Special Workshop · October 13–15 · Sharon, CT

Takhin* Equine Integration with Rupert Isaacson

Strengthening the Horse. Empowering the Human.

An intimate, hands-on workshop at The Equus Effect

Reserve Your Place
Dates
October 13–15, 2026
Daily Schedule
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location
The Equus EffectSharon, CT
Tuition
$900 / person

What if the work that helps a horse become stronger, more balanced, and more comfortable could also help a person become more confident, capable, and connected?

The Equus Effect welcomes Rupert Isaacson for a three-day exploration of Takhin Equine Integration—an approach that brings together classical in-hand horsemanship, horse well-being, nervous-system regulation, and human development.

Rupert Isaacson is a lifelong horseman, filmmaker, and New York Times bestselling author of The Horse Boy. His experience exploring how horses, movement, and nature could support his autistic son led him to develop the Horse Boy Method and, later, Takhin Equine Integration. His unique and joyful methods that build confidence through competence in both horses and humans are now available to equine-assisted programs and practitioners worldwide.

Rupert and Leana Tank, MSOTR and Certified Takhin Trainer, will provide an understanding of the movements and timing that makes this work so beneficial and satisfying for the horses, instructors, owners, and students.

Drawing from traditional Portuguese and French methods, Rupert will introduce participants to in-hand practices developed to improve horses' suppleness, strength, balance, and agility.

In Takhin, this work becomes more than just a way to condition the horse. It creates a shared experience through which people can develop greater body awareness, focus, confidence, coordination, and a more responsive relationship with the horse.

*The name Takhin comes from the Mongolian word for the wild horse, meaning "the honored one" or "the revered one." That meaning lives at the center of the work: the horse's physical and emotional well-being is not secondary to the human experience. It is where the partnership begins.

Who Is This Workshop For?

This workshop is for therapeutic riding and equine-assisted professionals, instructors, trainers, and horse owners who want to:

Help horses develop greater strength, balance, suppleness, and confidence
Explore classical in-hand work in an accessible and practical way
Build richer communication and collaboration between horse and human
Discover how purposeful work with horses can support human confidence, focus, and self-regulation
Create experiences that benefit the horses and the people involved with them as owners, instructors, managers, and students

Whether you work with clients and students or simply want a deeper, more mutually beneficial relationship with your own horse, this workshop offers a different way to understand what becomes possible when horse and human develop together.

Participation is limited to 12 people, allowing for a highly personal, hands-on learning experience.

Reserve Your Place

Workshop Details

Dates
October 13–15, 2026
Daily Schedule
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
Location
The Equus Effect · Sharon, Connecticut
Tuition
$900 / person
Experience Requirements
For instructors, trainers, facility owners/managers and horse owners who want to strengthen and condition their horses.
Horses
We have four horses at The Equus Effect who are learning this method of work and have room for two more. (Please contact Jane Strong—203-803-9507—for details on this.)
Meals and Accommodations
Lunch is included. Coffee's on. Upon registration, we will send you a welcome email with breakfast, dinner and lodging recommendations.

Part of a Certification Pathway

This workshop is Part 1 of a Takhin Method Certification for equine-assisted therapists, coaches, and related professionals.

Learn How Certification Works

The Takhin Certification Pathway

How certification works.

Takhin certification is built to serve everyone involved. Therapeutic riding centers often struggle to find time for horse maintenance and well-being, because those hours are typically non-billable. Takhin turns that maintenance into a billable program offered to select clients. Clients are empowered and better served, horses receive the care and training they need, and the children in standard therapeutic riding sessions benefit from working with better-trained horses.

The Steps

Takhin 1
The workshop offered here is the foundation of the method.
Takhin 2
Participants send us videos by WhatsApp, demonstrating themselves teaching their horses the exercises.
Takhin 3
Participants return to learn how to teach these patterns to others.
Evaluation
Participants submit videos of themselves working at home with their clients and their horses.

We structure the process step by step so we can guide less experienced participants through the system. For those who are clearly advanced, we can streamline the path, and we have combined Takhin 3 and the Evaluation in the past.

When our horses feel better, everyone wins.

Reserve Your Place

Questions? Contact Jane Strong at 203-803-9507 or email elizabeth@theequuseffect.org.