Episodes

  • 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 hrs and 26 mins
  • 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


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

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    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 hrs and 2 mins
  • The Black Horse History They Left Out | Louis Hook | LFRF 60

    The Black Horse History They Left Out | Louis Hook | LFRF 60
    Aug 14 2026
    ✨ "Everyone knows that the conqueror writes his story." – Louis Hook✨ "I stood up. I told my son, 'That's not true.' And from there, I started a research path." – Louis HookLouis Hook is a founding member of the Compton Cowboys, the decades-old therapeutic riding program based in Compton, Los Angeles, and previously featured on Rupert's Equine Assisted World podcast. He carries an MIT PhD program background and a Harvard Business School education, and for the last several years has redirected that analytical training toward an independent research project: documenting the African cavalry traditions written out of mainstream history. The catalyst was watching the film The Woman King and being stunned to see a Black cavalry on screen — a moment that sent him down a research path he is still on today.Rupert brings his own family history into the conversation, including a 19th-century surcoat, chain mail, and sword taken from a Mahdist cavalryman at the Battle of Omdurman by his ancestor, George Spotswood Sparks. Together they trace the arc of African equestrian power — the Moors' 800-year hold on southern Spain, Mansa Musa's cavalry-protected gold empire in Mali, the Kanem-Bornu Empire and Sokoto Caliphate, and the horse cultures of the Sahel that, as Rupert notes, never went away and still produce true Barb horses in Senegal today.From there the conversation moves to the American side of the story — the "brain drain" model of slavery that targeted skilled horsemen, blacksmiths, and rice farmers, and the land-grant gated-horse tradition of East Texas that Rupert witnessed firsthand. A wide-ranging, deeply researched conversation.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutWhat You'll Learn in This Episode00:01:44 – Rupert's family connection to African horse cultures, sparked by a 19th-century surcoat and chain mail taken from a Mahdist cavalryman00:07:23 – How watching The Woman King sent Louis on a research journey into Africa's erased cavalry history00:11:19 – The Moors' 800-year conquest of southern Spain and their overlooked African identity00:23:00 – Mansa Musa's cavalry-protected gold empire, and Louis's case that he ranks among history's five greatest men00:35:19 – Why true Barb horses survive today only in Senegal00:37:43 – How the Catholic Church whitewashed Christian imagery and helped embed a racial hierarchy00:53:29 – The "brain drain" model of slavery — how expert horsemen, blacksmiths, and rice farmers were targeted and bought at a premium00:58:00 – The land-grant horse culture of East Texas, where freed slave families built a gated-horse tradition still alive today01:13:29 – Louis and Rupert trace the likely African roots of dressage rising star Nashon Cook01:30:04 – The "horses to heal, horses to harm" philosophy — how the same training system can wound or healMemorable Moments from the Episode00:04:02 – Rupert describes the surcoat, chain mail, and sword hanging on his family's wall, taken from a Mahdist cavalryman by his ancestor00:09:36 – Louis recounts standing up in the theater during The Woman King and telling his son, "That's not true"01:00:13 – Rupert recalls roughly 200 Black riders on gated horses passing his Texas home, beer trucks blasting hip-hop01:19:43 – Louis describes the emotional experience of visiting "The Last Bath," the Ghanaian site where enslaved people were bathed before auction01:34:38 – Louis walks through using AI to fact-check erased history, using the Benjamin Franklin slavery exampleGuest Contact & LinksLouis Hook's book, Black in the Saddle: From African Cavalries to Modern Cowboys https://amzn.to/4htcuPfLouis is a founding member of the Compton Cowboys, the Compton, Los Angeles-based therapeutic riding program also featured on Rupert's Equine Assisted World podcast. https://educatedhoodrat.comAbout Louis HookLouis Hook is a founding member of the Compton Cowboys, a therapeutic riding program serving Compton, Los Angeles for several decades. He brings an MIT PhD program background and a Harvard Business School education to his independent research into the African cavalry cultures erased from mainstream history. He is the author of Black in the Saddle: From African Cavalries to Modern Cowboys, with a second volume in progress tracing his own ancestral roots to Sierra Leone and Burkina Faso.See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:Follow 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 ...
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    1 hr and 43 mins
  • What My Horse's Tongue Taught Me About Healing | Nahshon Cook | LFRF 59

    What My Horse's Tongue Taught Me About Healing | Nahshon Cook | LFRF 59
    Jul 23 2026

    ✨ "I've never used Baucher to train anything. I've always used Baucher to heal." – Nahshon Cook

    ✨ "Does your horse feel good after you've done what you've done with them? ... That's connection." – Nahshon Cook


    Nahshon Cook is a classical dressage trainer based in Colorado whose path began riding donated horses as a kid at the Urban Farm at Stapleton, an inner-city youth program in Denver. Two mentors — Cynthia Spalding and former Cadre Noir rider Jean-François Fabier — introduced him to dressage before he was out of his teens, and after a detour through divinity school, Southeast Asia, and a stint training show and race horses in Thailand, he returned to Colorado and built a reputation for taking on horses other trainers had given up on.

    The conversation moves through Nahshon's approach to kissing spine, poll and TMJ tension, and how he reads a horse's tongue as a barometer for what's happening throughout the rest of the body. He walks through three distinct flexion positions he uses to unlock the hips, stifle, and hocks, and describes rehabilitating horses diagnosed with DSLD and a herniated disc using Baucher-based flexion work, treats, and nervous-system regulation.

    A rich, wide-ranging conversation that moves between technical dressage detail and questions of safety, mercy, and what it means to truly listen to a horse.


    FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpout

    All Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/books


    What You'll Learn in This Episode

    00:02:07 – How riding at the Urban Farm at Stapleton in Denver opened the door to dressage

    00:06:13 – What mentor Cynthia Spalding taught him about feel, not just technique

    00:11:21 – Learning from ex-Cadre Noir rider Jean-François Fabier and matching training to each horse's breed

    00:19:18 – Leaving divinity school for Southeast Asia, and training horses in Thailand

    00:31:14 – Why he swore off training for clients, and how horses get used as "bait"

    01:05:13 – The real cause of kissing spine: tension in the poll and TMJ

    01:07:38 – How to use a noseband correctly so it helps the horse feel safe

    01:15:44 – Reading the tongue as a map to the horse's fascia and poll

    01:26:16 – The three flexion positions that unlock the hips, stifle, and hocks

    01:30:45 – Treats, poll work, and grooming tools for regulating the nervous system

    Memorable Moments from the Episode

    00:38:31 – A client asks a 15-year-old Nahshon to fake a South African accent to hide his age

    00:49:34 – Healing a chronically colicking horse with stones and touch

    01:14:33 – Popping a horse's spine and ribs back into place with Baucher flexions

    01:28:06 – A herniated-disc horse's dramatic physical release during a flexion session

    01:55:15 – Nahshon closes the conversation with an original poem

    Guest Contact & Links

    https://www.facebook.com/NahshonCookHorsemanship/

    About Nahshon Cook

    Nahshon Cook is a classical dressage trainer based in Colorado who began riding at 13 through an inner-city youth program and went on to study with mentors from two different dressage traditions before he turned 18. His approach centers on reading tension in the poll, TMJ, and tongue as the key to unlocking a horse's back and hind end, and he's known for taking on horses — including cases of DSLD, PSSM2, and herniated discs — that other trainers and vets had written off. He now holds small working gatherings in Wisconsin rather than teaching public clinics.


    See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:

    Website: https://rupertisaacson.com


    Follow Us:

    Long Ride Home

    Website: https://longridehome.com

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    New Trails Learning Systems

    Website: https://ntls.co

    Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld

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    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 hrs and 3 mins
  • What My Most Dangerous Horse Taught Me About Letting Go | Dominique Barbier

    What My Most Dangerous Horse Taught Me About Letting Go | Dominique Barbier
    Jul 16 2026
    ✨ "Your horse does not anticipate. He simply reads your mind." – Dominique Barbier✨ "I want people to smile when they ride, because if they don't smile, why are you riding?" – Dominique BarbierDominique Barbier grew up in France with no horsey family background, but an early and almost uncanny sensitivity to horses that set him apart from the biomechanical training he encountered in England and France. After training and competing across multiple disciplines, he made his way to Portugal to study for two years with the legendary Nuno Oliveira, absorbing lessons that would go on to shape the French-Portuguese school of dressage he now teaches worldwide from his base in California.This conversation centers on Don Giovanni, the volatile, nearly-destroyed stallion who became Dominique's greatest teacher, and the three-step process of "getting out of the way" that Dominique developed to earn his trust. Dominique and Rupert also dig into descente de main and descente de jambe, the difference between riding physically and riding mentally, and Dominique's blunt take on spurs, competition, and the pursuit of joy over technique.A candid, wide-ranging two-hour conversation from one of dressage's most original voices.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutAll Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/booksWhat You'll Learn in This Episode00:03:00 – Dominique's unusual early sensitivity to horses and how his father let him follow his passion00:12:00 – Why Dominique says a horse doesn't anticipate — he reads your mind00:16:00 – The nine months Dominique couldn't ride, and what he discovered about the intellectual mind blocking connection00:20:00 – Dominique's 90/10 philosophy: staying out of the horse's way00:39:00 – How Dominique met and nearly lost the chance to save Don Giovanni, the horse who taught him the most00:48:00 – The three-step process Dominique used to earn Don Giovanni's trust00:52:00 – Reading a horse's true preferences through nature, play, and "crazy time"01:04:00 – The story behind descente de main, descente de jambe from Dominique's time with Nuno Oliveira01:13:00 – Why Dominique now teaches people to smile when they ride01:50:00 – Fear as simply "what you don't know," and how Dominique helps students move through itMemorable Moments from the Episode00:42:00 – The dramatic story of winning the right to bring Don Giovanni home — a horse marked for destruction01:26:00 – Dominique's candid reflection on Nuno Oliveira's complicated inner life, and why he never wanted to "be" his master01:42:00 – Dominique's confession about once owning 300 spurs, and why he regrets it02:00:00 – Dominique reveals his upcoming book, simply titled Consciousness02:16:00 – Dominique's parting invitation to share a glass of Merlot with Rupert in CaliforniaGuest Contact & LinksDominique Barbier Website: https://dominiquebarbier.comAbout Dominique BarbierDominique Barbier is one of the leading figures in classical dressage, known as an exponent of the French-Portuguese school. Raised in France with no equestrian family background, he trained across multiple disciplines before spending two formative years studying under the legendary Nuno Oliveira in Portugal. He has authored numerous books, including Dressage for the New Age, with a new book titled Consciousness forthcoming, and continues to teach and train worldwide from his base in California. His approach emphasizes visualization, presence, and reading what a horse genuinely enjoys over rigid technique.🐎 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 Home Website: https://longridehome.com Facebook: https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh Instagram: https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh YouTube: https://youtube.com/@longridehomeNew Trails Learning Systems Website: https://ntls.co Facebook: https://facebook.com/horseboyworld Instagram: https://instagram.com/horseboyworld YouTube: 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 hrs and 21 mins
  • The Lost Art of Mounted Combat & Classical Dressage | Arne Koets | EP 57

    The Lost Art of Mounted Combat & Classical Dressage | Arne Koets | EP 57
    Jul 2 2026
    ✨ "The difference between destruction and creation kind of just disappears, and this is a beautiful thing to be able to do." – Arne Koets✨ "Are you making a foundation for a skyscraper or are you making a foundation for a shed? Those are not the same foundations." – Arne KoetsArne Koets is a historical dressage teacher, jouster, and practitioner of Rossfechten — mounted sword fighting — who trained at the Fürstliche Hofreitschule in Bückeburg, Germany, reaching the level of Hofberater (courtly rider). His work draws on European martial arts manuscripts dating back to the 14th and 15th centuries, blending biomechanics, classical in-hand work, and the disciplines of combat horsemanship into a living, practiced tradition.In this conversation, Rupert and Arne trace the deep connections between martial arts on horseback, tango, and the finest ideals of classical dressage. They explore how the same biomechanical principles that make a good fighter also make a good dancer — and how understanding this can transform the way we train and relate to our horses. The conversation moves through in-hand work, the role of the schoolmaster horse, the philosophy of building community, and what it actually takes to get a beginner riding with confidence and joy from the very first lesson.A far-ranging, intellectually rich conversation that will delight history nerds, dressage geeks, and anyone who has ever wondered what riding was really for.TimestampsHow Arne's background in reconstructing European martial arts led him to historical dressage and Bückeburg [00:01:00]The connection between Argentine tango, wrestling, and riding — and why the line between building balance and destroying it is thinner than we think [00:10:00]Why teaching the collection work first, not last, is the old way — and why Steinbrecht actually agrees [00:16:00]The concept of unificare — inviting the horse to come up into an embrace with the rider — versus driving the seat bone down [00:25:00]Why confused definitions (what does "forward" actually mean?) have degraded the modern system of riding instruction [00:32:00]Arne's step-by-step in-hand training sequence: figure-of-eight, lateral movements, piaffe steps, and preparing for the first rider [01:03:00]The role of the "ground monkey" and "sky monkey" — why team work is not optional in breaking young horses [01:13:00]How Rossfechten (mounted sword fighting) builds community, releases ego, and teaches riders to feel what their horse is doing [01:26:00]Why horses become genuine strategic partners in mounted fencing — including Arne's story of a horse who executed a spontaneous 360 to protect his rider [01:41:00]How "deliberate hacking" — making conscious choices in the terrain — builds the horse's back and collection as effectively as arena work [02:30:00]A beginner sword fighter with zero riding experience sits piaffe on a stallion during his first lesson, then rides one-handed with a sword in canter by his tenth [00:16:00]Arne recounts confronting an FN clinician about why German riding schools don't follow what Steinbrecht actually says on page three [00:20:00]The horse who competed fully blindfolded by accident — caparison covering his eyes — and never put a foot wrong because rider and horse were one [01:44:00]Arne describes a group cavalry skirmish with 200 infantry and 48 mounted riders — and how the horses learn to aim the sword [02:13:00]The moment Arne's horse spontaneously executed a 360-degree bullfighting spin mid-sword fight, placed the weapon to parry an incoming blow, and then resumed the attack — entirely the horse's idea [01:41:00]Arne's Website: www.arnekoets.comRosswochen Symposium (first weekend of May — academic lectures, workshops, tango night, mounted demonstrations): www.arnekoets.comFürstliche Hofreitschule Bückeburg (the Princely School for Riding Art referenced throughout): www.hofgestut-bueckeburg.deAbout Arne KoetsArne Koets is a Dutch-born historical dressage teacher, jouster, and the foremost practitioner of Rossfechten — mounted sword fighting in the tradition of the European fighting manuscripts. He trained at the Fürstliche Hofreitschule in Bückeburg, Germany, achieving the rank of Hofberater, and spent years interpreting equestrian history at the Royal Armouries and the Dutch Army Museum. He now teaches clinics internationally and hosts students and riders at his home in Thuringia, Germany. His approach synthesizes biomechanics, classical in-hand work, and the martial arts manuscripts of the 14th through 16th centuries into a living, teachable system. His events attract riders from across Europe, the US, and beyond.🐎 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:...
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    2 hrs and 47 mins
  • What Wild Horses Taught Me About Consciousness | Mary Ann Simonds | LFRF 56

    What Wild Horses Taught Me About Consciousness | Mary Ann Simonds | LFRF 56
    Jun 18 2026
    ✨ "All social species seek connections. People and horses are no different. Safety and comfort are the core elements to build strong social bonds regardless of species. “ – Mary Ann Simonds✨ "The best tool we have is be the best human you can be. You don't have to know everything. You just have to be clear on yourself and be pure and be silent, and then help your horse be the best horse it can be." – Mary Ann SimondsMary Ann Simonds has spent more than four decades sitting at the intersection of wildlife biology, consciousness studies, and horsemanship — and almost none of it has looked the way science was supposed to look. She grew up in California riding hunter/jumpers, earned her BS from the University of Wyoming in Wildlife Conservation and Management and a minor in Range Management studying wild horse ecology and whole systems approaches. She was appointed to the National Advisory Board for Wild Horses and Burros in the early 1990s after years of field research on wild horse behavioral ecology. She has worked for oil and gas companies as a reclamation specialist, pioneered ecotourism partnerships with ranchers in Wyoming and Oregon, taught interspecies communication at Nippon Veterinary and Life Sciences University in Tokyo, earned a graduate degree in Inter-disciplinary Consciousness Studies and has spent years working quietly behind the scenes in the sport horse welfare world near her home in Wellington, Florida.Her new book, A Horse by Nature, published by Trafalgar Square, draws on all of it — wild horse social behavior, domestic horse psychology, welfare ethics, and practical communication tools — organized in red, blue, and green tips so riders can go straight to what they need most. It is, as Rupert and Mary Ann agree at the end of this conversation, Part One of what will be a longer series.This is a conversation about what happens when rigorous science and genuine animal communication occupy the same person — and what that has to teach anyone who lives and works with horses.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutWhat You'll Learn in This Episode00:05:30 – How Mary Ann first recognized, at age 11, that a trainer couldn't hear what a horse with a headache was saying — and why that question drove her entire career00:13:00 – What double degrees in range management and wildlife biology taught her about the gap between academic science and what animals are actually doing00:39:00 – The dietary overlap study she conducted as an undergraduate — and how it became the data cited to justify mass BLM removal of wild horses decades later00:44:00 – How BLM's gate-cut removal policy destroyed wild horse social structures and caused reproductive rates to skyrocket00:47:00 – Why a Nevada rancher admitted he hated the wild stallion eating his alfalfa — and what that revealed about the real psychology behind mustang persecution00:56:00 – How she converted ranchers into ecotourism operators years before the concept had a name — and why she calls herself a solution finder, not an activist01:04:00 – The discovery that studying nature with a quiet mind produced completely different wildlife sightings than looking at it with scientific intent01:20:00 – Why she went to graduate school to study human consciousness after watching a BLM official throw a briefcase at a rancher in a public meeting01:38:00 – How she taught interspecies communication at Nippon Animal Science University in Tokyo, and why Japanese vet students grasped it almost instantly01:44:00 – Why a horse's first two years determine everything, and how not knowing a horse's early history is one of the most common mistakes buyers make01:49:00 – What A Horse by Nature offers: how to teach a horse to be a functional horse, the OFFER technique, and why eye contact, nose bump, and buddy scratch transform the relationship01:51:00 – The red, blue, and green tip system — and why safety and comfort, not food, are a horse's primary motivation for bonding with a humanMemorable Moments from the Episode00:12:00 – Mary Ann describes sleeping with rattlesnakes as an 18-year-old after refusing to leave the field — and what it taught her about looking with nature rather than at it00:43:00 – She discovers her own undergraduate data, filed under her maiden name Canny, was the study used to justify mass wild horse removals — and the range manager confirms it was never statistically significant00:49:00 – An Oregon rancher comes to her door late at night to confess he killed a band of horses because they looked too pathetic to live — and her response: "So if you look like that, should I shoot you too?"01:33:00 – A Wyoming cowboy's horse jumps into the back of his pickup truck with his dog, unprompted and untrained — and that moment becomes the seed of her interspecies communication research01:42:00 – Rupert describes aloud, for the first time, all the prayers and invisible...
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    2 hrs and 17 mins
  • Medieval Times & The Art of Horsemanship: Joy, Trust & the Old Masters | Mario Contreras | LFRF 55

    Medieval Times & The Art of Horsemanship: Joy, Trust & the Old Masters | Mario Contreras | LFRF 55
    Jun 4 2026
    ✨ "The best teachers and coaches are the horses. It's important for us to learn to listen to them and see them." – Mario Contreras✨ "There is a big word I always feel is missing from the training scale — and that's joy. Where's the joy? These are movements that horses do when they feel passion." – Rupert IsaacsonMario Contreras is the head trainer at Medieval Times Chicago, the man responsible for the standard of horsemanship that stops knowledgeable riders cold in the middle of a crowd of beer-drinking tourists who have no idea what they're witnessing. Third-generation horse trainer, born in Texcoco and raised in a family rooted in the Alta Escuela and charrería traditions of Jalisco, Mexico, Mario came to the US in 1990 with no English and a lifetime of classical riding in his bones — and built a 35-year career inside one of the most demanding equestrian entertainment operations in North America.In this wide-ranging conversation, Rupert and Mario cover the deep roots of Mexican horse culture that most American dressage riders have never heard of, how Mario trains complete beginners to become knights performing before 1,500 people in under three years, and why cross-training, liberty work, and genuine joy are the true secrets to keeping horses and riders performing at their best. They also dig into the lost art of schoolmaster training, the in-hand and ground work that underpins everything Mario does, and the vision — still unfinished — of building Mexico a national horsemanship school at the level of Jerez or the Spanish Riding School.A rich, warm conversation between two horsemen who share a deep reverence for the old masters and a conviction that horses teach us more than we teach them.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutWhat You'll Learn in This Episode• How the Contreras family built a three-generation tradition of Alta Escuela and charrería in Mexico, and how it led Mario to Medieval Times [00:02:35] What charrería is, why it matters, and how Mario's father blended it with classical Alta Escuela to create something unique [00:08:46] The role of Andalusian horses in promoting Mexican culture — and how the Aztec horse breed came to be [00:03:19] Why Medieval Times hires actors and athletes with no riding background — and how Mario turns them into skilled knights in three years [00:20:37] How Mario's brother Marcial pushed him harder as family than he would have pushed anyone else, and what that taught him about leadership [00:27:46] The value of getting your hands dirty: why Mario still cleans stalls and brushes horses, and why that's inseparable from great horsemanship [00:30:11] The case for in-hand and ground training before ever mounting a horse — and how Mario uses it to teach piaffe, passage, and the Spanish walk [00:32:18] Why schoolmaster horses are the missing ingredient in modern dressage training, and how the old masters always put beginners on the best horses first [00:51:24] Cross-training as the antidote to burnout: how mixing dressage, Alta Escuela, liberty, working equitation, and games keeps horses genuinely joyful [01:34:10] Mario's approach to stallion management, redirecting energy, and why isolation is the worst thing you can do for a difficult horse [01:15:07]Memorable Moments from the EpisodeRupert describes watching a rider perform three caprioles in a row at Medieval Times while the crowd sips beer — and no one in the room understands what they're seeing [00:01:32] Mario recounts the moment he first rode for Medieval Times in California and was so hooked he never looked back [00:26:56] Mario describes being deported from the US, spending four years in Mexico without his family or friends, and then getting a call from Medieval Times offering to bring him back legally — via a detour to Cancun as a pirate [01:53:59] Mario was invited to ride Claudio Castilla Ruiz's Olympic Grand Prix horse Jade — in jeans and tennis shoes — during a visit to Spain in 2008 [00:58:19] Rupert and Mario agree that joy is the word missing from the classical training pyramid — and that a horse in the arena performing with passion is the only thing that makes the audience feel they spent their money well [01:32:11]Guest Contact & LinksMario A. Contreras — Facebook and Instagram: Mario A. Contreras MC Horse Training (Chicago area / Maple Park, IL): mchorsetraining.com (currently being rebuilt) Phone: 630-415-9788About Mario ContrerasMario Contreras is a third-generation horse trainer from a family rooted in the Alta Escuela and charrería traditions of Jalisco, Mexico. His father, Jose Trinidad Contreras, was co-founder of the Escuela de Jinetes Domeq and helped introduce Andalusian horses throughout Mexico. Mario joined Medieval Times in 1990 and has spent 35 years building and running the equestrian program at their flagship Chicago castle — the largest in the company, seating 1,500 people per show. Outside ...
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    2 hrs and 1 min