The Horse Boy
A Father's Miraculous Journey to Heal His Son
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4.8 • 17 Ratings
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- £5.49
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- £5.49
Publisher Description
When their son Rowan was born, Rupert and Kristin's dream had come true. But the dream became a nightmare when their beautiful boy developed a disorder that left him incapable of communication, tormented by raging fits, requiring 24-hour care - and shattering their lives.
Then, one day, father and son were walking in the woods near their house and stumbled across their neighbour's old brown horse, Betsy. What happened next was unlike anything Rupert had ever seen. Certainly, the effect on Betsy was extraordinary: she went stock-still and bowed her head, wide-eyed and quivering before the child. But when Rupert lifted Rowan onto Betsy's back, the effect on his son was nothing short of miraculous: Rowan started to speak...
Shaken but exhilarated, Rupert proposed that the family make a journey to the ancient homeland of the horse, deep in the wilds of Mongolia, where he'd heard astonishing stories of healing and transformation. So began an epic journey on horseback, from their home in Texas to the furthest reaches of the planet - a journey that would test their love, challenge their beliefs, and change their lives.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this intense, polished account, the Austin, Tex., parents of an autistic boy trek to the Mongolian steppes to consult shamans in a last-ditch effort to alter his unraveling behavior. Author Isaacson (The Healing Land) and his wife, Kristin, a psychology professor, were told that the developmental delays of their young son, Rowan, were caused by autism. Floored, the parents scrambled to find therapy, which was costly and seemed punitive, when Isaacson, an experienced rider and trainer of horses from his youth in England, hoisted Rowan up in the saddle with him and took therapeutic rides on Betsy, the neighbor's horse. The repetitive rocking and balance stimulation boosted Rowan's language ability; inspired by the results, as well as encouraged by such experts as Temple Grandin and Isaacson's own experience working with African shamans, Isaacson hit on the self-described crazy idea of taking Rowan to the original horse people, the Mongolians, and find shamans who could help heal their son. The family went in July, accompanied conveniently by a film crew and van, which five-year-old Rowan often refused to leave, and over several rugged weeks rode up mountains, forded rivers and camped, while enduring strange shamanic ceremonies. Isaacson records heartening improvement in Rowan's firestormlike tantrums and incontinence, as he taps into an ancient, valuable form of spirit healing.
Customer Reviews
A dedicated father and mother
I so enjoy your style of writing. The picture you paint is so vivid. I get so involved in your story. I am amazed at your adventures and even though I personally don't go along with faith healing - it is good your son can relate so well with horses, and can be the best he can be.
I am reading your biography of Steve Jobs, and find your style so interesting.
Keep writing please
The Horse Boy
This is a touching poignant account of the very real challenges if having a special-needs child. The romanticism of Rupert's writing fails to hide the raw pain that lives with you daily as you navigate the early years. I salute the bravery of the Isaacsons, am not so sure I have the same courage to ride round to the end of the world seeking a cure or healing for my child. Very very happy for them! Any chance we get to read about his adolescent years?
The Horse Boy
What a fantastic read ! I could not put it down.