Nothing About Us Without Us

Many equine-assisted interventions are developed by well-intentioned professionals, yet the voices of those they are intended to serve are often underrepresented in their design. Drawing on more than two decades of work alongside autistic individuals and families, Rupert Isaacson explores how lived experience can reshape both practice and research. He argues that the most effective interventions emerge when participants become collaborators rather than recipients. Extending this philosophy to the horse, he introduces principles from the Takhin approach, in which equine welfare is not an ethical afterthought but a central component of successful intervention. This webinar on November 11, 2026 at Noon (ET) will explore how participant-led design, horse-centered practice, and collaborative research can produce better outcomes for both humans and horses while opening new directions for evidence-based equine-assisted interventions.

Rupert Isaacson is an award-winning author, journalist, educator and horseman whose work explores how horses can transform human learning, communication and wellbeing. His pioneering work in autism and other neuropsychiatric conditions, together with his contributions to classical dressage, has made him an internationally sought-after speaker, teacher and educator.

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Born in London to Southern African parents, Rupert studied history at the University of York before beginning a career as a journalist and writer specializing in Indigenous cultures, conservation and human rights. His first book, The Healing Land, chronicled his years living with the San Bushmen of the Kalahari and became a New York Times Notable Book. His journalism established a career exploring the relationships between people, culture, nature and, ultimately, horses.

Rupert came to international prominence with The Horse Boy, the true story of his family’s horseback journey across Mongolia in search of ways to help his autistic son, Rowan. The book became an international bestseller and was later adapted into an award-winning documentary. The journey continued in The Long Ride Home, which followed the family’s travels across North America while broadening the conversation beyond autism to explore trauma, resilience, education and the extraordinary relationship between horses and humans. Together, these books marked the beginning of decades of work exploring how movement, relationship and horses can support learning, regulation and human development.

Together with his wife, educator Iliane Lorenz, Rupert co-founded New Trails Learning Systems (NTLS), where they developed the internationally taught Horse Boy Method, Movement Method and Takhin Equine Integration. Today these approaches are used by families, educators, therapists and equine professionals around the world to support autistic and neurodivergent individuals, people recovering from trauma, and others seeking new approaches to learning and development.

Alongside his work in education, Rupert has continued a lifelong study of classical dressage and the traditions of working horses. Together with Iliane, he co-founded Long Ride Home, an international educational platform dedicated to relationship-based horsemanship. Through clinics, online programs, podcasts, YouTube and a growing global community, Rupert teaches riders how to develop softness, balance and communication with their horses through classical principles presented in practical, accessible ways.

While Rupert’s work spans subjects as diverse as autism, classical dressage, movement, neuroscience and Indigenous horsemanship, students consistently describe the same quality above all others: his remarkable ability to make complex ideas easy to understand. Whether teaching advanced dressage, explaining the nervous system, or helping families better understand learning and behavior, Rupert is known for breaking difficult concepts into practical, logical steps that people can immediately apply. That ability to bridge disciplines and make them accessible has become the hallmark of his teaching. The themes that appear repeatedly in student feedback—clarity, hope, confidence and practical understanding—reflect that reputation.

Today Rupert teaches internationally through professional trainings, clinics, keynote presentations and online education. Whether working with riders, parents, educators, therapists or organizations, his goal remains the same: to help people discover better ways to communicate, learn and grow—always with horses, movement and relationship at the heart of the process.