Rupert Isaacson

Isaacson’s background as a travel writer and human rights activist could never prepare him for the journey he was about to take as a father. The happiness of fatherhood began to dim as he and his wife realized there was something wrong with the development of their beautiful son. With a diagnosis of autism, Isaacson’s wife began frantically researching treatment options on the Internet as they battled their son’s rages and coped with the disappointment that their child wasn’t the perfect creature they thought he was. With his parents on the brink of hopelessness, young Rowan stumbled upon his own therapy—a horse named Betsy in the neighbor’s pasture. Isaacson’s own life-long love of horses is something he never thought he would be able to bestow upon Rowan, but the innate connection his son shares with animals leads them down a new path as a family. Their quest leads them all the way to Outer Mongolia to see the reindeer people to seek further healing. The Horse Boy: A Father’s Quest to Heal His Son was the impetus for Austin filmmaker Michel Scott’s acclaimed documentary, Over the Hills and Far Away, which screened at both the Sundance Film Festival and South by Southwest Film Festival this year. Isaacson was born in London to African parents and spent part of his life in the city and the rest on a horse farm. His previous book, The Healing Land, sprung from his curiosity about his family’s marital connection to Kalahari Bushmen. He has served as a guide and still does travel writing.

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