Time Travel Through the Classical Canon: Xenophon Press, Emotional Mastery & the Future of Horsemanship with Richard Williams EP 47

About this episode

Rupert Isaacson and Richard Williams discuss the significance of classical equestrian knowledge and its applications in modern horsemanship and emotional regulation.

✨ “The horse lives in the present. If you want to be a good horse person, you need to become more like the horse.” – Richard Williams ✨ “Horsemanship is a physical meditation. The horse is a three-dimensional mirror.” – Richard Williams From preserving rare classical manuscripts to exploring the emotional and civilizing power of horsemanship, Richard Williams — publisher of Xenophon Press — joins Rupert Isaacson for a deep dive into why the old masters still matter. In this episode of Live Free Ride Free, Rupert and Richard trace the arc of classical equestrian knowledge from Xenophon through the Renaissance academies, La Guérinière, Steinbrecht, Baucher, and Nuno Oliveira — right up to the modern therapeutic and rehabilitative applications of classical riding. Richard shares how he came to acquire Xenophon Press, why publishing these works is an act of stewardship rather than profit, and how editing and translating classical texts became a form of "time travel." The conversation moves from Renaissance schools that trained diplomats through horsemanship, to emotional regulation in the saddle, to the role horses may play in addiction recovery and mental health today. 🎥 FREE…

People in this episode

Host: Rupert Isaacson

Guest: Richard Williams

Topics covered

• classical equestrian knowledge
• emotional mastery
• horsemanship
• addiction recovery
• mental health
• classical manuscripts

Keywords

• horsemanship
• classical riding
• emotional regulation
• Xenophon Press
• addiction recovery
• mental health
• classical manuscripts

Sponsors

Xenophon Press

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Xenophon Press

Books & works: Xenophon, La Guérinière, Steinbrecht, Baucher, Nuno Oliveira

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