Cherry Birch Farm

237 Middle Road

Edgecomb Me 04556

1-207-882-9145

Katharian Braid

cherrybirch@roadrunner.com

We are filling up fast for the First International Conference at Science of motion farm! If you are planning to attend this event, please register quickly as we have limited space.

Jean Luc will be in the UK in November and we both look forward to meeting new friends and old friends of SOM. Details are on this newsletter...

We have one opening for a horse in training in mid October.

 

Have a great October!

 

Sincerely,
Editor Helyn Cornille
Science Of Motion

 

As you know, I have this unusual power to know what he thinks. He does not have the same power but I sometime wonder if he does not know, indeed, what I think. Also, I refer to him as he. We share many instances, grazing, working, taking care, or studying. Of course, he does not graze and I don't read scientific studies but I follow his thoughts when he reads a new report.  The grazing is a phenomenon that herd instinct theories cannot understand. Right now, he grazes me in hand because I am healing form a hoof issue that does not permit letting me free in turn out. He knows that I will run and I honestly know that I would run. I appreciate the fact that he spent with me grazing the time that he would spent with me if we were in our regular training schedule. For a man that sustains a very busy schedule, I feel privileged that he takes the time to stay with me that long. As equines, we are sensitive to such consideration. We do not look at humans as members of the herd. All these horsemanship theories largely underestimate our sensitivity and intelligence. We can appreciate subtle gestures and I am using the word gesture in the figurative sense. We are sensitive to the attention and we do not need gestures in the physical sense of the term.  I appreciate the fact that he is there, with me and for me.

His dog, which is free on the farm all day long, is very proud to be in leash as they go together for a walk or to the vet. I do understand that. He hand graze me sometime even when I have my regular turn out schedule, and this makes me feel very special. Helyn is also aware of my sensitivity. When he is away for a clinic, she find the time in spite of her very busy schedule, to come in the barn giving me a shower and taking extra care of me. It is not that I do not need a shower but she stay with me longer and I appreciate it. The difference between their psychology and the training psychologies commonly applied is that their relation with us is not based on obedience or packing order. They establish parameters of safety but do not feel the need of imposing more rules. We have the right to be who we are. We are allowed to express frustration or impatience. They are perfectly aware that we are powerful animal but instead of creating safety through more disciplines and demeaning rules such has imposing that we stay standing square in the cross tie, they create a safe and comfortable situation letting us being who we are and being careful about how they act around us.

There is the same atmosphere in the barn and in the training ring. We are asked to think about our body and we are interested to do so because we are not afraid of unfair reprimand. Our errors are not punished; they are analyzed and the same question is reformulated differently. I don't see how any equine athlete could conceive the complex coordination of our physique allowing performing soundly and at the best of their talent without this mental engagement. We are intuitively balanced between contradictory impulses. One side of our psyche is about resisting changes. This is a survival reflex. Our body needs stability and we protect our current stability even if it is a bad one. In counterpart, we are also muscularly constructed and neurologically wired for efficiency, minimum effort and maximum movement. We are large animals that have the capacity of running faster and longer than most of our predators. Nature had to create sophisticated adaptations in order to maximize efficiency while minimizing weight and pathologic cost of locomotion. This is why we have small muscles and long tendons. The tendons move our limbs reducing the role of our muscles to maximize the elastic recoil of our tendons. Our body sophistically orchestrates interactions of forces and consequent actions. We can be educated and if necessary, reeducated because, if properly guided, our brain works for efficiency and comfort. We cannot find efficiency and comfort without the help of the rider because we are not wired to deal with the burden of the rider's weight. We deal with it protecting first any existing muscle imbalance, weaknesses or morphological flaw. Unless our initial reactions are intelligently analyzed by the rider, we remain at this level switching eventually protective reflex contractions but not figuring and addressing the root cause.

This is what he does. When I express difficulties in the training ring,

A second Chazot thought in less than two weeks, you might wonder what's going on, but I can explain. Georgia has been soaked with abundant rain storms and some water infiltration occurred under the glue of my shoes. I have some damage on the white line and on the toe and I am without shoe for a while as they take care of the damages. I am on "soft ride boots."  They are very comfortable but a little cumbersome. He told me, "Those are like sleepers, very comfortable at home but not too good for ballet dancing."  So I don't dance, I graze. He grazes me twice and sometime three times a day, so, physically, I am doing OK but I miss the intellectual activity. As you know, his training approach is based on challenging and therefore developing our intelligence and I love it. He understands my frustration and more than under normal circumstances, he comes in the barn with his computer and work by my side.

Often, from the Dutch door of my stall, I watched the other horses working. One is a new comer and I find similarities between his difficulties and my own physical problems. I watched the entire training session realizing that it was for me like a mental therapy. Our survival capacities can take many creative ways. Years earlier, as I was miserable on the race track, I could not think beyond revolts.  Today, I love refining my body control and I feel that I would betray myself returning to revolt. I watch the new horse working with he and I mentally analyses his difficulties. I even react correcting my back muscles. I am here, in my stall comfortable in my sleepers, enjoying the fresh air of the running fan and I am correcting with my back muscles the torsion that handicaps the new comer's performance. This morning, as he came back from the training session and while the stable manager gave a shower to the new horse, he came to see me thinking, "You were watching so intensively that it looks like you were doing all the work." This is when I decided to write this study. Who better than a horse can explain what straightness is about. I am not talking about primitive formulas such as straightening the horse between the inside leg and the outside rein. I am not talking either about juvenile theories such as straightness via relaxation. I am talking about dynamic straightness, which is what real straightness is about.  

Just follow me step by step and you will understand what straightness really is. At the walk, my left front leg touches the ground. As soon as impact, a series of events is going to take place. However, for clarity, let's go briefly over my neck and focus on the mechanism of my thoracolumbar column. The splenius of my upper neck muscles, contract resisting accelerations of gravity created by impact forces pulling my head and neck down to the ground. The second major upper neck muscles, the semi spinalis capitis synchronizes their action and both muscles are creating the neck movements that complete my thoracolumbar spine movements. Most training techniques focus on neck postures, making up interactions between our neck and back that rank from highly theoretical to plain false. He thinks and act the other way. He focusses on our thoracolumbar spine mechanism letting us completing the work of our back placing our neck where we feel most efficient.

Ok. now follow me. I am walking and my left front hoof impacts ahead of my left shoulder.

CLICK HERE TO READ ON

 

 Contact Kim kitknowles@hotmail.co.uk

October 5th and 6th 2013 limited room register early.

The Science of Motion training program is restoring soundness and competitive skill even when other approaches have failed. Shelly had a chronic case of Sacroiliac Joint. She was lame with the right hind leg and responded positive to all tests at the exception of pressure on the tuber coxal. Shelly owes her full recovery to the determination and intuition of her owner Julie. Julie Reich did not believe the advises of numerous professionals telling her that the mare had no physical issue, "It's in her head." Of course not it was not in her head. The problem was an inverted rotation of the thoracic spine which placed the thoracolumbar column and therefore sacrum and pelvis in the wrong alignment in relation to the direction of the motion. Consequently, repetitive abnormal stresses were induced on the sacroiliac joint and the joints' stabilizing mechanism worked dysfunctional inducing protective reflex contractions and pain.

Shelly is now sound, calm, cooperative and back home . Julie spent a full week at the center learning how to ride her newly sound horse. The experience went very well. Julie fully understood the concept and her skill allowed her to ride her horse very well. Julie is confident that she will be able to continue the horse reeducation and I agree with her. 

 

Mini cooper is her nick name because she is small surrounded by giants such as Chazot, Manchester, and Caesar. An accident turned her into a monster almost dangerous to handle. Victoria has been educated by a knowledgeable trainer and both knew that it was not a behavior problem. Victoria realized that the SOM approach was her horse's sole hope and decided to send her horse for reeducation. Yes it was a problem of torsion in the thoracic vertebrae that rendered mini cooper disconnected in her back. The physical pain created by the two problems triggered her reactions. One month in her reeducation, mini cooper is now sound, exploring comfortable gaits and behaving with great intelligence and kindness.

 

The horse are trained every week days and exclusively by Jean Luc. Once their education or reeducation is advanced, we encourage the rider to come and learn how to ride their new horse. When the rider feels confident that he or she will be able to carry on the recovery program, the horse goes back home. 

We only take three horses at the time as reeducation demands diligence and time. The rider has to be prepared for changes. Successful reeducation cannot be done applying the principles of riding and training that created the problem.

The monthly fee, including the rider's lessons is $2800 per month (training and boarding). We ask for a deposit of $1000.00 which cement the official reservation. The rest, $1800 is paid at the arrival of the horse. Payments can be made by check (Science of Motion LLC), or through our Paypal account.

 

We have one opening starting late October.

For more information about our requirements about vaccination, worming and other issues please contact us.  Helyn@scienceofmotion.com, or 706 485 1217

Due to the limited number of availabilities, we encourage you to contact us rapidly for scheduling.