GILLIAN Higgins is one of the most well-respected equine therapists and equine educators in Europe and runs award-winning, international organisation Horses Inside Out. Higgins is also a former advanced eventer who often utilised the beach. “I used to walk them in the salt water of the sea because it was so helpful for the horse’s legs post-performance,” she explains, “and it was also much cheaper than a salt water spa treatment!”

Higgins is an advocate for positive equine posture and a big believer in polework for horses. She correlates beach work with polework and explains: “The benefit of walking poles in particular, is that they stimulate and condition the horse’s core strength. Similarly, when a horse walks through shallow water it lifts its feet up, over and back down, a bit like it has to with the ground poles. We recorded a video with a painted horse, looking at the effect of working horses in different water depths and it showed just how much the back, and therefore the core, is engaged by controlled water work. You can watch that on the Horses Inside Out Academy website.”

Higgins loves the idea of taking horses to ride or train on the beach, but points out it has to be the right beach. Her trick for beach riding is a simple one. “When I was young I was always taught that when I took my horse to the beach, to always ride in walk and trot to begin with, then turn and canter back along your own horse’s footprints. Sand varies and different areas can be hard then suddenly soft and if you canter blindly and the surface suddenly changes, you and your horse could end up on the ground. So the secret is, always follow your own tracks!”