Canmore equine therapy organization hosting documentary screening to raise funds, awareness

Bow Valley Equine Adaptive showing doc about healing power of horses as part of a fundraiser. The group helps those with developmental challenges and addictions

An equine therapy organization west of Calgary will be screening a documentary about the healing power of the horse-human connection to raise funds and awareness.

The documentary, called Rescued Hearts, is a look at equine therapy practices all over the world.

Staff at Bow Valley Equine Adaptive in Canmore (BVEA) say the screening is a chance for people to learn more about who could benefit from their services.

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“We wanted to bring it in for education and it became a fundraiser as well, so that is just a bonus for us,” said Paula Macdonald, BVEA chair and volunteer.

“People don’t always understand the benefits of groundwork (with a horse) and that’s a lot of focus in the movie. They do touch on therapeutic riding, and it’s going to help people to understand and see because it’s a hard thing to articulate that being on the ground with the horse; you can actually make a greater connection.”

The majority of the BVEA’s clients come from Canmore and the surrounding area.

Macdonald says clients are people living with physical and developmental challenges or people with addiction and emotional issues.

They spend time with an instructor and a horse.

“[A hose] can sense your heart rate, and being near the horse can help a participant – without them realizing – bring their own heart rate down,” she said.

Clients with BVEA can be as young as five or in their 60s.

Deb Falconer’s son Ocean has been a client for years.

Falconer says Ocean, 23, is nonverbal.

“All of his communication is done with body language or facial expressions or emotions,” she said. “It is amazing what you can communicate without using words.”

Falconer says Ocean is always excited to be around horses.

“We can walk into an arena or stable and the horses are drawn to him; they have been since he was little, they’ll just come up to him,” she said.

“I feel like when Ocean is around horses, he doesn’t feel like he’s any different than they are, he feels a connection and that this horse is non-verbal as well and he’s a beautiful creature – and I feel like he feels that connection as well.”

She and Ocean have purchased tickets to the screening and say they’ve become advocates of the BVEA program.

“Our goal is just to make it accessible for everyone,” she said. “To take away any sort of fears that people have around it or even financial obstacles. We want to make being around horses available for anyone who could benefit from their beauty.”

BVEA has already raised more than $1,000 in ticket sales from the documentary screening, which is being held on Sunday at 1 p.m. at Origin Spring Creek.