The Healing

Increasing numbers of Australian military, as well as police, firemen, paramedics and emergency service workers (first responders) are succumbing to depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and suicide. Since 2001, THIRTY TIMES more military personnel and veterans died by suicide than were killed in combat.
Similarly, every year, thousands of racehorses are “retired” from the racing industry and face very uncertain futures. Many struggle to find second careers, and often end up as damaged and unsocialized members of their own herds. Others are simply killed for petfood.
The mission of Horse Aid, the organisation featured in The Healing, is to transform the lives of these vulnerable horses and people. The film will bring Horse Aid’s cutting edge ideas and practices to a much wider audience, to help obtain the vital support, exposure and funding needed to carry on their life-saving programs.

The main goals of our Impact Vision are:
1. Build donor support for Horse Aid, the organisation featured in The Healing.
2. Sustain public engagement with the Royal Commission into Defence And Veteran Suicide, and campaign for the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to fund equine programs for veterans with mental health issues.
3. Reduce the stigma around mental health issues like anxiety, depression and PTSD in the community.
4. increase empathy and awareness about how these issues affect military veterans and first responders.
5. Provide compelling visual evidence of the benefits of retraining and rehoming damaged ex-racehorses to help educate and inspire the racing industry

Through creating a comprehensive Impact Campaign to support the film, our objectives include:
1. Raising $400,000 for Horse Aid to allow them to rehabilitate 200 veterans/first responders, and 30 ex-racehorses over a 12 month period. This will be achieved through 150+ fundraiser screenings with donors, partners, stakeholders and community groups including Leagues Clubs, RSL’s, veteran and first responder organisations, mental healthcare and equine/animal advocacy organisations.
2. Facilitating vital evidence-based research of Horse Aid’s programs, to encourage the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to fund equine programs for veterans. When successful, this will be the first time DVA have ever funded an equine program, which will be a game-changer for making complementary/alternative methods of healing accessible for veterans suffering from mental health issues.

We have partnered with Horse Aid to make sure our film is in line with the aims of their organisation. (We sought feedback at every stage of film development and production, and have continued to do so during the theatrical release of the movie.) We partnered with many veteran and first responder organisations in helping spread the word about the film’s release, including the state RSL’s. We are in regular contact with the Royal Commission into Defence and Veteran Suicide, who are strong advocates of the film. We are also in regular contact with the Department of Veterans’ Affairs, about the best way to provide evidence-based research on the effectiveness of Horse Aid’s programs. We have recently partnered with Heartland, a business in the Southern Highlands, who are hosting Horse Aid’s live-in residential programs, as well as promoting The Healing film through their national horse owner’s network.

There is a CTA at the end of the film encouraging viewers to donate to Horse Aid to help them continue their life-saving work. (Horse Aid is a fully registered NFP charity and all donations are 100% tax deductible.)
There will also be a petition on the film’s website where people can sign a petition encouraging the Department of Veterans’ Affairs to fund equine programs for veterans with mental health issues.