Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson copertina

Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson

Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson

Di: Rupert Isaacson
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Welcome to Live Free Ride Free, where we talk to people who have lived self-actualized lives on their own terms, and find out how they got there, what they do, how we can get there, what we can learn from them. How to live our best lives, find our own definition of success, and most importantly, find joy. Your Host is New York Times bestselling author Rupert Isaacson. Long time human rights activist, Rupert helped a group of Bushmen in the Kalahari fight for their ancestral lands. He's probably best known for his autism advocacy work following the publication of his bestselling book "The Horse Boy" and "The Long Ride Home" where he tells the story of finding healing for his autistic son. Subsequently he founded New Trails Learning Systems an approach for addressing neuro-psychiatric conditions through horses, movement and nature. The methods are now used around the world in therapeutic riding program, therapy offices and schools for special needs and neuro-typical children.  You can find details of all our programs and shows on www.RupertIsaacson.com2023 Helios Harmony, LLC Igiene e vita sana Medicina alternativa e complementare Successo personale Sviluppo personale
Episodi
  • Is Your Horse Holding Its Breath?: Balance, Diagonals & the Physiology of Feel | Patrick King | LFRF 63

    Is Your Horse Holding Its Breath?: Balance, Diagonals & the Physiology of Feel | Patrick King | LFRF 63
    Sep 24 2026
    ✨ "Dressage should be for the horse — the horse should not be for dressage." – Mark Russell, quoted by Patrick King✨ "Speed is the enemy of balance." – Patrick KingPatrick King is a classical dressage trainer based in Lexington, Virginia, who came up through Western horsemanship — 4-H as a kid, an apprenticeship with legendary colt-starter Ray Hunt, then mentorship from the late Mark Russell before he found his way, like Rupert, to Luis Valença and the Portuguese school. He's since studied with Charles de Kunffy and Bettina Drummond, earned bronze and silver dressage medals, and now teaches through his online Academy for Classical Horsemanship and clinics from his farm.He and Rupert trace how diagonal balance actually works and why the word "driving aids" gets lost in translation from the German, why competition pressure changes how horses and riders move, and how Western pleasure and saddle seat drifted from practical function into pure fashion. Patrick also walks through his simplest test for good training — could the horse explain to its paddock mates what you just asked of it — and why he stops mid-exercise to wait for a full diaphragmatic breath before asking a horse to go forward.It's a wide-ranging, technically rich conversation between two horsemen who share a mentor but arrived from opposite directions — and it's only part one. They run out of time before finishing, so a follow-up conversation is coming.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutAll Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/booksWhat You'll Learn in This Episode00:01:50 – A shared mentor, Luis Valença, connects two very different paths into classical horsemanship00:04:21 – Patrick's apprenticeship with Western horseman Ray Hunt and learning to "get to the mind through the feet"00:08:29 – Mentor Mark Russell's insight that the feet are an extension of the spine00:19:49 – The real difference between submission and relaxation in horse training00:34:28 – Mark Russell's guiding principle that dressage should serve the horse, not the other way around00:45:00 – Training the test versus testing the training, and how competition pressure changes the ride01:23:06 – Diagonalization explained: how horses balance on diagonal leg pairs, and what that means for every transition01:31:18 – Luis Valença's "position, balance, execute," and why "prepare, don't repair" beats fixing a movement mid-stride01:36:36 – The "driving aids" mistranslation from German, and the physical, mental, and emotional dimensions of the half halt01:54:37 – Why "is my horse breathing?" might be the most overlooked question in trainingMemorable Moments from the Episode00:13:44 – Patrick's story of an abusively trained Western pleasure horse that once cornered him in a stall as a teenager00:27:38 – Rupert's breakdown of dopamine, serotonin, endorphins, and oxytocin, and why riding this way feels so good01:06:52 – The surprising history of dressage as a European import tied to wealth and status02:01:00 – Two hours fly by, and Rupert and Patrick agree on the spot to record a part twoGuest Contact & Linkshttps://pkhorsemanship.comhttps://academyforclassicalhorsemanship.comAbout Patrick KingPatrick King is a classical dressage trainer based near the Blue Ridge Mountains in Lexington, Virginia. He grew up riding a wide range of breeds in Western Pennsylvania, apprenticed with Western horseman Ray Hunt, and was later mentored by the late Mark Russell before training with Luis Valença in Portugal and riding as a guest student at Spain's Royal School. He teaches a busy clinic schedule, competes occasionally — earning bronze and silver dressage medals with encouragement from Charles de Kunffy — and runs an online Academy for Classical Horsemanship with monthly live lectures. His approach blends the Western horsemanship principle of "getting to the mind through the feet" with classical dressage biomechanics, with a particular focus on balance, breath, and treating the horse as an active participant in training. Website: pkhorsemanship.com.🐎 Want to go deeper? Join the Long Ride Home membership — weekly live sessions, exclusive content, and a community of riders seeking real connection with their horses. 👉 https://longridehome.com — just $24.95/monthSee All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:Website: https://rupertisaacson.comFollow Us:Long Ride HomeWebsite: https://longridehome.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrhInstagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrhYouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehomeNew Trails Learning SystemsWebsite: https://ntls.coFacebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworldInstagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworldYouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystemsAffiliate Disclosure:Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show. ...
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    2 ore e 7 min
  • What Sea Lions Taught Me About Training Horses with Jenifer Zeligs | Live Free Ride Free

    What Sea Lions Taught Me About Training Horses with Jenifer Zeligs | Live Free Ride Free
    Sep 10 2026
    ✨ "You do it by offering before you ask, connection before direction." – Jenifer Zeligs✨ "Look with appreciation. Look with delight. Look with interest. Look with curiosity." – Jenifer ZeligsJenifer Zeligs has spent her life reading animals of every kind, from cheetahs and wolves to sea lions and horses. She started at the National Zoo at nine years old, mentored by exotic animal trainer Casey Cover, and went on to a career that helped shape modern liberty horse training. She is also the person that legendary horse trainer David Lichman credits with the "come bearing gifts" philosophy that underpins his own work.The conversation ranges across the two foundational techniques of animal training, why prevention beats correction in a crisis, and the true story of training sea lions to film humpback whales in the open ocean. Jenifer and Rupert also explore how a childhood horse allergy set her on this path, why individual variation matters more than breed or species, and how her practice as a Buddhist has shaped the way she teaches fearlessness and calm to horses.A wide-ranging, generous conversation between two people who have spent decades thinking about what animals need from us.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutAll Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/booksWhat You'll Learn in This Episode00:04:23 – How a childhood horse allergy led Jenifer into a lifelong career as an animal behaviorist00:10:18 – The two foundational techniques of bridging (reward markers) and targeting that changed how she trains any species00:14:13 – The "come bearing gifts" principle: offering trust before ever asking for anything in return00:35:42 – What actually makes you a safe space for an animal, and what makes you unsafe00:41:31 – Systematic desensitization, and why announcing your intentions changes everything00:52:15 – The difference between behavioral and environmental enrichment, and why horses are missing out00:56:00 – Why consistency matters for communication but variety matters for motivation01:09:19 – The extraordinary story of training sea lions to film whales in the open ocean01:28:00 – "Contra freeloading," and why animals (and humans) are wired to want to work for things02:08:24 – Teaching a horse to find calm through a simple "head down" cueMemorable Moments from the Episode00:14:43 – Jenifer describes conditioning trust with cheetahs, mountain lions, and wolves through patient, positive interactions from behind a safety barrier01:14:43 – A sea lion caught between orcas and open water swims 20 miles home, then leaps into the boat exhausted01:40:18 – Jenifer's reminder that the best trainers "don't get into the crash" in the first place02:10:00 – The story of the notoriously aggressive horse David Litchman connected her with, and how a new paradigm transformed him02:15:00 – Rupert traces the story of the Buddha's own horse, Kantaka, and its place in Buddhist legendGuest Contact & Linksanimaltraining.usBooks: Animal Training 101: The Complete and Practical Guide to the Art and Science of Behavior Modification https://amzn.to/3UA43YZMindful Partners: The Zen Art and Science of Working with Animals https://amzn.to/4xM2KVwAbout Jenifer ZeligsJenifer Zeligs is an animal behaviorist, psychologist, and author who has spent decades working with species ranging from horses and dogs to cheetahs, wolves, and sea lions. She began her training career at the National Zoo at nine years old, mentored by exotic animal trainer Casey Cover, and later became a foundational influence on liberty horse trainer David Lichman, who credits her "come bearing gifts" philosophy as central to his own approach. She is the author of Animal Training 101 and Mindful Partners: The Zen Art and Science of Working with Animals, and teaches online courses at animaltraining.us. Now based in Oxford, England, she brings together decades of hands-on behavioral science with a practicing Buddhist's approach to trust, safety, and fearlessness.See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:Website: https://rupertisaacson.comFollow Us:Long Ride HomeWebsite: https://longridehome.comFacebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrhInstagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrhYouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehomeNew Trails Learning SystemsWebsite: https://ntls.coFacebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworldInstagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworldYouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystemsAffiliate Disclosure:Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.
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    2 ore e 26 min
  • Altered States, Horse Gods & the Energy Behind Every Action: A Conversation with Warwick Schiller | Warwick Schiller | LFRF 61

    Altered States, Horse Gods & the Energy Behind Every Action: A Conversation with Warwick Schiller | Warwick Schiller | LFRF 61
    Aug 27 2026

    ✨ "I think love is just not blocking out your connectedness to anything else." – Warwick Schiller

    ✨ "The same action with a different intention has a different energetic signature." – Warwick Schiller

    Warwick Schiller joins Rupert Isaacson for a wide-ranging conversation on altered states of consciousness in horsemanship, a subject the two first began exploring together on Warwick's own podcast. Rupert opens with the story of his son Rowan's healing ceremony with Kuku Yalanji shamans in Australia's Daintree Rainforest, and the two trace the theme from there into what "consent" and so-called horse slapping actually look like through a horse's nervous system.

    From there the conversation moves through the deep history of horse worship, from the goddess Epona and Xenophon's writings to Roman cavalry rituals and Mongolian shamanism, and lands on a central idea both men keep circling back to: that intention itself changes the energy, or as Warwick puts it, the "energetic signature," of any action, whether that's patting a horse, backing one up, or riding into battle.

    A wide-ranging, unhurried conversation that moves from hardware stores and rodeo bulls to henbane, King Arthur, and a closing reading from the Hadith.

    What You'll Learn in This Episode

    00:00:36 – Rupert opens the episode by introducing the theme of altered states of consciousness in horsemanship

    00:05:24 – Rupert recounts his son Rowan's healing ceremony with Kuku Yalanji shamans in the Daintree Rainforest

    00:11:03 – Warwick unpacks consent, "horse slapping," and what it means to actually be present with a horse

    00:24:13 – Why Warwick loses all sense of time while running clinics, and what that says about altered states

    00:38:38 – A journey through the ancient history of horse worship, from Epona and Xenophon to Roman cavalry and Mongolian shamanism

    00:44:49 – What it might look like to bring ritual and reverence back into everyday training

    01:09:20 – Warwick on his real job as a teacher: "busting" people's long-held truths

    01:27:00 – The henbane story, and how intention changes the "energetic signature" of an action

    01:41:00 – How a Horse Boy fox hunt became a bloodless, inclusive tradition for kids with special needs and refugee children

    01:51:24 – Ancient horse divination rituals from the Baltic to Rajasthan, and the Hadith reading that closes the episode

    Memorable Moments from the Episode

    00:56:21 – Warwick's story about trying to buy "starter cord" from a bemused hardware store clerk

    01:01:14 – Rupert admits he prays before every clinic or talk, weaving together Christian and Germanic horse-god iconography

    01:28:56 – The Elizabeth Gilbert and Raya story: the same purse-saving gesture, told twice, with two very different meanings behind it

    01:57:15 – Warwick closes with a line from the Hadith that, as he puts it, ties the whole conversation together

    01:59:24 – Rupert describes something "coming out of the cliff" and speaking to him during a retreat in Sweden

    Warwick Schiller https://warwickschiller.com

    Journey On Podcast Warwick's own podcast, referenced throughout the conversation as the place he and Rupert first began discussing these ideas

    See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:

    Website: https://rupertisaacson.com


    Follow Us:

    Long Ride Home Website: https://longridehome.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh Instagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh YouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehome

    New Trails Learning Systems Website: https://ntls.co Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld Instagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworld YouTube: https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems

    Affiliate Disclosure:

    Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.
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    2 ore e 2 min
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