“dod yn ol at fy nghoed”

The title is a beautiful Welsh phrase, which literally means “to return to my trees.” The actual society is built like a pyramid abusing and enslaving the base to serve the top. It always has been that way, whatever the top has been religious, Royal, or wealth. Instead, a tree is wider at the top than the base, provides oxygen, houses a large variety of animals, and only ask in return to be part of a well balanced ecological system. And yet we cut it to make toilet paper to clean our behind. We could grow hemp, but we keep doing what our ancestors have done for no other reason than this is the way our ancestors did it, even if becoming too many, we can no longer abuse earth as our ancestors did.

No wonder why an equitation based on an archaic understanding of the equine physique, as well as mental processing, is referred to as a training pyramid. Suddenly, a virus exposes the failure of the social structure and instead of returning to a balanced state of mind, instead of returning to the trees, feeding the trunk to expand the life at the top, the wealth protects the archaic structure of the pyramid, killing the base without even understanding that the massive structure that they dominate depends on the stability of the base.

“If we wait for a pandemic to appear, it will be too late to prepare.” (Georges W.Bush, 2005) James Rooney explained as well that the kinematics abnormality is there first, and instead of waiting for the lameness to appear, intelligence suggests correcting the kinematics abnormality at its root. The problem is that wealth makes drugs, and even if knowing that it is useless, wealth promotes massaging the leaves with a drug. We have the knowledge to identify the kinematics abnormality and correct its roots, but it demands to evolve from the theory that back problems are the outcome of leg problems. Indeed, in a large percentage of the cases, back dysfunctions are the root cause of limb kinematics abnormalities. We have the knowledge to correct back dysfunction, but we have to evolve from the antiquated belief that the lower line, pectoral and abdominal muscles, flex the upper line, the back. The bow and string concept is not fundamentally incorrect but mostly insufficient. The concept does not explain how pectoral, abdominal muscles, and the linea alba, could manage the vast diversity of forces, acting on the thoracolumbar column during locomotion and performances. Richard Tucker provided the answer, “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-1964), but his view demands evolving form the driving seat to the neutral seat. The driving seat is the pyramid enslaving the base, including the horse. The neutral seat is a return to the trees, a balanced state of mind, where the rider in neutral balance, allows the forces generated by the legs to be managed by back muscles into efficiency and balance control. Instead of massaging the leaves with drugs when the branch is broken, the Science of Motion feeds the root ensuring the health of the branch.

The primal should not be the aim of riding but instead the roots allowing growth and expansion. The neutral seat is the verticality of the tree, allowing stability and balance. The branches can grow in many different directions according to sun exposure, wind and other factors. Balance can take many forms. If only the trees absolutely vertical were in balance, very few trees could grow. As well, if only riders with a perfect body could ride, very few would be able to ride. The neutral seat explains that the rider’s position is not a posture. The neutral seat is coordination proper to each rider. Molding the rider into a posture through teaching and orthopedic saddles are oppression altering the rider’s talent. Placing the horse neck in a given posture through side reins or other gimmicks is an oppression hampering the horse’s talent and soundness. In a time where the failure of a social structure forces the human species into seclusion, reflection might be a better cure than political and marketing promises. Maybe loving the horse, listening to the horse, meeting the horse at his refined level of perception, respecting the horse, taking to the horse through subtle nuances in muscle tone, might allow us to walk through hell without losing our fundamental strength, we are part of a well-balanced ecological system that we have shattered. If there is hope, each of us needs to grow a tree even if we don’t live long enough to benefit from the shade. Winston Churchill said, “If you go through hell, keep walking,” The advice might be useful but not in the direction of the driving seat, cutting more trees. We can learn the neutral balance, take conscience of the horse’s willingness instead of seeking obedience. We might not be extinct with this virus as long as we stop acting like a virus.

Jean Luc Cornille