What If Horses Could Stop the Foster Care to Prison Pipeline? | Russel Craig | Equine Assisted World

He spent twelve years in the Pennsylvania prison system and grew up with no family structure in foster care — and built an art career that's taken him from a Philadelphia mural to the White House. Russell Craig joins Rupert Isaacson to talk about what horses and incarceration have in common, and what foster kids and people coming out of prison actually need to heal. In this episode of Equine Assisted World, Rupert Isaacson speaks with Russell Craig, an artist now based between Philadelphia, New York, and Wellington, Florida. Russell grew up in the foster care system from age five, spent twelve years total in the Pennsylvania prison system, and used art inside prison as both an escape and, eventually, a deliberate plan for life after release — a plan that has since taken him to the African American Museum in Philadelphia, the Democratic National Convention, the White House, and museum collections around the country. Russell and Rupert dig into what a real horse-based program for foster kids and formerly incarcerated people would need — structure, hands-on care, mentorship, transportation, funding, and a genuine break from old environments — plus the deeper parallels Russell sees between horses and his own experience of captivity and freedom. ✨ "When it's built on good structure, it will stand." – Russell Craig For practitioners in equine assisted therapy, therapeutic horsemanship, special education, and trauma-informed horse programs, this episode offers a rare, first-hand perspective on what kids in foster care and people coming out of incarceration actually need from the people trying to help them. If you want to support the show, you can do so at Patreon:   / longridehome   🌐 See All of Rupert's Programs and Shows: https://rupertisaacson.com 🎓 Free Horse Boy Method E-book: https://ntls.co/zentara 🗓️ What You'll Learn in This Episode: (YouTube timestamps allow viewers to jump directly to sections of the conversation.) [00:03:00] – Russell's early years in foster care and the streets [00:09:00] – Reconnecting with art inside prison [00:21:00] – Training himself to find "the awesome" in hard situations [00:35:00] – Leading a horse vs. the experience of incarceration [00:45:00] – NTLS's three certification programs [01:11:00] – Why foster kids would need real separation from their old environment [01:13:00] – Brainstorming a "campus" model with green jobs and land restoration [01:39:00] – The parole system's catch-22 rules [01:53:00] – Seeking out an arts program from inside prison [02:03:00] – Russell's closing advice to practitioners 🌟 Memorable Moments from the Episode: [00:09:00] – Reconnecting with art inside prison [00:21:00] – Training himself to find "the awesome" in hard situations [00:35:00] – Leading a horse vs. the experience of incarceration [01:11:00] – Why foster kids would need real separation from their old environment [01:39:00] – The parole system's catch-22 rules [02:03:00] – Russell's closing advice to practitioners 🔗 Related Videos: Curiosity Over Fear: Building Resilience in Horses and Humans | Kira Julius | EAW 52 –    • Curiosity Over Fear: Building Resilience i...   What a Broken Neck Taught Me About Horses | Petra Vlasblom | EAW 51 –    • What a Broken Neck Taught Me About Horses ...   Urban Equine Therapy: Bringing Horses to Children Who Cannot See | Lucy Dillon | EAW 50 –    • Urban Equine Therapy: Bringing Horses to C...   🔹 Takhin Equine Therapy Certification: Empower Clients, Rehab Horses, and Save Time –    • Takhin Equine Therapy Certification: Empow...   🔹 Equine Therapy Certification: Horse Boy Method – The Original Equine-Assisted Method for Autism & ADHD –    • Equine Therapy Certification: Horse Boy Me...   📚 Contacts & Resources: Russell Craig – Artist Search: Russell Craig artist Horse Boy Method, Movement Method & Takhin Equine Integration https://ntls.co Long Ride Home / Rupert Isaacson https://rupertisaacson.com 🧺 Affiliate Disclosure: Some links may be affiliate links. If you purchase through them, we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting the podcast. 📌 Follow Us: Long Ride Home Website: https://longridehome.com Facebook:   / longridehome.lrh   Instagram:   / longridehome_lrh   YouTube:    / @longridehome   New Trails Learning Systems Website: https://ntls.co Facebook:   / horseboyworld   Instagram:   / horseboyworld   YouTube:    / newtrailslearningsystems   #EquineAssistedWorld #RupertIsaacson #EquineAssistedTherapy #HorseBoyMethod #MovementMethod #TakhinEquineIntegration #TherapeuticRiding #HumanAnimalBond #RussellCraig #FosterCare #PrisonReform Russell Craig, Rupert Isaacson, Equine Assisted World, equine assisted therapy, therapeutic riding, foster care, incarceration, prison reentry, art and healing, trauma informed care