Jean Luc Cornille--no stretching?

[standardbroad]

Interesting to see this thread pop up. Years ago I bought his online course to help with a horse with persistent soundness issues, and eventually got her sound again. It was long and slow work and I didn’t get a lot from the course materials (which are not user-friendly AT ALL) but his video analyses and help from other students were gold. I do think he’s onto the right idea with his biomechanics stuff and I learned a lot, even though I don’t agree with everything he teaches.

But that’s a huge problem, I mean if you don’t agree with one of his beliefs. I stopped being active in his course a long time ago and occasionally asked for help with my horses but I got a sense things were off-kilter. People started getting “excommunicated” from the online group even though they were really good trainers with happy horses, a lot of them rehabs from injury. Yeah that’s a lot of red flags but I wasn’t paying anything to stay in the group, so I just kind of ignored it. But now he wants $30/month just to stay in a Facebook group that does nothing but advertise his other courses, so I found myself kicked out for not paying it.

Anyway if anyone is considering joining one of his courses, things are completely off the rails. People are afraid to contradict him and he sends vitriolic emails to anyone he thinks is “betraying” him by riding with another coach or even “evolving in the wrong way”. These are paying clients! Give me a break. Now it seems like he’s only getting $$$ from hardcore devotees or newbies who don’t know any better. I learned some good stuff but I’ll pass on the cult of personality, thanks.

[Rnichols]

I worked for a trainer years ago who had worked with Barbier before breaking off on his own. He lunged every single horse before every single ride with only the inside rein on. Like, why .

[libgrrl]

Oh my goodness, yes! The one inside rein and the cape!!!

[Arlomine]

And the WAXED handlebar moustache

[Salty]

Is the one inside rein thing related in any way to the practice of longeing with the inside rein 8 holes shorter than the outside rein? Because I know people who do that.

[Knights_Mom]

I think so. I rode with a BNT who wanted the horse at all times to be ridden shoulder fore.

[Lunabear1988]

Are you saying that is the same as being ridden only by the inside rein?

Shoulder fore or thinking shoulder fore is very common to help with straightness. Can you expand?

I have a gelding who we often ride at least thinking shoulder fore, but not just off the inside rein of course.

Genuine question, I’m just a poor riding amateur on an off breed who loves trying to do dressage

[outerbanks77]

Yep, shoulder-fore/shoulder-in is about the outside rein. Pulling the head in with the inside rein is a misguided way to try to approximate it by overbending the neck.

I’ve seen some lunging with just an inside SR, or attaching the lunge line to the girth and running it through the bit. Always with the attachment quite low so the horse just gets overbent and BTV. There might be reasons in limited situations, but it seems like it’s more a crutch to make the horses easier to ride.

[Salty]

This was my thought exactly. Shoulder fore is all about the outside aids.

I was taught that pulling on the inside rein unbalances the haunches to the outside and dumps the horse onto the inside shoulder.

[Lunabear1988]

Yes that is my understanding too so that was my confusion to how it related to the topic of lunging with just the inside rein.

[Knights_Mom]

I just referenced what someone had me do. That is all.

[Salty]

Riding in shoulder fore is a really common way to develop straightness. I’ve had lessons like this, too.

My point was that you don’t get shoulder fore by pulling on the inside rein, and I was wondering where the super short inside side rein for longeing originated.

[enjoytheride]

Being stuck in shoulder fore hell during a clinic lesson is not unusual You don’t get it by pulling the inside rein.

[Scribbler]

There is also a concept of flexing to the inside without actually being in shoulder fire. It’s a gymnastic. I don’t think it’s what Barbier is doing.

[SuzieQNutter]

@Salty

Riding in shoulder fore is a really common way to develop straightness. I’ve had lessons like this, too.

My point was that you don’t get shoulder fore by pulling on the inside rein, and I was wondering where the super short inside side rein for longeing originated.

I have no idea where it originated, however it is incorrect. You want the reins at the same length, the horse working into the outside rein and a loop in the inside rein. The head should never be pulled in with reins or side reins.

[Bogey2]

THANK YOU! I was just going to point this out. Stretching should be done based on conformation.