Upcoming Events

Science Of Motion IHTC International Conference

Saturday October 4, 2014 at 10:00 AM EDT -to- Sunday October 5, 2014 at 4:00 PM EDT

Please join us for our SOM IHTC International Conference. There will be numerous sessions where all the subjects treated in the IHTC will be explained live. Riding the horse, in hand, and how to teach it. Lunch will be served.

Science Of Motion farm

 

 

It is with great sadness to report our loss of Arpege on August 23. We will have a memorial for her October 4th after the first day of our International Conference.Jean Luc and I thank our many friends who have sent heartfelt thoughts on loss of dear Arpege.

We are working on our 2015 Jean Luc clinics. Please get your dates in early. Information on hosting clinic click  HERE 

Still open spots for our International conference October 4th and 5th. Read all about it below. 

Sincerely,
Editor Helyn Cornille
Science Of Motion

 

I have not seen Mom since 4 days now. I start to understand why Helyn cried so much. What they mean by death is that the person that we love has moved into a different dimension. She still very much alive in your mind but you can no longer see her, touch her, smell her. Arpege died on the evening of Saturday August 23 and I will no longer see her. There is something with physical presence that is very real and hard to explain. When he is away on clinics and they talk to each other on the phone, Helyn often tell him, "I miss you." He tells her the same words and now I understand the full meaning. I don't like when he is away, but I know that he will be back. I have hard time thinking that Arpege will not be back. I miss her careful walk as she entered the barn. I knew that she will stop in front of my stall. We did not even have to touch each other. She was there and her proximity makes me feel at peace.

She was free on the farm and I since my stall door opens on my turn out, I have the luxury to go in and out as I want during the night. Often she came grazing on one side of the fence and I grazed on the other side. We did it nose to nose and I liked it. Just for fun, I tried sometime to nip her and she quietly moved away thinking, "I kicked your butt when you were a foal, but I can no longer do that; you are really too tall and too strong and too spirited and sometime you do not realize how big and strong you are." When she was tired she lay down and I guarded her for her deep sleep. When it was my turn to sleep deeply, she guarded me. Truly it was nothing to guard as we are well protected but this is part of our instinct and we gladly helped each other. Often, as she was sleeping burst of memories came back in my mind from the time I was her foal. Sometimes during her sleep, she took a deep breath lifting her stomach and I remember when she told me that even as a foal I was too tall and I had to separate my legs far apart in order to nurse her. She explained how she tried to help me lifting her stomach. 

Arpege was the type of persons so reserved and so gentle that you may think, nothing happened in their life. At the contrary, gentleness is the power of great achievers. She started as a race horse and won more than I ever did. She became a brood mare giving birth to many thoroughbred race horses, include me. She had the reputation of producing good athletes. In our barn, where the average size is above 17 hands, Arpege was the small one with her 16,1 hands but she was the big one with her ability to babysit us. Sundance was a highly spirited horse. He was not as powerful as me but he did have a very strong mind. We respected each other because we knew that we were of the same type. He was a problem in turn out as he raced the fence and could not stay out too long. Arpege liked him. She liked him a lot when she was in heat but still liked him when she was not. She stayed in front of Sunny's stall window and he did not try to bite her. He put them out together and stayed with them watching the interaction.  She moved her butt, lift her hind leg menacing but not kicking. There was other body moves that he did not understood but that Sundance picked up. In a matter of minutes Sundance was grazing quietly around her. He came back in the barn shaking his head and thinking, "Your mother is amazing."

At the science of motion's center, we are not numbers in a packing order. We are intelligent horses reacting intelligently. He does not dominate us. Instead he asks us to think and he also teaches us how to think. He never does any gimmicks in the round pen. In fact, there is no round pen. He does not want us to mimic; he looks at this type of education as demeaning and unintelligent. He wants us to explore our own body and find the mot appropriated body coordination. I know firsthand that this is truly the only form of efficient education. We can execute the same gesture with different muscular combination. This is true for our stifle extension as well as many movements of our body. Our initial response is also always protecting whatever morphological flaw or muscle imbalance that is our "body state" at the instant of the demand. Therefore, our initial response to the so-called correct aids is almost always wrong. He teaches us how to explore within our own body for greater efficiency and comfort. This is why the concept of packing order and behavior does not exist at the science of motion's training center. Ultimately we want physical comfort and if properly guided, out brain is capable of exploring beyond initial reflexes until we find optimum efficiency and we perform at ease. Arpege treated everyone in the barn this way. It was respect, partnership and not domination.  She babysitter the tough guys and won everyone's mind with her reassuring and intelligent presence. She ridiculed all these concepts of dominant mare. Instead, she showed to us the power of gentleness.   

        

I asked her once how she gained such power. She told me that

If a dancer was forced to dance by whip and spikes, he would be no more beautiful than a horse trained under similar conditions." (Xenophon)

 

Nodding their head in agreement with the Greek philosopher, riders buckle up their spurs on their riding boots. One peculiarity of the equestrian world is that riders always see themselves above all remarks.

I used to use spurs and I removed my spurs decades ago. This was a decisive step forward into a wonderful and fascinating journey. At this time, the evolution of equine research studies had already demonstrated that behavior, laziness were rarely a problem of hind legs' activity or lack of activity. Instead, reluctance to move forward and perform, relate to the incapacity of the back muscular system to properly convert the thrust generated by the hind legs into horizontal forces generating forward movement and vertical forces allowing balance control. My thought was that as long as I will have spurs, I will unconsciously increase the hind legs activity instead of properly coordinate the back muscles. 

The horses adapted to the absence of spurs incredibly fast; a few days for the more intelligent horses, a few weeks for the ones coming from heavy hands and legs type of riding. As I learned to think in terms of more sophisticated back coordination, I noticed greater involvement of the horses' intelligence and willingness during the training sessions. Clearly, the horses demonstrated that conventional equitation was about driving a car at the wrong gear and pushing the gas pedal to the floor instead of selecting the proper gear. If powerful enough, a car can deal with such poor driving but below its capacities and not for long.      

As you know, in the evolution of knowledge, science and experience progress in parallel. Sometime experience discovers phenomenon that are later scientifically explained. Other times scientific findings come first. Leo Jeffcott wrote in 1980, "The biomechanics of the vertebral column, although very complex, are of vital importance because they form the basis of all body's movements," (Leo Jeffcott, Natural rigidity of the horse's backbone) Focusing on proper vertebral column mechanism, it was possible to uncover suspension and amplitude of the gaits that were never seen before. The quality of the gaits was there all along but burrowed under back muscle dysfunctions that were never previously addressed. Jeffcott underlined the vital importance of the equine vertebral column mechanism but did not concentrate on the practical application of his findings. In fact he aligned himself with the thought that flexion of the back was created by the shortening of the horse's lower line. "The horse has a very flat shaped bow which is made up of the vertebral column, its epaxial muscles and ligaments. The whole structure is kept rigid and under tension from the string formed by the sternum, abdominal muscles, linea alba and the muscles of the limbs."(LJ Slijper. 1946)  

With the venue of dynamics analysis of the vertebral column mechanism, the thought that abdominal and pectoral muscles have the capacity to flex the back muscles became suspicious. Advanced understanding of the vertebral column mechanism demonstrated that instead, it was the muscles situated above the transverse processes of the vertebrae that were creating thoracolumbar flexions and other movements. "An initial thrust on the column is translated into a series of predominantly vertical and horizontal forces which diminish progressively as they pass from one vertebra to the next". (Richard Tucker, Contribution to the Biomechanics of the vertebral Column, Acta Thoeriologica, VOL. IX, 13: 171-192, BIALOWIEZA, 30. XL. 1964)  

As did Jeffcott, Tucker did not have any reason to question classical equitation and he interpreted his data in line with classical views. It was believed at this time that equine gaits and performances were created through swinging motion of the horses' thoracolumbar spine. Richad Tucker theorized that due to their attachment on the dorsal spines and insertion on the articular facets, back muscles were creating rotations of the vertebrae. In 1964, the very limited range of motion of the equine thoracolumbar spine was not yet discovered. Also unknown was the fact that the main function of the back muscles was not creating movements but instead preventing the thoracolumbar spine form an amplitude of movement that would exceed its possible range of motion. This discovery was published in 1976 by Hans Carlson. "Electromyographic studies and movements data presented above strongly suggest that the primary function of the back muscles during walking is to control the stiffening of the back rather that to create movement."  (Hans Carlson, Halbertsma J. and Zomlefer, M. !979, Control of the trunk during walking in the cat. Acta physiol. Scand. 105, 251-253)

James Rooney went further. He was aware of CLICK HERE TO READ ON

Many imitate our approach holding the reins with two hands and touching the horse legs or body with a whip. Doing so, they miss the science behind the experience.  The technique of holding the reins with two hands and touching the legs with a whip only allow talented but dysfunctional horses to perform movement for which their physique is not athletically prepared. The techniques were acceptable as long as the equine education was limited to the appearances. Most dressage manuals describe the training of passage and piaff, but very few explain how the horses perform them." (Mikael Holmstr�m, 1994)  

Advanced research studies explain how the horse perform gaits and athletic achievements and the practical application of advanced research studies is precisely about preparing the horse's physique for the move. The extension to therapy is the practical application of Rooney's principle, "A major cause of lameness is lameness." The gait abnormality is there first and it is the repetition of this gait abnormality that causes pathological changes and therefore injury. In hands techniques that teach the movements without the capacity to precisely develop and coordinate the horse physique for the athletic demand of the performances are not therapeutic at all.  

Na�ve thinking believes that moving the limbs and therefore the joints is therapeutic. Cavalettis for instance, are commonly emphasized as a therapy for stifle injury. The thought behind the elementary thinking is that the flexion of the hind limb above the cavalettis gymnastics the stifle joint. More elaborate thinking exposes a different picture. The kinematics adaptation of the hind limb above the cavalettis induces flattening of the pelvic which in turns demands greater rotation of the femur around the hip joint.  Such rotation creates at the level of the tibia an inward rotation that places the stifle at risk of upward fixation of the patella.  This is explained in great details and muscle by muscle in our on line course. This is the difference between biomechanics and pathomechanics. Most of these na�ve therapies are labeled as biomechanics. They are in fact pathomechanics. Pathomechanics is a new term describing mechanical movements of the limbs or vertebral column causing pathological changes and therefore, arthritis, spurs, tearing of tendons or ligaments, or other injuries.

"The biomechanics of the vertebral column, although very complex, are of vital importance because they form the basis of all body's movements," (Leo Jeffcott, Natural rigidity of the horse's backbone, 1980) Proper limbs kinematics cannot be created or recreated without adequate work of the thoracolumbar column's mechanism. This is why the work in hand needs to concentrate the horse brain on further mastering his vertebral column muscular system. The two hands a whip approaches concentrate the horse's brain on the hind legs and bit. Instead, the science of motion approach, which emphasizes one hand on the horse's shoulders, set the conditions for a dialogue based on better coordinating the horse's vertebral column mechanism. Holding the reins with one hand on the horse's shoulders is like removing the spurs. The technique goes far beyond one hand instead of two. I often say to new students, "The first day you will be out of control. Two weeks later you will still be out of control but you will get used to it. However, the horse will still be there, by your side, ready to further a dialogue based on intelligence. When control is not an option, intelligence enters the game. The two hands approach is about control and the culture of control is directed by fear of the horse. Unfortunately, the culture of control forces the horse into protective set of mind. Many emphasize mutual respect but their view of mutual respect is domination. The horse has to protect himself from domination and the horse's resistance triggers harsher domination. The psychology of submission and obedience does not permit sophisticated coordination of the horse's physique.

The intelligence that the horse needs to develop is the capacity to further refine the coordination of his physique. In hand the horse focus does not  CLICK HERE TO READ ON

Manchester does have an inured right stifle. We did not restored soundness treating the joint, as not much more can be done. We restored soundness teaching him proper movement. We created, at the walk, trot and canter locomotor patterns reducing the stresses on both stifles. Jean Luc

In his BIOMECHANICS OF LAMENESS  IN HORSES  (1976) James Rooney stated that arthritis occurred in the cartilages before spreading in the bones. The pathologist based his belief on studies effectuated in the necropsy room, under the microscope and X-rays. Since, MRI and other technologies have demonstrated that at the contrary, damages occur in the subchondral bone before they spread in the cartilage. New discoveries questioning previous beliefs, is the fundamental of evolution; this true for scientific researches and also true for riding and training principles. In fact, while exposing the inaccuracy of some concepts, new findings further James Rooney's pertinent idea, which is that kinematics abnormalities create aberrant stresses which repeated over a period of time, cause injuries, "A major cause of lameness is lameness."

Investigating the gait abnormality creating the lesion, James Rooney pioneered the concept known as, "The gait lesion, gait principle. The gait abnormality created by a specific lesion is the gait abnormality that causes the lesion." Investigating the source of the kinematics abnormality causing the lesion, and developing riding and training techniques allowing correcting the root cause, the Science of Motion fills the missing link of all existing treatments and therapies. While it is necessary to understand the kinematics abnormalities causing the lesion, complete success of therapies and above all, prevention of the injury demands identifying and correcting the root cause of the kinematics abnormality. As long as the source of the abnormal stress is not addressed and corrected, the same aberrant stresses damage and re-damage the structure.  Basically, without a riding and training technique capable of correcting the root cause of the kinematics abnormalities, the benefits of treatments and therapies are altered as soon as the first stride.

"Patellofemoral osteo arthritis (knee for humans and stifle for equine,) is largely biomechanically mediated and it seems logical that the specific biomechanical factors that are disrupted in a particular individual need to be addressed when designing a treatment strategy."(Kathryn Mills, BPhty, PhD, and David J. Hunter, MBBS, MSc. PhD, FRACP. Patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis: An individual pathomechanical approach to management. 2014.) As knowledge evolves, the dependence on sound biomechanics is strongly emphasized and from his position on the horse's back, where all body movements are created, the rider is ultimately the one that can correct the root cause  and ensure proper functioning of the horse's physique.

The thought that the rider could be the horse's best therapy is foreign to veterinarians because actually, the situation is exactly the opposite; riding and training techniques are the main source of equine injuries. Riding and training techniques can teach the move but do not focus on preparing efficiently the horse's physique for the athletic demand of the move. As a result, horses perform out of their talent but with kinematics abnormalities limiting their potential and developing injuries.    

Understanding that lesions start in the bone before reaching the cartilage, is an evolution of knowledge as dramatic as the fact that the main function of the horse back muscles is not increasing the thoracolumbar spine's range of motion but instead, protecting the thoracolmbar column from movements exceeding its possible range of motion. We are trained to think stretching and relaxation when in fact, muscles tendons and ligaments are designed to resist excessive range of motion. Even at the level of the stifle, stability does not result from stretching but instead from resisting forces. "Patellofemoral joint integrity is maintained by an optimal interaction of passive, dynamic and structural restraints." The concept of restraint, which needs to be understood as protection and control, contradicts the principles of traditional equitation but is in fact more related to the functioning of the horse's physique than stretching and relaxation. A great part of equine locomotion is the outcome of elastic strain energy stored in tendons and aponeurosis and consequently, resistance of the correspondent muscles.

Static and dynamic are very different and data collected in static situation have to be interpreted with caution. Manipulations effectuated on human cadavers allow ranges of motion that are greater than in vivo situations. For instance, in respect of the knee, the influence of tibia and femur alignment as well as kinematics of patellofemoral mechanics has been well documented. Individuals suffering of patellofemoral pain syndrome exhibit significant increase of femoral internal rotation in knee extension and flexion. However, individual who landed from a jump in increased femoral internal rotation exhibited a rotation shy of the 20�-30� threshold required to increase joint contact in cadaver.  In relation to equine, James Rooney also observed damages created by increase of femoral internal rotation. "If stifle extension is carried on beyond about 143�-145�, there is a final lateral-to-medial twist, which rotates the patella medially and hooks the medial patellar ligament over the medial ridge of the femoral trochlea. The stifle is "locked" and flexion prevented."

During forward motion, the forward swing of the hind limb and consequently the pendular movement of the femur around the hip joint is coupled with a dorso-ventral rotation of the pelvic. Mikael Holmstr�m, who compared the gaits of Grand Prix level Swedish Warmblood with the gaits of average school horses, found that better horses exhibited greater dorso-ventral rotation of the pelvic. In the light of new knowledge, one would think that riding and training techniques would have evolved from the simplistic idea that larger spurs would stimulates greater engagement of the hind legs. The problem is that in response to intense leg actions of the riders, a horse might effectively increase the pendular motion of the femur around the hip joint. Without proportional dorso-ventral rotation of the pelvis, the horse's submission to the rider's legs jeopardizes the integrity of the horse's stifles.

The rider furthers or alters the benefits of treatment regiments and therapies. There is no neutral land. However, accepting the responsibility grants the inestimable ability of preventing injuries. Abnormal stresses stimulates the development of osteoarthritis but sound stress are used to maintain bone density and consequently to retard the development of osteoporosis. Classic authors have always professed the discretion and sobriety of the rider's aids. "Hand movements diminish as dressage progresses to the point of giving an illusion of immobility." (General Decarpentry, Academic Equitation, J. A. Allen & CO LTD. 1971 p. 44) The greatest have hinted, between the lines, another dimension, like if the study of the rider aids were only a teaching technique educating the rider body for a more subtle body language where gestures are replaced by nuances in muscle tone. The aids, (gestures,) are no longer the finality, (obedience to the rider aids.) The aids are simply descriptions of the coordination and nuances in muscles tone that became the rider's body language.

The work in hand practiced at the Science of Motion, suggests an even more sophisticated dimension. Muscles create energy and the ability of the horse to feel back muscles adjustments of the trainer walking by his side is more likely the perception of the energy created by the trainer's muscular work than the nuances in muscle tone itself. We have explored this dimension riding the horses and realize that this extraordinary level of subtlety was indeed, the horse real comfort zone. Compared with the way equestrian education is taught, these concepts appear out of reach. The next discovery has been that in fact many riders have the intuition to functions at this level of sophistication but their intuitive mind has been marred by riding and training techniques limiting them to the studious application of the correct aids.

The next discovery has been that in every field, the ones who have the intellectual curiosity of applying advanced scientific knowledge, have evolved in the same direction. Instead or knee surgery, great surgeons teach their patient how to walk. Therapists involved in such rehabilitation are thinking in terms of forces and energy. University professors involved in pertinent researches have studied why women and men ride differently. Pathologist who are also riders have studied in great details the damage that have lead horses into the necropsy room hoping that teaching their knowledge will allow riders to prevent injuries or when injury happens, became active artisan of the recovery. We have asked to the bests if they would come and speak at the Second Science of Motion's International Conferences and they have accepted.

Jean Luc Cornille

Register for Science Of Motion IHTC International Conference

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Speakers 

October 4th and 5th 2014 10 AM to 4 PM

Live explanations always bring a different dimension. During this 2nd International Conference, there will be numerous sessions where all the subjects treated in the IHTC will be explained live. Riding the horse, in hand, and how to teach it. Four voices will be part of the demonstrations, Betsy with her extensive knowledge and studies of equine physiology and also her personal riding and training experience, Michelle with her extensive knowledge on human physiology and her study on women and men vertebral column, Louis  Louis with his enormous experience and constant research on physical therapies' new techniques and his unequaled sene of humor. Jean Luc wearing a microphone while riding and working in hand, and the horse participating to the session.

Jean Luc Cornille M.A.(M.Phil) has gained worldwide recognition by applying practical science to the training of the equine athlete. Influenced by his background as a gymnast, Jean Luc deeply understands how equine training can be enhanced by contemporary scientific research. A unique combination of riding skill, training experience and extensive knowledge of the equine physiology enables Jean Luc to "translate" scientific insights into a language comprehensible to both horse and rider. This approach has been the trademark of his training.

Elizabeth W. Uhl, D.V.M., Ph.D., Dip ACVP- "So much information - how do I know what to believe?"

Michelle L Osborn, M.A., Ph.D.- "Why men and women do not ride the same way: Effects of the curved spine"

Louis Wild -B.A , Ma.Ed, LMT., CKTP, CESMT "Wheel Inside a Wheel and All the Wheels Go Around: IHTC Principles at the Micro Movement Level."