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 Barthel
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🔍 What You’ll Learn in This Episode
- Why what happens off the horse — at the barn, at home, in the community — is just as important as the session itself
- How the vestibular system develops in utero and why almost every developmental difference affects it
- What the inner core muscles (diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, multifidus) have to do with regulation, interoception, and feeling safe
- Why the horse’s three-dimensional movement provides a backdrop the brain cannot easily access in stillness
- What interoception is, why many autistic individuals experience a blurred boundary between self and world, and how horseback riding supports this
- How to design simple home environments and daily activities that continue the neuroplasticity work between sessions
- Why stimming is not a problem to fix but a movement toward wholeness — and how to support it constructively
- What a “sensory diet” is and why individualized approaches work better than generic protocols
- How bilateral stimulation (crossing the midline) integrates the two brain hemispheres and why this matters for both autism and trauma
- Why the relational environment — feeling seen and supported — may be the most powerful variable of all
- What the Default Mode Network and Salience Network are, and why nature shifts the brain into restoration
- Practical at-home tools: the long gaze, saddle-shaped stools, office chair rotation, barefoot movement, pushing/pulling exercises, and foraging tasks
- How 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 Mentioned
Kim 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
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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.
