✨ "Somebody asked me, 'Do you teach horses collection?' I said, 'I suppose, but really what I'm trying to do is teach them connection. I want them to know me, and I want to know them.'" – Dr. Glenn Cochran✨ "The only thing about you that's bigger than that horse is your brain." – Dr. Glenn CochranDr. Glenn Cochran is a Texas cattleman, emergency room physician, classical rider, working equitation organizer, and honorary charro who has spent his life refusing the false walls between disciplines. His journey runs from starting colts at 14 under old-school cowboy Buck Kidwell — dallied to a stallion's saddle horn, left leg turning purple — through Peruvian Pasos, Andalusians, and six months of Wednesday afternoon in-hand sessions with Spanish rider Fermin Carrera, to gathering 300 head of cattle through Central Texas brush so thick you can only hear the other cowboys, not see them.The through-line is connection. Glenn practiced Oslerian medicine — sit down, listen, let the patient tell you the diagnosis — for decades in the ER, and found it mapped exactly onto how he trains horses. Rupert and Glenn also go deep on the historical origins of the Baucher flexions, tracing a possible thread from Hittite clay tablets in 1375 BC through Islamic horsemanship texts of the Reconquista to a 1665 German riding book — and asking whether Baucher invented anything at all.Glenn swims in the Black singlefooting tradition, the Mexican charrería, the Portuguese rejoneo, and Baucher-influenced classical work, and sees it as one thing. A rich, warm, wide-ranging conversation.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpoutAll Books Mentioned: https://longridehome.com/booksWhat You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow Glenn started horses at 14 dallied to Buck Kidwell's stallion — and what that old-school hackamore foundation taught him [00:05:00]The chain from a 1971 Denver bookstore to Nuno Oliveira's students to Spanish rider Fermin Carrera — and six months of Wednesday in-hand sessions [00:17:00]Day-working cattle ranches across Texas, New Mexico, and Colorado — what it is and what you learn [00:26:16]Oslerian medicine: sit with the patient, let them talk, and they'll give you the diagnosis — and how it maps onto horsemanship [00:42:00]How the Masterson Method, Reiki, and skin-to-skin touch in medicine all point back to connection [00:50:17]Glenn on teaching connection, not collection — and what that actually looks like with a young horse [00:53:06]Were Baucher's flexions original? The rabbit hole: a 1665 German riding book, Islamic texts from the Reconquista, and a teenager who went to work with his uncle in Italy [01:20:23]Why the division between western riding, doma vaquera, and classical dressage is a "completely monkey idea" — and what Mongolian livestock work has to do with piaffe [01:29:39]The "song of the brush": gathering 300 head of Corriente cattle on horseback through brush so thick a snake has trouble getting through [01:39:33]The charro, the vaquero, the escaramuza, and eight minutes of floreo rope work before you ever throw — Glenn as honorary charro [01:55:25]Memorable Moments from the EpisodeBuck Kidwell refusing a chicken catcher while roping a cow's swollen udder: "I don't need no goddamn chicken catcher. I'm a cowboy." [00:09:39]66 horses moving through the foothills of the Rockies toward Estes Park — kids roadside calling "Real cowboys!" — and the horse that kicked out a fancy car's headlight [00:31:25]Rupert pauses mid-conversation to fetch Dressage in the French Tradition by Diogo de Braganza and reads aloud on whether Baucher was a plagiarist of the German old school [01:20:23]Glenn clears an 8-foot oak-plank fence in one leap after pawing back at a horned cow with a calf — who hit the boards right as he cleared them [01:36:00]Glenn's first riding experience: sneaking under the electric fence to the neighboring dairy at age 10 until a little Jersey cow let him sit on her back [01:52:44]About Dr. Glenn CochranDr. Glenn Cochran is a Texas cattleman, emergency room physician, classical rider, and working equitation practitioner based on a 500-acre ranch in Central Texas. Raised around horses from childhood, he trained under cowboy Buck Kidwell before following a lifelong thread through Peruvian Pasos, Andalusians, Lusitanos, and the in-hand Baucher tradition — shaped by Diana Christensen (a student of Nuno Oliveira) and Spanish rider Fermin Carrera. He is an honorary charro and an active voice in bridging the western, classical, and Iberian worlds. Find Glenn on Facebook: Glenn Cochran.🐎 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.

Kim Barthel is an occupational therapist, international educator, and author based in British Columbia, Canada, trained in sensory integration, neurodevelopmental therapy, and holotropic breathwork. Leana Tank is an occupational therapist and consultant working with complex populations including individuals in the criminal justice system, combining equine-assisted practice with deep expertise in movement, trauma, and the nervous system.Together, they bring a rare combination of neurological precision and on-the-ground practicality to one of the most overlooked questions in equine-assisted work: what are you doing with your clients when they are not on — or with — the horse?This conversation digs into the neuroscience of the vestibular system, interoception, bilateral stimulation, and why movement is far more than muscles. Kim and Leana share concrete tools — from saddle stools at home to pickle juice to the long gaze — and explore why the relational environment may ultimately matter even more than the physical one.✨ "The brain can change until you stop breathing." – Kim BarthelIf you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome🔍 What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy what happens off the horse — at the barn, at home, in the community — is just as important as the session itselfHow the vestibular system develops in utero and why almost every developmental difference affects itWhat the inner core muscles (diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, multifidus) have to do with regulation, interoception, and feeling safeWhy the horse's three-dimensional movement provides a backdrop the brain cannot easily access in stillnessWhat interoception is, why many autistic individuals experience a blurred boundary between self and world, and how horseback riding supports thisHow to design simple home environments and daily activities that continue the neuroplasticity work between sessionsWhy stimming is not a problem to fix but a movement toward wholeness — and how to support it constructivelyWhat a "sensory diet" is and why individualized approaches work better than generic protocolsHow bilateral stimulation (crossing the midline) integrates the two brain hemispheres and why this matters for both autism and traumaWhy the relational environment — feeling seen and supported — may be the most powerful variable of allWhat the Default Mode Network and Salience Network are, and why nature shifts the brain into restorationPractical at-home tools: the long gaze, saddle-shaped stools, office chair rotation, barefoot movement, pushing/pulling exercises, and foraging tasksHow holotropic breathwork connects shamanic tradition to modern neuroscience through rhythm, movement, and breath🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode[00:09:44] Kim explains why the horse is "so much more than a horse" — the unappreciated relational variable in equine work [00:16:08] Kim breaks down the inner core system: diaphragm, pelvic floor, and why posture on a horse activates all of it [00:18:43] Kim defines interoception — the internal awareness of "this is me and this is not me" — and how the horse enables it [00:23:02] Leana describes transforming a collapsed young man through intentional off-road nature walks [00:43:00] Kim shares the story of a 13-year-old who hadn't slept more than 20 minutes a night — and how a spinning office chair changed everything [01:00:28] Rupert and Leana discuss what to give overworked care staff when the therapist walks out the door [01:19:00] Leana tells the story of a client who alchemized profound trauma into gratitude — a conversation that happened while walking [01:48:00] Kim's story: sitting silently on the curb beside an unhoused young man, saying "I see you" — and meeting him two years later at Walmart with a job [01:53:47] Kim explains the Default Mode Network vs the Salience Network — why nature restores us [02:00:53] Kim introduces "the long gaze" — how even a screensaver can shift the brain toward restoration📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources MentionedKim Barthel – Occupational Therapist, Educator, Author https://kimbarthel.ca Autism Matters – Kim Barthel's online webinar series https://kimbarthel.ca Leana Tank – OT, Constellations Consulting https://constellationsconsulting.org My Octopus Teacher – Netflix documentary featuring Craig Foster https://www.netflix.com/title/81016226 New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome🌍 Follow UsLong Ride Home https://longridehome.com https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh https://youtube.com/@longridehome New Trails Learning Systems https://ntls.co https://facebook.com/horseboyworld https://instagram.com/horseboyworld https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems📊 Affiliate DisclosureLinks 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.

What does it take to get a horse to stay with you — freely, on an open beach with no fence and no force? David Lichman has spent more than 30 years answering that question. From watching Ray Hunt work cold colts at the California State Fair, to becoming a Parelli instructor, to learning positive reinforcement from a sea lion behaviorist, his entire career has been built around one insight: make being with you the best place on earth.The conversation covers liberty training, the treats debate, undemanding time, the history of horsemanship, and why joy is the only metric that matters. There is also a miniature horse named Pepino, America's Got Talent, and Sarah Silverman asking for a mustache ride on live television.✨ "What's great about having a focus on liberty training is that if it ain't joyful, it ain't gonna happen — 'cause the horse is gonna leave." – David Lichman✨ "You're either with me or you're not with me. If you're not with me, you're gonna come back here and find out how good it is here." – David LichmanWhat You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow David's childhood in Marblehead, Massachusetts planted seeds that took decades to bloom [00:07:00]Why watching Ray Hunt start 18 cold colts in 18 days at the California State Fair changed everything [00:20:40]How David went from IBM contractor to World Grand Champion to Parelli instructor [00:22:12]The circus liberty horse epiphany: a hooded figure, six gray Arabians, and a 20-year friendship [00:38:00]What a sea lion facility in Moss Landing taught David about positive reinforcement [00:40:02]The treats debate: why combining food reward with pressure-and-release produces results "way more than twice as good" as either alone [00:57:57]Why joy is the one thing missing from every training scale — and why the joyful brain is the learning brain [01:00:24]Why Parelli said "undemanding time" first, Warwick Schiller didn't hear it for 10 years, and Mongolian horse tribes never had to be taught it [01:03:00]Why David changed the way liberty circles are taught — stop blocking departure, start making arrival irresistible [01:20:29]The beach test: 10 years of relationship, outriders who rode away, and horses that stayed [01:22:42]The America's Got Talent disaster: Pepino, a sick morning, and a performance that never happened [01:32:00]Why horses require humility — and why they'll hand it to you regardless [02:01:24]Memorable Moments from the EpisodeDavid's horse kicked in the skull on tour — found grooming the horse that kicked him through the stall door two stops later [00:08:29]Bow-and-arrow balloon shoot for 600 schoolchildren in Tennessee — dismounts by breaking two ribs [00:11:55]Watching Ray Hunt at the State Fair: nobody around him could see the miracle [00:21:04]The outriders ride away down the beach. The liberty horses don't follow [01:23:39]Pepino refuses cookies the morning of his AGT debut. The act falls apart live [01:33:49]Two mustaches shaved for charity. David's is back within three days [01:44:47]Sarah Silverman watches the Spanish walk and asks if David taught his horse to goosestep [01:53:26]Projects and Organizations MentionedDavid Lichman Natural Horsemanship https://david-lichman-5-star-parelli-professional.myshopify.com/New Trails Learning Systems / Horse Boy Method — rupertisaacson.comAbout David LichmanDavid Lichman is a natural horsemanship clinician, liberty horse trainer, and former Parelli Instructor with more than 30 years of experience. He is known for developing liberty training that works in open fields and on beaches — no round pen required — and for integrating positive reinforcement with classical and natural horsemanship traditions. He also plays bass guitar and performs jazz with vocalist Gabriela.See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows:Website: https://rupertisaacson.comLong 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.

✨ "The horses don't see the stories. They see who you are right now — and what you brought with you." – Jane StrongJane Strong is the founder and executive director of The Equus Effect, a nonprofit based in Connecticut, USA, that uses equine-assisted experiences to help veterans and first responders rebuild healthy relationships — with themselves, each other, and their communities.What sets Jane's work apart is her refusal to treat trauma as a diagnosis to manage. A former ethnographic researcher who spent decades studying subcultures for corporate clients, Jane came to horses and veterans with the same tool she'd always trusted: genuine curiosity. The Equus Effect's 16-hour curriculum blends somatic body-based practices, emotional agility training, and progressive groundwork with horses — all without metaphor, without therapy-speak, and without telling a veteran what anything means.This conversation covers Jane's unusual path — from advertising research to Monty Roberts to a 30-year-old Mustang who taught her that guilt is a waste of time — and dives deep into why horses are uniquely suited to reach the people hardest to reach: the ones still scanning for threats, still waiting for the playbook, still paying a nervous system tax no one else can see.If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome🔍 What You'll Learn in This EpisodeWhy veterans and first responders experience transition stress as a nervous system cost — and why talk therapy often falls shortHow ethnographic research trained Jane to enter any culture with curiosity instead of assumptions — and why that's essential for working with military populationsWhy The Equus Effect never uses metaphor in their horse work, and what happens when they let veterans find their own meaning insteadHow the program's somatic body scan and joint warmup prepare participants neurologically before they ever touch a horseWhy horses respond differently to officers than to enlisted personnel — and what that reveals about internal organizationWhat "uncoupling" means in trauma work, and the story of the veteran who found his focus again — safely — while leading a horse in a circleWhy Jane advises against letting participants know each other's rank, and what she learned the hard way when she didn't follow this ruleHow The Equus Effect's 16-hour curriculum unfolds across four sessions — from barn introduction to liberty work — and why soak time between sessions mattersWhat the Enneagram's three centers of intelligence (body, heart, mind) have to do with how people move and communicate with horsesWhy you don't need a military or first responder background to serve this population — and why Jane believes it may actually help not to have oneHow the program uses movie clips to open conversations about fear, vulnerability, anger, and depression — without singling anyone outWhy curiosity and compassion are inseparable, and what gets lost when we enter any population believing we already know who they areHow Jane finally secured a VA grant after 12+ years of program delivery — and what she learned about navigating that process🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode[00:02:34] Jane describes the 22-suicides-a-day statistic that launched The Equus Effect in 2008 [00:04:57] Four years of meetings before the VA agreed to send veterans — and what finally changed their minds [00:16:49] Jane explains why "helping" can hide a fixing mentality — and what curiosity looks like instead [00:41:00] Why Jane never introduces participants by rank — and the session that taught her this the hard way [00:57:34] Jane recalls losing her horse as a teenager and the moment she walked away from riding for years [01:17:25] A 35-year-old Mustang named Noche who couldn't be touched — and the message he gave her about guilt [01:57:48] The veteran who felt his focus return while leading a horse in a circle — and heard the words "this time, you were safe" [02:06:00] Jane explains how to access The Equus Effect's facilitator training and upcoming workshops [02:11:42] The nightmare of VA grant applications — and how hiring a grant writer made the difference [02:20:04] The closing reflection: can you have compassion without curiosity?📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources MentionedJane Strong – Founder & Executive Director, The Equus Effect https://theequuseffect.org New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome 🌍 Follow UsLong Ride Home https://longridehome.com https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh https://youtube.com/@longridehome New Trails Learning Systems https://ntls.co https://facebook.com/horseboyworld https://instagram.com/horseboyworld https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems📊 Affiliate DisclosureLinks 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.

What if the stars in your birth chart could tell you why you're drawn to horses — and what stands between you and the deeper connection you're seeking? Denise Elizabeth Byron has spent decades working at the intersection of astrology, psychic intuition, and soul guidance. She didn't set out to become the horse community's astrologer. She set out, as a seven-year-old girl in California, simply to understand why her grandmother kept showing up in her bedroom after she died — and never really stopped.Denise's path winds through a childhood steeped in Irish and Celtic intuition, a mother casting charts by hand in the seventies, years of study with psychic mentors, and a slow evolution from teacher to life coach to astrologer. What brought her into the horse world wasn't a horse — it was Robin Schiller, who came to a session and then brought Warwick, and the rest followed. What she found when she arrived was something she'd been searching for her whole life: a community of people who already knew how to listen.This is a wide-ranging, deeply warm conversation between two people who share a fascination with the irrational, the ancestral, and the unseen. Rupert and Denise cover past lives and what they're actually for, why horse people are natural intuitives (and often don't know it), what it means to be a fire horse in a fire horse year, and why Mercury Retrograde is not the time to gallop away. They talk about fields of consciousness and what love actually is, from photons emitted by the heart to the physics of ocean waves. And somewhere in the middle, balloons spontaneously appeared on both their Zoom screens.What emerges most clearly is this: horse women are far further along their intuitive journey than they give themselves credit for. And the thing most likely to block their connection with their horse isn't technique — it's perfectionism, and not extending to themselves the same love they so freely give their animals.Denise's message to every horse woman listening is as simple as it is quietly devastating: treat yourself with as much love as you treat your horse.FREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpout✨ "Trust what you hear, trust what you feel. Most people who contact me are so much further along in their journey than they give themselves credit for." – Denise Elizabeth Byron✨ "Treat yourself with as much love as you treat your horse." – Denise Elizabeth ByronWhat You'll Learn in This EpisodeHow Denise's grandmother appeared in her room the night she died — and kept showing up for decades [00:02:30] The difference between being psychic and being an astrologer — and how Denise combines both [00:17:00] How Denise's astrology practice began with her mother casting charts by hand in the 1970s [00:20:30] How a session with Robin Schiller led to Denise becoming the astrologer for the Journey On community [00:34:00] Why astrology charts are portals for intuition, not just technical prediction tools [00:35:00] Why horse people make natural intuitives, and what deep listening has to do with survival [00:37:30] Why past lives may be less about other humans and more about ancestral healing [00:48:00] What a birth chart can reveal about your intuitive gifts and how to develop them [01:08:30] How the patriarchal lens has shaped astrology — and where the goddess asteroids are changing it [01:14:00] What it means to be a fire horse in a fire horse year, and what the stars say about this particular moment [01:19:00] How Rupert's Aquarius fire horse chart reflects his life's work in healing [01:22:00] What Mercury Retrograde actually is, and why it's a time for integration rather than action [01:28:00] The physics of consciousness: hearts emitting photons, ocean waves, and what love actually is [01:40:00] Why horse people tend toward perfectionism — and how it blocks connection with their horses [01:52:30]Memorable Moments from the EpisodeDenise describes setting spiritual boundaries — no visitors in the bedroom or bathroom, unless it's an emergency — and how her first mentor taught her this after a particularly awkward moment [00:12:30] Denise and Rupert discover they're roughly the same age and spend a moment pretending to be 27 and 28 respectively [00:22:30] Rupert nearly gets kicked out of university for comparing an Iron Age metal-working culture to the Industrial Revolution — and his professors are not amused [00:27:30] Denise explains how she always ends up as a "camel boy, never a pharaoh" in past life work [00:50:30] Rupert's uncle, an eminent pathologist, stuns him after watching The Horse Boy by praising it for "drawing attention to the irrational side of medicine" — and the placebo effect [01:05:00] Balloons spontaneously appear on both Zoom screens mid-conversation — neither of them made it happen [01:21:30] Denise shares that wherever she goes, a quiet coffee shop fills up within minutes — her partner David calls it a "black hole fact" [01:34:30]Projects and Organizations MentionedHeartMath Institute — heart field research and coherence work Kansas Carradine / Circus Cowgirl — HeartMath combined with horses: https://circuscowgirl.com About Denise Elizabeth ByronDenise Elizabeth Byron is an astrologer, intuitive, and soul guide who has spent over thirty years helping people understand their charts as maps of the soul rather than predictions of fate. Known in the equestrian world through her work with the Journey On podcast community, she works at the intersection of Western astrology, numerology, psychic intuition, and ancestral healing. Her gift lies not in technical chart reading but in using a birth chart as a portal — a set of symbols that opens access to deeper knowing, ancestral connection, and soul evolution. She can be reached through her website: https://deniseelizabethbyron.comSee 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.