by Susan Hopf

BellaOnline's Horses Editor

What is the “Science of Motion”? The simple answer is implied in the name – the complete answer lies in the amazing web site with the same title and all that it has to offer riders that want to progress from what we think we know to what is truly real and ultimately to what is best for their horses – from the horse’s perspective.

In the not too distant past I had the distinct privilege of attending clinics given by the founder of Science of Motion, Jean Luc Cornille, long before the Internet blossomed into its current evolution. My first introduction to Mr. Cornille was through the magazine Dressage & CT. The magazine no longer exists but the articles authored by Cornille were precise and instructive with regard to equine biomechanics and always presented with a hint of the man’s wry wit. The clinics were all presented in the same light and I learned much about what was right and wrong with my riding, teaching and training all from the perspective of the horse. As good as the information was, for its time, most of what even the most learned equestrians thought they knew has been proven incorrect, as the science has finally surpassed tradition.

Mr. Cornille’s current baby, Science of Motion, has progressed far beyond those articles and clinics. Never happy with the status quo Jean Luc Cornille forges ahead and continually reevaluates the true influence of the rider on the horse – and most specifically how the human spine can influence the equine spine. All based on sound biomechanics obtained through the very latest imaging techniques as well as Mr. Cornille’s unique sense of the animal’ body and mind there leaves little question that what is presented is the only way to produce a horse that is correctly developed without harming the body in the process. 

Mr. Cornille also shares the unique experience of his discovery that horses do indeed think cognitively. And not only think about what we have to teach them – they can and do teach us – if we only just listen.

The web site in and of itself is a fantastic contribution to the riding world – sign up for the newsletter and the available information will astound you. The information offered for purchase, whether in the form of a PDF file or a DVD, completes the picture. Unsurpassed in quality of both presentation and knowledge the study of each lesson will advance your own understanding further than anything that I have yet to come across. 

Instructors, trainers and riders of all disciplines will benefit from a more complete education in the biomechanics involved in working with a horse – present questions to the horse in a manner in which they can comply both mentally and physically and the correct answer is more easily achieved. 

With such information so readily available it should be (almost) a crime not to make the most of it. Check out the link below and begin a journey that will not only change your life – it will change the relationship you have with your horse and your horse will, no doubt, thank you time and again. 

DVD's/VIDEOS