The Journey That Forged The Horse Boy | Mongolia, Shamanism & Healing with Tulga Otgonbaatar | Ep 43

About this episode

Rupert Isaacson reunites with Tulga Otgonbaatar to reflect on their transformative journey across Mongolia nearly twenty years ago, exploring themes of healing, culture, and nature.

In this deeply moving and long‑awaited reunion episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert Isaacson is joined by Tulga Otgonbaatar — the Mongolian guide, cultural bridge, and quiet catalyst behind the original Horse Boy journey. Nearly twenty years after Rupert, his autistic son Rowan, and Tulga traveled together across Mongolia to meet shamans, reindeer herders, and the vast living intelligence of the steppe, the two sit down to reflect on what that journey set in motion — not only for Rowan and their families, but for Mongolia itself. This conversation weaves together memory, history, spirituality, ecology, and lived experience. Tulga shares how a “city boy” became devoted to bringing people back into relationship with nature; how Mongolian kindness, patience, and forgiveness are forged through climate, culture, and Buddhism; and how shamanism survived Soviet suppression to remain a living healing practice today. Together, Rupert and Tulga revisit moments never fully told before — ceremonies where electronics failed, spirits tested intentions, vodka multiplied mysteriously, and healing unfolded in its own time. They explore the difference between cure and healing, the role of nature…

People in this episode

Host: Rupert Isaacson

Guest: Tulga Otgonbaatar

Topics covered

• shamanism
• healing
• autism
• Mongolian culture
• nature
• spirituality

Keywords

• Horse Boy
• Mongolia
• shamanism
• healing
• autism
• nature
• spirituality
• climate
• Buddhism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Soviet, Buddhism

Places: Mongolia

More episodes of Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson

• Medieval Times & The Art of Horsemanship: Joy, Trust & the Old Masters | Mario Contreras | LFRF 55 · June 4, 2026 · 2h 1m
• The Cowboy Who Bridges All Worlds: Classical Dressage, Ranch Medicine & the Art of Connection | Dr. Glenn Cochran | LFRF 54 · May 21, 2026 · 2h 14m
• Liberty, Lightness & the Long Game: From Parelli to the Beach | David Lichman | LFRF 53 · May 7, 2026 · 2h 6m
• Astrology, Ancestors & the Horse Soul: Reading the Stars for Riders | Denise Elizabeth Byron | LFRF 53 · April 23, 2026 · 2h 0m
• When Men Go Silent: Understanding the Male Mental Health Crisis | Eric Robertson | LFRF 51 · April 9, 2026 · 1h 37m
• Dressage Naturally: Happiness, Harmony & the Truth About Training | Karen Rohlf | LFRF 50 · March 26, 2026 · 1h 51m