebuild healthy movement, strength and trust, with the horse and rider working together rather than training being something we simply do to the horse.
32 IH Training: Why Every Uneducated Horse Leans – AlignmentHORSE
Katherine Harberd, with Liz VanRoss, explores why horses naturally lean and how simple practical exercises can help develop greater symmetry, focus and self-carriage.
34 IH Training: Poor Performance Investigated! – Dr Sue Dyson
Sue takes us through what a full lameness or poor-performance work-up involves, from taking a detailed history through to assessing the horse in different situations and, where necessary, using diagnostic techniques.
40 Rescue to Ridden – IH Trainer Jo Powell
Jo tells the heartwarming story of Sandy, a severely underweight rescue pony who gradually recovered and went on to become a much-loved ridden companion – with a very special little rider waiting in the wings.
42 Getting Pulled Up – Dr Rosie Jones-McVey
Rosie considers the difficult dynamics around being stopped in equestrian sport and asks us to think about trust, responsibility and what it means to be part of a system where sometimes someone has to say “stop”.
46 Soundness is a System – Abi Pass
Abi shares her takeaways from the 2026 Horses Inside Out Conference, exploring soundness, symmetry, laterality, rehabilitation and the importance of looking at the horse as a whole rather than searching for one simple cause or cure.
48 Book Review: Merely a Rider – Anneli Drummond-Hay
Kelly reviews this fascinating memoir and shares an extract from Anneli Drummond-Hay’s remarkable life with horses, including the story of her extraordinary horse Perhaps.
52 Spotlight: IH Trainer Christina Wyman-Smith
Christina shares her journey with horses, from childhood riding to discovering IH after finding herself with a challenging horse, and explains how her experiences have shaped the work she now does with horses and humans.
55 IH Trainer Client Feedback
Real-life success stories from our brilliant IH Trainers – showing how thoughtful, patient support can make such a difference to horses and their owners.
Navigation Tags
horse psychology, behaviour, horse welfare, Monty Roberts, Join-Up, dressage, training, biomechanics, rider biomechanics, therapeutic schooling, rehabilitation, soundness, lameness, poor performance, joint mobilisation, equine therapy, physiotherapy, chiropractic, bodywork, symmetry, alignment, laterality, rescue horses, retraining, confidence, horse-human communication, book reviews, IH Trainers
