Simple 1 25

 

Cost is 50. Per month

Group is on private forum

 

 

 

General subjects, Monthly.

January 25, Forward Movement. Forward movement is not how fast the body moves forward but how well the hind legs’ thrust is managed forward through the thoracolumbar spine to create balance control, sound front and hind legs’ kinematics and performances,  

February 25, Balance. A considerable evolution has been made from our ancestors’ linear theory of shifting the weight over the haunches. The familiar theory is false. Balance is the capacity of the back and other muscles to center the force above and around the Center of Mass.

Humility is a superpower that too many people lack. It demands humility to achieve balance control because traditional beliefs rest on false theories. If we have the humility to question our beliefs, we have the superpower to teach the horse authentic balance.

March 25, Lateral Bending and Transversal Rotation. In the cervical and thoracic spines, lateral bending is always coupled with a transversal rotation, shifting the dorsal spines toward the inside of the bend. The rotation can be proper or inverted. Inverted rotation is the root cause of poor performance and lameness issues, including navicular syndrome. Appropriated gymnastics can correct inverted rotation.

April 25, Straightness. The meaning of straightness needs to be upgraded to actual knowledge. Straightness, thinking the body and the spine are straight, is a metaphor, as, in motion, the equine thoracolumbar spine is never straight. Straightness is the faculty to channel the forces in the direction of the motion.

May 25, Frequency. A bridge can be destroyed if it vibrates at the wrong frequency. Each horse has his own frequency, and our efficiency relies on our ability to match the horse’s frequency.  

June 25, Understanding Tensegrity. Horses and riders are tensegrity structures. Dr. Donald E. Ingbe revealed that molecules, cells, tissues, organs, and entire bodies use ‘tensegrity’ architecture to stabilize their shape mechanically and seamlessly integrate structure and function at all size scales. A change of tension anywhere within the system is instantly signaled everywhere in the body.

July 25, The Rider’s Position. The study compares the classical seat, where the rider’s body weight is acting back to front, and the neutral seat, where no shift of the rider’s weight disturbs the tensegrity relation between the rider and the horse. 

August 25, The Rider’s Upper Thighs. The rider’s upper thighs are the most important part of the horse’s physique. Our body communicates with the horse through the upper thighs, and the forces acting through the horse’s physique act on our body through our upper thighs.  

September 25, The Softness of the Hands. The softness of the hands involves our fingers, forearms, arms, and shoulders. Our arms’ softness is related to our body’s steadiness over our seat bones. Adequate tone of our body and mind concentrated on partnership instead of control.   

October 25, The Half Halt at the Age of Biotensegrity. The biotensegrity half halt is a brief hand action up and forward, almost like an up and forward vibration. The actual understanding of the horse’s body function does not support the theory of half halt, shifting the weight backward.

November 25, The Hoof and the Back. Hoof measurements and associated theories rest on incomplete data. They don’t consider the direction, intensity, and frequency of the forces acting from the body down to the hoof. Gravity acts from the body downward, and the rider influences these considerable forces. Ignoring these forces questions the value of the measurements focusing exclusively on the forces acting from the hoof up to the legs. Instead of releasing his responsibility to the hoof care provider, the rider must be conscious of his influence.  

December 25, Synchrony. The evolution from obedience to the rider’s aids to an interaction of forces between the horse and the rider through subtle nuances in muscle tone involving the whole physique demands to evolve from reductionist thinking, inside leg outside reins, to a higher dimension where the rider’s whole physique guide the horse’s mental processing and physical intelligence toward efficient coordination of the whole physique. Elizabeth Uhl, DVM, PhD, Dip, ACVP, explains how concepts like synchrony are the new conversation between the horse and the rider.

Some subjects are the same as Simple 24 but upgraded to new knowledge.

 

Discussions, Weekly

When a new Scientific discovery is presented, or questions make us realize that we need to explain a subject in further detail. We, the members of the SOM Team, post special interest subjects.

 

Practical application to jumping

A jumper is an athlete like a Dressage horse. The athletic demand for jumping performance is specific. While many aspects of horse education can help jumper athletes, there are differences demanding an advanced understanding of the horse’s body function for the specific demand for jumping performances. The horse’s style, in particular, needs to be respected and improved and not be altered to fit a stereotype. We will address the specific athletic demands of jumping performance in every subject discussed in the course.

The Simple 25 Forum

The forum continue on the same basis as in 2024. You can ask questions and send videos for analysis.

The fee for the course remains $50.00 per month.

Simple 25 starts officially in January 2025. You will have to renew the inscription for 2025.

Simple 24 will continue until December 2024.

Jean Luc Cornille. Science of Motion