Rupert Isaacson
Rupert Isaacson was born in London to a South African mother and a Zimbabwean father. Isaacson's first book, The Healing Land: A Kalahari (Grove Press), was a 2004 New York Times Notable Book. His journalism and travel writing has appeared in the Daily Telegraph, Esquire, National Geographic, Independent on Sunday, Conde Nast Traveller, Daily Mail and The Field. He has travelled extensively in Africa, Asia, and North America and now lives in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Kristin, and their son, Rowan. In addition to being an ex-professional horse trainer, Rupert is founding director of the Indigenous Land Rights Fund, a non-profit organization that helps threatened and displaced indigenous tribes obtain tenure of their ancestral land.
When his son Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson was devastated, afraid he might never be able to communicate with his child. But when Isaacson, a lifelong horseman, rode their neighbour's horse with Rowan, Rowan improved immeasurably. He was struck with a crazy idea: why not take Rowan to Mongolia, the one place in the world where horses and shamanic healing intersected?
The Horse Boy is the dramatic and heart-warming story of that impossible adventure. In Mongolia, the family found undreamed of landscapes and people, unbearable setbacks, and advances beyond their wildest dreams. This is a deeply moving, truly one-of-a-kind story - of a family willing to go to the ends of the earth to help their son, and of a boy learning to connect with the world for the first time.
The Horse Boy book is in the shops now and you can learn more about the movie and the wonderful adventure behind the story by visiting www.horseboymovie.com
The Horse Boy Camps
Worldwild Adventures is honoured to have been asked by Rupert and his family to run a series of Horse Boy Camps. These events will run at various locations internationally and will be an opportunity for children on the autism spectrum, their parents and siblings to spend some time in beautiful natural surroundings exploring the possibilities that helped Rowan to improve so dramatically.
We are providing the chance to ride and benefit from close contact with horses, other animals, and nature. Children with neurological issues seem to benefit especially from this, but obviously children with no specific issues, who just want to connect with animals and nature, also benefit enormously.
We will be camping in unspoilt natural locations and providing horses for gentle rides, wild food and nature walks and allowing families the opportunity to relax together in a safe, peaceful environment.
Our instructors and staff are highly experienced in wild camping, horse-riding, running expeditions for families and working with children with special needs.
The pace of the camps will be governed by the needs of the individual children attending and families can partake in some or all of the activities planned with no pressure at all.
Rupert will be attending some of the camps and will work personally with the children at these locations.
Worldwild will also be offering a Horse Boy Camp in Mongolia in Summer 2010 to visit the shamans there who provided healing for Rowan.
For more information please contact us on 07973 686157 or Email: rhoda@worldwild.co.uk
