SAN MARCOS — On Valentines Day, about 200 people filled the Bornemann Theatre on the TERI Campus of Life in the Twin Oaks Valley — and in turn, a premiere showing of Rescued Hearts filled those spectators’ hearts.
The documentary, set for a public streaming April 1-8, is the lovingly crafted work of partners Krisanna Sexton and Dana Croschere of Live Wild Films. Dana first witnessed therapeutic work with horses as a volunteer in the early 2000’s at Horses Help in Arizona. After a break to create a previous award-winning film with Krisanna, Love Heals, Dana resumed her volunteering with horses and kids. She was forever changed.
“During that time, I began to more fully recognize the depth and healing power of the horse-human connection and felt called to explore it through documentary storytelling,” says Dana, the film’s producer.
“What began as curiosity quickly became something much deeper and more personal. The more people we met and the more experiences we witnessed, the more we realized this wasn’t just a film about horses. It was about healing, connection, and what becomes possible when people feel truly seen and safe.”
The documentary unfolds several compelling stories, each centered on a different individual’s experience. The horse’s role in the healing process stands out in each of them, framed beautifully and delicately by Krisanna, the film’s director. People have roles, too, and the film reveals the power of vulnerability to access true healing. No segment depicts this more than the one that features Dana and her father.
“We experienced our own healing through the process,” says Dana. “That includes a profoundly meaningful and unexpected healing exchange between my dad and a horse that became one of the most important moments of my life.
“At that point, the film was no longer a project,” she adds. “It became a mission.”
The mission has traveled worldwide, filming across the U.S. (California, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Texas, Hawaii) as well as internationally in Canada, South Africa and New Zealand. Each location brought a unique perspective, Dana says, from therapeutic riding centers and rescues to private ranches and sanctuaries. Californians played roles in the production and its inspiration, including Carolyn Resnick, Dr. Barrie Sands, Dr. Ellen Kaye Gehrke, Joell Dunlap of the Square Peg Foundation, and others.
“If this film helps people see horses differently, encourages greater care and respect for them, and opens even a small number of hearts to new possibilities for healing and connection, then it has fulfilled its purpose,” says Dana, who also hopes it will elevate and support the rescues, sanctuaries, equine-assisted therapy centers and practitioners doing this important work.
“We believe this film helps people open their hearts to more love, compassion, and healing — which is everything our world needs right now,” she says.
The Feb. 14 screening at the TERI Campus of Life, home to TERI’s Therapeutic Equestrian Program, was one of many premiere events scheduled nationwide. Partnering with TERI as co-host was Art Soul And Horses, and the day was a fitting tribute to kick off the Year of the Fire Horse, featuring a reception and equestrian-themed art auction, an intimate discussion with the filmmakers following the film, and a visit from TERI’s mini horses, Jack and Jill. The artwork donated by local artists raised more than $3,000 to be split between two local horse rescue organizations, Milly’s Place and Paradise Dreams Sanctuary.
“Screenings like the Valentine’s Day event in San Marcos are incredibly meaningful,” says Dana. “They create a space for people to experience the film together and open conversations that often continue long after the film ends. These gatherings allow communities to connect more deeply with each other and with the horses who inspire this work.”
Here are links to two items: First, the schedule of in-person screening events; second, the link to the free online virtual streaming event April 1-8.
UPCOMING SCREENINGS: Https://bit.ly/rescuedheartsevents
ONLINE STREAMING LINK: Https://bit.ly/rescuedheartsvirtual
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