Rescued Hearts shows the healing power of horses
- May 4
- 3 min read
By Luke Edwards
Like the people on screen, many in the audience knew full well the healing power of equine therapy.
The hugs, tears and words of thanks proved it.
Horse Sense for Kids and Pathstone Mental Health jointly hosted the Canadian premiere of Rescued Hearts, an American documentary that shares the stories of several people who have benefited from horse therapy, including producer Dana Croshere. It was held last month at the FirstOntario Performing Arts Centre.
For Brenda and Rob Langendoen, the documentary hit close to home. The pair operate BnR Stables in Fenwick, where they run the Horse Sense for Kids program. Youth can receive free equine therapy, which can help with a wide variety of issues from autism spectrum disorder, to anxiety and mental health issues, to trauma-related issues. They work with organizations like Pathstone to make it happen. Rob said the documentary came as close as possible to highlighting what they see on a daily basis.
“It’s really hard to articulate what we see, but this film does a great job,” he said.
“There’s a kind of magic that happens, that’s not quantifiable,” said Pathstone’s Erin Clayton.
Rescued Hearts was produced by Croshere and directed by her partner Krisanna Sexton. The duo, from Arizona, didn’t have much of a horse background. In fact, Sexton admitted to being slightly uncomfortable around the animals.
But when Croshere began volunteering with a group similar to Horse Sense for Kids she saw a potential film in the making.
It features two distinct parts. The first shows the power of equine therapy in its various forms: A military vet with post-traumatic stress disorder, a child with autism who broke seven years of silence by speaking to his horse, and even Croshere and her father.
While they said they didn’t plan it at the time, as they interviewed therapy providers, recipients and researchers about the benefits of horse therapy, Croshere’s father Frank expressed an interest in participating. The experience helped him come to terms with the guilt he felt over what he considered his failure to protect his young daughter from the attacker who raped her.
The film follows the two as they come to terms with an event they had both buried.
The second half of the film turns the attention from horses rescuing people to people rescuing horses, highlighting several organizations who take in abused, neglected and injured horses. They’re animals who would otherwise be unwanted.
Following the showing, several people in the audience shared their experiences of participating with Horse Sense for Kids or other equine therapy organizations. Their stories mirrored some of the stories shared on film, including a young woman who credited the support she received on the Langendoen farm for overcoming the anxiety and self esteem issues that plagued her in her younger years.
Another woman said it was her horse that played a huge role in her making it through the grieving process when her son died.
BnR Stables runs an annual Wild West open house in June that supports the Horse Sense for Kids program. This year’s event takes place on June 13, from 1 to 4 p.m. BnR Stables is located at 2250 Balfour St. For more information visit hsfk.ca.
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