{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Live Free Ride Free with Rupert Isaacson","title":"You Can't Ride With Lightness If You're Heavy of Heart: Groundwork, Deep Breathing & Classical Mastery | Charlotte Wittbom | LFRF 66","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":7949,"description":"✨ \"I don't believe it's possible to ride with lightness if you're heavy of heart.\" – Rupert Isaacson\n✨ \"It's in the break where you get the effect of the exercise.\" – Charlotte Wittbom\nCharlotte Wittbom grew up in Sweden riding ponies through the forests and competing in eventing, then found her way through a UK riding school to Portugal, where she spent years with the Valença family and went on to run Quinta do Brejo, Nuno Oliveira's old yard. She now teaches classical riding and in-hand work in England, working alongside physios and with a growing number of competition riders.\nRupert and Charlotte talk about the Valença method as a living system rather than a rigid one, and how groundwork patterns such as quarter turns around the cones build posture, muscle and understanding in the horse. They also cover compensation patterns, stress and sustainability in competition, curiosity and lightness in teaching, and Charlotte's recent work on the horse's diaphragm and deep breathing.\nA rich, wide-ranging conversation that closes with plans for deeper dives on the diaphragm work and a demo at Tribe Day in July 2027.\nFREE Helios Harmony Intro Course: https://longridehome.com/onoutpout\nWhat You'll Learn in This Episode\n00:02:26 – How riding ponies in the Swedish forests without rules shaped Charlotte's feel for balance and freedom with horses.\n00:23:23 – Why the Valença method gives you a system that becomes part of your DNA while leaving you free to develop your own path.\n00:34:08 – Why groundwork became Charlotte's focus in the UK, and how it helps riders understand feel versus how things look.\n00:49:49 – How small movements, such as a quarter turn around the cones, teach the horse the same pattern as a half halt.\n00:59:03 – Why a horse's stiffness is there for a reason, and how resistance and release build muscle without force.\n01:14:00 – How to ask whether a movement is sustainable for the horse, and not just whether it scores well.\n01:31:53 – Why Rupert believes you...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/edefuo9BicUw7iv3tBYu0A0WPDz35rwksjCWzqzh4lQ/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzQwOTg5LzE2ODIz/MzM0MzYtYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}