Equine Assisted World with Rupert Isaacson

✨ "It's not about the job or the wages. You have to love it with absolute passion." – Helen Picha

Helen Picha manages Liskennett Farm, a groundbreaking equine-assisted therapy center for children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities in Granagh, County Limerick, Ireland, on the border of Limerick and Cork. She took over as manager two years ago after eleven years working alongside founder David Doyle, and now runs the 80-acre center — home to 23 horses across residential, day, and equine programs — that Rupert calls the cutting edge of best practice in equine-assisted therapy.
What sets Liskennett apart is scale paired with radical openness. Every Saturday, the farm runs a booking-free, fee-free open day that draws between 80 and 100 children, no appointment required, no family turned away. Its indoor arena, originally built for riding, has been repurposed entirely into a music, movement, and play space, because the horses and children preferred being outdoors. And many of Liskennett's horses are retired Thoroughbred racehorses, some placed at Cheltenham, brought down from the racing circuit through a careful, months-long retraining process before ever carrying a child.
In this conversation, Helen and Rupert trace Liskennett's origin story — from a 2012 Horse Boy demo, a young woman's tragic death, and a €3 million donation to a modern therapy campus — and dig into how the farm actually runs day to day: horse selection and retraining, staff burnout prevention, community integration through an inclusive fox hunt and horse show, and Liskennett's expansion into new satellite centers backed by €6 million in Irish government funding.
If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
How Liskennett Farm evolved from an 80-acre burned-out stud farm into a state-of-the-art residential, day, and equine therapy hub serving hundreds of children and adults with autism and intellectual disabilities
Why founder David Doyle built a "step in, step down, step out" model, letting families in crisis access residential support without being permanently separated
What Liskennett's booking-free Saturday open days look like, welcoming 80 to 100 children with no appointment, no fee, and no rush
How the farm's Christmas open day scaled to 300 children in a single day, all riding and meeting Santa, with zero bookings and zero meltdowns
Why Liskennett retired the original purpose of its indoor arena entirely, turning it into a music, movement, and play space instead
How retired racehorses, many connected to the McManus racing family, are systematically retrained over six to twelve months before ever carrying a child
What the "MMM Room" (Movement Method to Music) is, and how a chance visit from founder David Doyle's daughter Caroline inspired its creation
How Liskennett integrates families into local community life through an inclusive fox hunt, agricultural show classes, and an annual fundraising concert
Why Helen believes horsemanship fundamentals — temperament, soundness, and long, slow conditioning work — are the foundation of safe therapeutic riding
How the farm is expanding with new satellite hubs in Charleville and Kanturk, backed by €6 million in HSE funding
What Helen learned from an early personal loss that quietly shaped her approach to working with families years before she ever set foot in Liskennett
How Helen and her team plan for staff burnout with rotating schedules, an open culture around asking for help, and regular team celebrations
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:04:50] Rupert traces how Liskennett came to exist: a 2012 Horse Boy demo organized by Shelley Murtagh, who died of a brain tumor three months later — and three years after that, an email from David Doyle leading to €3 million raised for the center
[00:09:02] Helen shares that at age 20 she had a daughter, Danielle, born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus, who lived 11 months — an experience that quietly planted the seed for her future work, long before she knew it
[00:12:13] Helen describes Liskennett's booking-free Saturday open days: up to 100 children riding between 9:30am and 3:30pm, with no appointment required and no family turned away
[00:14:59] Last Christmas, 300 children went horse riding and met Santa in a single day with no booking system, and Helen says not one child had a meltdown
[00:25:00] Rupert recalls the moment eight nonverbal autistic boys galloped past him independently on Liskennett's ponies, taking instruction and riding single file at the canter
[00:31:43] Helen walks through how retired Thoroughbreds, including horses that placed at Cheltenham, are brought down from the racing circuit over six to twelve months before any child rides them
[00:47:16] Helen tells the story behind the "MMM Room" — inspired by watching founder David Doyle's autistic daughter Caroline light up at the sight of mirrors and music in an unrelated training room
[01:01:00] Helen reveals the scale of Liskennett's growth: a new satellite center in Kanturk backed by €6 million in HSE funding, with Ireland's Taoiseach turning the sod at the site
[01:20:40] Rupert and Helen recall Staker Wallace, a JP McManus racehorse, briefly reverting to old "racing brain" habits while walking into the Limerick Racecourse parade ring before settling back down
[01:43:57] Helen is coaxed into singing a verse of a Christy Moore song live on the show
📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Helen Picha – Manager, Liskennett Farm / St. Joseph's Foundation  https://www.sjf.ie/What-We-Do/Facilities/Liskennett-Farm
Liskennett Farm – Facebook  https://facebook.com/LiskennettETC
Liskennett Farm – Instagram  https://instagram.com/liskennettequinetherapy
St. Joseph's Foundation  https://www.sjf.ie
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✨ "I think the worst thing that people can do is say no." – Nicola Hepburn

Equine Learning is a therapeutic and alternative education provision based at Wootton Park in Warwickshire, UK, founded by Nicola Hepburn in 2008 as one of the UK's earliest equine-facilitated learning organizations. Today it helps neurodivergent young people and adults with learning difficulties build academic, vocational, and life skills through horses — work that has grown from a small community project into a full alternative education provider funded largely through local authority contracts.
Equine Learning's post-16 students earn accredited qualifications entirely through hands-on coursework rather than sit-down exams, spend two to three years working at their own pace, and never number more than six students a day — a boutique model built on trust rather than test scores.
In this conversation, Nicola and Rupert dig into what it actually takes to fund and sustain a program like this: how to find and win local authority tenders, the property crises that nearly ended Equine Learning more than once, and the hard lessons about charging for services versus giving them away for free. Nicola also opens up about being homeless at 17 — an experience that shaped her mission to build the safe, inclusive space she needed as a teenager — and shares her master's research on educational trauma, plus her plans for a new wellness retreat program addressing menopause, grief, and midlife transitions.
If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
How Nicola Hepburn's path into equine-facilitated learning began with a 2005 training course, and how she trained under a colleague of US pioneer Barbara Rector
How Equine Learning evolved from a small 2006 community project for adults with learning difficulties into a full alternative education provision for neurodivergent post-16 students
Why Equine Learning's qualifications are entirely work-based and assessed through coursework rather than sit-down exams
How local authority tendering works, including where to find tendering portals and how to write a winning bid
Why persistence matters even after a tender rejection, and what Nicola learned from bids that didn't succeed
Why Nicola caps her education program at six students a day, and why students typically stay two to three years
How years of property setbacks — from a tiny barn arena to losing a fully-funded site — eventually led Nicola to Wootton Park
Why she now advises new practitioners to look beyond a traditional "stable yard" when searching for property
What she learned about entitlement and service value after offering free sessions early on, and why she moved to a paid model with limited scholarships
Why clear behavior policies and signed participant agreements protect both practitioners and the people they serve
How building trust — including letting a young person leave a session if they truly want to — creates lasting engagement
What her master's research revealed about educational trauma in neurodivergent students
How Nicola's own experience of teenage homelessness shaped her mission to create Equine Learning's safe, inclusive space
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:00:44] Rupert introduces Nicola Hepburn of Equine Learning as one of the UK's equine-facilitated learning pioneers
[00:02:07] Nicola traces her path into the field back to a 2005 training course at the Unicorn Trust in Stow-on-the-Wold
[00:10:50] Nicola describes how Equine Learning evolved from adult day-center visits into a full alternative education provision for neurodivergent young people
[00:24:43] Nicola walks through exactly how to find and win a local authority tender
[00:34:01] Nicola recounts losing a fully-funded property right after raising £50,000 to build an arena, left with 20 horses and nowhere to go
[00:47:22] Nicola shares her philosophy on asking for help: "the worst thing that people can do is say no"
[00:52:04] Rupert tells the story of "Big Al," the Texas landowner who said no for years before his land became one of their most cherished spots
[00:58:24] Nicola and Rupert compare notes on the risks of offering services for free versus charging
[01:13:47] Nicola explains why letting a young person leave a session when they want to actually builds trust
[01:19:02] Nicola opens up about becoming homeless at 17
[01:21:47] Nicola credits a Blockbuster store manager who believed in her with turning her life around and helping her buy her first horse
[01:35:07] Nicola shares her vision for wellness retreats addressing menopause and grief
📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Nicola Hepburn – Founder, Equine Learning https://equinelearning.org.uk Email: hello@equinelearning.org.uk
New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co
Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com
Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome

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Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.

Sanaa Pharayra runs the Romeo Roadshow, a Southern California-based program that brings miniature horses named Romeo and Ziggy directly into memory care facilities, senior day programs, and hospital rooms for people living with Alzheimer's and dementia.
What began as a rescue project for a single abandoned, feral miniature horse has grown into a program now drawing research interest from the University of Southern California and Cal State Channel Islands. Faculty there are studying why repeated visits from Romeo and Ziggy appear to reduce fear and increase engagement in residents, even those who don't consciously remember the horses' earlier visits.
Sanaa and Rupert dig into the neuroscience behind why this works, from oxytocin and cortisol to brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and compare notes on what it actually takes to train a horse for genuine emotional engagement rather than quiet compliance. They also discuss Sanaa's own Bedouin and Arab-Israeli ancestry, discovered as an adult, and what it might mean for the program's future.
If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
✨ "I call it the awe factor. That's what I see in these people's faces — they're in awe." – Sanaa Pharayra

🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
How a rescued, feral miniature horse named Romeo became the foundation of a therapy program that now visits memory care facilities across Southern California
Why repeated visits from the horses reduced residents' fear within just three visits, even when they had no memory of the horses' previous visits
What staff report when comparing horse therapy visits to the dog therapy programs already in place at the same facilities
How Sanaa connected with The Connected Horse program, founded by Nancy Scheer and Paula Hirtel, and their research advisor Dr. Claudia Sonder
Why Romeo Roadshow is now partnering with USC and Cal State Channel Islands, working with Professor Ronald Verkowski, to formally study its effects
How oxytocin, cortisol, and BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor) explain the neuroscience behind equine-assisted therapy
Why horses must be trained for genuine emotional engagement, not just quiet compliance, to be effective therapy partners
Why Sanaa believes people with more advanced cognitive decline may respond even more strongly to the horses once language falls away
How Sanaa discovered her Bedouin and Arab-Israeli heritage as an adult, including her grandfather's history as a "Faras," an Arab horseman who raced Arabians
Why Sanaa and Rupert believe the program could eventually support conflict-resolution work in the Middle East
What Sanaa's long-term vision is for Romeo Roadshow, including plans for a documentary and a newly filed 501(c)(3) nonprofit status
How the program is exploring intergenerational partnerships that pair university students with senior residents through the therapy visits
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:13:00] The Painted Turtle charity holiday party visit that reveals Romeo is a therapy animal
 [00:20:00] Residents who were once afraid of the horses lose their fear within three visits, despite not remembering earlier ones
 [00:58:00] Rupert cites a University of Bournemouth study showing a 51% reduction in domestic violence a year after a five-week equine intervention
 [01:01:00] Rupert describes his horse Clou spontaneously nuzzling and licking a boy believed to be in a vegetative state
 [01:17:00] Sanaa describes "the awe factor" she sees on residents' faces during visits
 [01:44:00] Sanaa learns via a message from a cousin that her grandfather was a "Faras," an Arab horseman who raced Arabians
 [02:08:00] Rupert suggests a documentary title: "Where for Art Thou?"
 [02:11:00] A nonverbal elderly man musters the words "I grew up on a farm" during a hospital room visit with the horses
📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Sanaa Pharayra – Founder, Romeo Roadshow  https://romeoroadshow.com
 New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co
 Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com
 Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
 
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 https://ntls.co
 https://facebook.com/horseboyworld
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📊 Affiliate Disclosure
Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.

✨ "I believe that in our ancestry we were equestrians, and that's why it's connected so hard with my family." – Louis Hook
For 35 years, the Compton Cowboys mission has run a self-development program in Compton, California, that leverages horses to help kids grow into upstanding young men and women — serving roughly 30 kids a year. Founding member Louis Hook and HeartMath practitioner Kansas Carradine, who has worked alongside the organization for years, join Rupert Isaacson to talk about the mission's history and how it works today.
What started when Louis's sister Maisha Akbar moved to Compton's Richland Farms neighborhood in 1988 has grown into a four-track program covering horsemanship, equine science, farming, and self-development. Kansas brings the science side of the conversation, explaining how heart rate variability and heart coherence research from the HeartMath Institute is being used to help kids and horses regulate together.
The conversation ranges from the history of West African cavalry culture and Mansa Musa to the concept of epigenetic and intergenerational trauma, and what Louis calls "Shadow PTSD" in kids growing up in high-violence neighborhoods. It's a wide-ranging discussion about ancestry, the funding challenges facing Black equestrian nonprofits, and why reconnecting to the history of Black horsemanship matters for healing.
If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
How the Compton Cowboys mission began 35 years ago when founder Maisha Akbar moved to Compton's Richland Farms neighborhood
Why Compton developed an equestrian culture at all, and how a protective land deed kept it from being lost to urbanization
How the Compton Cowboys' "four tracks" model — horsemanship, equine science, farming, and self-development — structures a full day for kids
Why the program shifted from Western to English riding due to funding and racial barriers within the Western equestrian world
What HeartMath research reveals about heart rate variability (HRV) and how horses respond to human nervous system regulation
How epigenetic and intergenerational trauma is passed down, and why reconnecting to ancestry can support healing
How the Compton Cowboys' own research into Mansa Musa and West African cavalry culture reshaped their understanding of Black equestrian history
What "Shadow PTSD" means for kids growing up in high-violence neighborhoods, and why the organization believes it needs formal recognition
How the Compton Cowboys have expanded to serve LA's broader community, not just Black families
Why field trips to ranches and farms are a powerful — and fundable — model for connecting urban kids to nature
What it actually costs to run a nonprofit equestrian program, and how funding and celebrity support really work in practice
How Compton Cowboys has advocated to keep equestrian centers open across LA County
How Rupert's own experience adapting fox hunting into inclusive countryside days connects to the episode's larger theme of nature and healing
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:01:00] Rupert introduces the Compton Cowboys, with founding member Louis Hook and HeartMath practitioner Kansas Carradine [00:06:00] The Richland Farms land deed that preserved Compton's equestrian culture 
[00:32:00] The Compton Cowboys' behind-the-scenes role in Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show 
[00:41:00] Inside the Compton Cowboys' four-track daily program for kids 
[00:49:00] Kansas explains HeartMath's heart rate variability research and how horses respond to human regulation 
[00:55:00] Discovering Mansa Musa and West African cavalry history after watching The Woman King 
[01:19:00] Epigenetic trauma and the idea that DNA carries generations of memory 
[01:41:00] The case for equine-assisted programs to formally recognize "Shadow PTSD" in high-violence neighborhoods [02:00:00] How to support Compton Cowboys, and the real cost of running summer camp

📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Louis Hook & Kansas Carradine – Compton Cowboys https://comptoncowboys.com
Compton Junior Equestrians (nonprofit) https://comptonjuniorequestrians.org
New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com
Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
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https://facebook.com/horseboyworld
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📊 Affiliate Disclosure
Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.

Russell Craig is a celebrated visual artist now based between Philadelphia, New York, and Wellington, Florida, who grew up in the foster care system from age five and spent a total of twelve years in the Pennsylvania prison system before building an art career that has taken him from a mural on the African American Museum in Philadelphia to the White House, the Democratic National Convention, and museum collections around the country.
What makes Russell's story so striking is how directly his lived experience speaks to the populations equine-assisted practitioners are trying to serve — kids in foster care, people coming out of incarceration, and anyone navigating systems that were never built with their wellbeing in mind. He found his way through art, using it inside prison as both an escape and, eventually, as a plan for life after release.
In this conversation, Russell and Rupert dig into what a horse-based program for foster kids and formerly incarcerated people would actually need to work — structure, mentorship, hands-on care, transportation, funding, and a real sense of separation from old environments — as well as the deeper parallels Russell sees between horses and his own experience of captivity and freedom.
If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
✨ "When it's built on good structure, it will stand." – Russell Craig
🔍 What You'll Learn in This Episode
Why Russell sees foster care and incarceration as a "funnel" that equine-assisted practitioners need outside mentorship to address responsibly
How Russell first reconnected with art inside the prison system, and why it became his primary survival strategy
Why structure and a clear long-term plan — not just talent — turned Russell's art into a real career after release
How Russell draws parallels between leading a horse and his own experience of incarceration, and what that means for horsemanship
Why Russell believes any foster-care equine program would need to feel like a true separation from a kid's old environment, not a day visit
What Russell thinks foster care agencies would need to see before referring kids to an equine program
Why transportation and funding are the two biggest barriers to access for kids who could benefit from equine-assisted programs
How the parole system's rules can make it nearly impossible to stay out of prison, even for someone trying to build a stable life
Why Russell believes any program working with formerly incarcerated or at-risk people needs a spiritual or nature-connection component
Rupert and Russell's shared idea for a "campus" model that combines equine therapy with green jobs, land restoration, and forestry training
Why Russell sought out an arts program from inside prison — and how that became his springboard after release
Russell's closing advice to practitioners working with foster kids or people coming out of incarceration
🎤 Memorable Moments from the Episode
[00:03:00] Russell describes being placed in foster care at age five and ending up on the streets by twelve 
[00:09:00] Russell on reconnecting with art inside prison as a way to escape his surroundings and stay focused 
[00:21:00] Russell on training himself to look for "the awesome" even inside hard or painful situations 
[00:35:00] Rupert and Russell draw the parallel between leading a horse and Russell's own experience of incarceration 
[00:45:00] Rupert outlines NTLS's three certification programs: Horse Boy Method, Movement Method, and Takhin Equine Integration 
[01:11:00] Russell explains why kids in a foster-care equine program would need real separation from their old environment, not just a day visit 
[01:13:00] Rupert and Russell brainstorm a "campus" model combining horses with green jobs, land reclamation, and forestry training 
[01:39:00] Russell details the parole system's rules and how they can make it nearly impossible to stay out of prison 
[01:53:00] Russell describes seeking out an arts program from inside prison and turning it into his springboard after release 
[02:03:00] Russell's closing advice: keep pushing, don't do it alone, and connect with others doing the work
📚 Contact, Projects, and Resources Mentioned
Russell Craig – Artist Search: Russell Craig artist 
New Trails Learning Systems – Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co 
Rupert Isaacson / Long Ride Home https://rupertisaacson.com 
Patreon Support https://www.patreon.com/LongRideHome
🌍 Follow Us
Long Ride Home 
https://longridehome.com 
https://facebook.com/longridehome.lrh 
https://instagram.com/longridehome_lrh 
https://youtube.com/@longridehome 
New Trails Learning Systems 
https://ntls.co https://facebook.com/horseboyworld 
https://instagram.com/horseboyworld 
https://youtube.com/newtrailslearningsystems
📊 Affiliate Disclosure
Links to books and products may include affiliate tracking. We may earn a commission if you make a purchase, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting the show.