“The story of “The Horse that Could Not Trot” is a fascinating journey of rehabilitation guided by a blend of classical dressage riding and the application of modern biomechanics.   The young horse in the CD could not carry a rider at trot.  Jean Luc Cornille used logic based on the science of motion to locate the root cause of the problem in a debilitating habit of motion.  Rational choices for training and strengthening exercises arose from this analysis.  In time the horse developed as his potential originally suggested to become a picture of elegance under saddle.  The result is inspirational.  The CD allows us to witness the progress of this horse almost as if we were at the scene over the months of progressive work.   The documentary is skillfully photographed and presented, allowing us to relive a true dressage adventure.   This is an extraordinary lesson in practical training.  Any viewer will come away with much more than a warm heart by following through the clearly discussed analysis of the problem and the steps taken toward remediation.

Jean Luc approaches his challenge drawing on the wisdom of the traditional masters, especially de la Gueriniere, combined with a deep understanding of the functional anatomy of the horse given by more modern scientific investigations.  The anatomical illustrations are especially noteworthy for their clarity.  These illustrations are combined with high quality video clips of horses in motion.  Seeing them together is what really makes clear the connection between the horse’s skeletal alignment while in motion and either a balanced, supple gait or a strained, damaging gait.  This horse’s problem may be unique, but in using this case Jean Luc has provided insights into the biomechanics of horse and rider that throw light on all sorts of training issues.  I will enjoy viewing this video many times over for guidance in riding and training my own horse.  I recommended it especially to people who enjoy thinking about how horses move in that magical way they can”. Bradley Bockrath

Understandably, the successes of extraordinary horses are exploited to accredit given schools of thought. It would be eminently useful if the lameness of others horses trained through the same school of thought were analyzed with equal passion. The flaws of a training technique may be compensated by the talent of particularly gifted horses. The deficiencies are indeed exposed by the failure of reasonably talented athletes. The alarming injury rate amongst dressage and hunter jumper horses strongly suggest that horses are not efficiently prepared for the performances they are expected to complete.   The performance asked of the three year old on the lameness video was simply to carry a rider. With this specific horse, a major back muscle imbalance impeded this elementary task. At a lesser degree, a large majority of equine athletes enter their active life with a back muscle imbalance or some other vertebral column dysfunction which, if not addressed by the rider, handicaps the horse's potential and prompts injuries.  We set the story of "the horse who could not trot carrying a rider" in motion. You read the horse's saga on the newsletter. You can watch the whole reeducation process on video. The series is entitled "Educating your Eye" because the qualities of the pictures, which have become the trademark of our productions, are even more educative when they became moving pictures.   The standards of judgments that restore soundness are far more elaborated that the standards of judgments that are scoring horses in the dressage as well as hunter ring. The later are about appearances while the former are about advanced understanding of the equine physiology. Criteria of judgments don't even acknowledge the relation between lateral bending and transversal rotation. "In the cervical and thoracic vertebral column, rotation is always coupled with lateroflexion and vice versa." (Jean Marie Denoix, 1999).  Never the less judging criteria ever refer to the fact that for the same lateral bending, two rotations are possible. The proper rotation is assuring correct functioning of the horse's vertebral column while the inverted rotation is creating sharing forces on the vertebral structures.

The video shows the interactions between lateroflexion and transversal rotation of the cranial thoracic vertebrae. Through animations you can visualize the difference between proper and inverted rotation. The practical application in the dressage ring clearly exposes the difference between a gymnastic exercise such as the shoulder-in, practiced with the horse's vertebral column properly coordinated by contrast with the same gymnastic exercise practiced by the same horse but with the vertebral column combining lateral bending and inverted rotation.

Improper rotation handicapped the three years old, who was otherwise a good horse, to the point of advanced disability. Only the practice of gymnastic exercises executed with the horse's vertebral column properly coordinated was able to restore soundness.   Jean Luc Cornille

The accuracy of one’s perception depends on the accuracy of the mental image associated with the feeling. Antiquated theories are wasting equines and humans talent.

This book is a new encyclopedia. It explains how the horse’s vertebral column actually works. Each pertinent finding is explored from the rider and trainer perspective; how such new knowledge does modernize previous perceptions in terms of riding and training techniques.

Leading horses to performances previously inaccessible and recoveries beyond the scope of conventional views demands to think and act beyond the scope of conventional views. It should not come as a surprise that to the contrary of conventional thinking, the science of motion treats the horses back as the root cause of most limbs’ issues.

Outstanding illustrations

The aim being to associate the proper mental image with the feeling, great attention has been given to the illustrations. The pictures show real horses playing and working. They clearly illustrate how limbs and vertebral structures have to be organized in order to maximize the horse’s talent while preserving the horse’s soundness.   

Pertinent Practical Application

The practical application is based on two levels of experience: experience in riding and training horses at the higher level of competitions and experience in achieving “impossible” recoveries.

At every level, if the horse is talented enough, a gifted rider will gain some successes even if ignoring the horse’s back muscle imbalance or other dysfunction. When the horse’s dysfunction claims its toll and the horse becomes lame, the rider’s skill needs then the support of actual knowledge.

Creating a functional horse differs widely from exploiting a dysfunctional horse. The fact is that if the techniques creating a functional horse had been applied on the first place, the horse would be currently winning instead of being reeducated.

A gifted horse will lead a good rider to victory. A great rider will give to the horse the gift of soundness.

I just finished reading your new CD for the second time and want to thank you for it.  Though it gives a great deal of meaty science-based material, the excellent anatomical renderings really help to illustrate the text.  Finally, a book to bring it all together: the science, the training, for the good of the horse.  Your unique sense of humor and  cartoons were appreciated, as were the photos of you riding.  I have to assume that there are other books on the way, and will look for them on your website. Caroyln Sanchez