The Horse Boy Practicing self-compassion transformed Dr. Kristin Neff’s life in many ways, but none more powerful than in her relationship with her son, Rowan, who was diagnosed with autism at the age of 3. “For me, accepting and coping with Rowan’s autism was the ultimate proving ground, and I could see self-compassion in action,” Neff says. “When I was feeling overwhelmed, despair, unable to cope and feeling grief, I would go into sootheand-comfort mode to care for myself. It really helped.” Struggling to find ways to help Rowan communicate, Rowan’s father, Rupert Isaacson, encouraged by an encounter between Rowan and visiting shamans and healers, as well as his son’s connection to horses, was inspired to take Rowan to a place where healing and horses were combined. Thus, planning for a family trip to Mongolia began. Although Neff was skeptical, she was able to open both her mind and her heart to the idea through her practice of self-compassion. It gave her the courage to fully enter into the adventure.
The Horse Boy Foundation The Horse Boy Foundation is the brainchild of Rupert Isaacson and Dr. Kristin Neff, parents of an autistic son, Rowan. Based in Elgin, Texas, just outside Austin, the foundation is now working in three countries and throughout the U.S., and continuing to grow. After Rowan, who was non-verbal, began to speak while responding to horses, Isaacson and Neff founded the charity to provide equine therapy free of charge to Austin-area families affected by autism. The foundation also develops home-school and classroom curricula for children with neuro-cognitive conditions, and collaborates with universities worldwide to further research, but remains very much a homegrown Austin project. To learn more about the Horse Boy Foundation, classes and services, visit horseboyworld.com.
56 | Austin Woman | february 2016
Top left photo by Justin Jinn. Bottom right photo by Iliane Lorenz.
The Mongolian journey has been chronicled in a book and a documentary film, both entitled The Horse Boy, which were followed by another book, The Long Ride Home, which continues the adventure in search of shamans and healing for Rowan and his family.