Synopsis
In April 2004 Rowan Isaacson, a two-year-old boy, was diagnosed with autism. The new epidemic seemed to snatch away his soul. The charming boy suddenly ceased to say the few words he had accrued over the previous year. He began to retreat into himself for hours at a time, to avoid eye contact, to scream uncontrollably, as his nervous system erupted, searing him with, terrifying him, traumatising him, causing him to be out of reach to his distraught, grieving parents.

Rowan's father Rupert stumbled upon something extraordinary. He noticed that his quarter-horse mare, Betsy, displayed submissive body language to the two year old boy whenever he wandered, babbling and spasmodic, into the horse pasture. Intrigued, Rupert put him up on the mare's back. Immediately the 'stimming' (self-stimulation) stopped, replaced by an unusual, even blissful calm.

Rupert had found his way into his son's world. Betsy, the patient, bay mare, had provided the link between his world and his son's, which leads to an amazing Mongolian journey.

Running Time
1hr 33mins

Classification
l

Director/s
Michael O. Scott

Starring
Rowan Isaacson

Year
2009

Genre
Documentary