Healing the Broken: How ‘The Healing’ Explores an Emotional and Inspiring Alliance
In the stunning New South Wales Southern Highlands, a revolutionary equine program is restoring hope - for humans and horses alike.
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What social causes does The Healing explore?
Animal Welfare, Survivors & Victims, War & Peace
To find a cinema screening near you and purchase tickets for this powerful documentary, visit good.film/thehealing
Trigger Warning: Suicide
This article contains content about suicide rates within the Australian military.
Reader discretion is advised.
If you’re struggling, help is available.
Call 13 11 14 for 24/7 Crisis Support or visit lifeline.org.au
Think ‘majestic creatures’ and we’d wager that horses would be top of most people’s list (whale lovers, don’t @ us). There’s something cinematic about horses, too: Aussie films like The Man From Snowy River, The Silver Brumby and Ride Like a Girl have all traded in iconic images of muscular flanks, turf flying from beneath galloping hooves, and hot huffs of steamy breath jetting from those long, graceful muzzles on a frosty winter’s morning.
What’s tougher to convey is the invisible connection between human and horse: an unspoken bond that’s forged in a mutual trust. But that’s exactly the quality that Australian Director Nick Barkla sensitively captures in his feature documentary The Healing.
Even more remarkably, that trust between his subjects has been built on a shared experience of significant trauma. While traditional equine therapy uses well-adjusted horses to help people, The Healing takes us behind the scenes of a powerful new program that works with traumatised thoroughbreds. As human and horse learn to trust each other, the healing works both ways - and both begin to believe that a new life is possible.
The Healing introduces us to horseman Scott Brodie, Director of the Thoroughbred and Veteran Welfare Alliance, and his picturesque ‘office’. Nestled amid dramatic gorges and the beautiful natural bushland of New South Wales’ Kangaroo Valley lies Scott’s ranch, Barranca, where he runs his unique program - bringing together traumatised ex-racehorses with former military veterans and first responders, for their mutual rehabilitation.
It’s a pairing with an unexpected similarity. In their relentless quest for a champion, thousands of racehorses are discarded each year by the Australian racing industry, with many suffering trauma and misery. Likewise, after serving their country, thousands of Defence Force personnel retire each year - and, left with a lack of structure and often substantial trauma, many go on to experience mental health issues, homelessness and suicide.
The Healing is a timely film. It provides a gently powerful insight into why, tragically, THIRTY TIMES more Australian military personnel and veterans have died by suicide than have been killed in combat since the year 2000.
Do you or someone you know need help? If you're struggling, LifeLine are here for you.
LifeLine are a national charity providing all Australians experiencing emotional distress with access to 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention services.
Call 13 11 14 for 24/7 Crisis Support or visit lifeline.org.au
Scott has retrained and rehomed more than 500 ex-racehorses, and helped over 200 ex-military personnel and former first responders readjust to the next chapter of their lives back in “the real world”. The Healing introduces us to four of them, arriving at Barranca to undergo Scott’s five-day rehabilitation program for themselves.
There’s Mel, an ex-Navy Chaplain. Max, a former Federal Policeman. Georgie, who entered the Navy aged just 17. And Sam, an infantry soldier in a former life. They’ve tried hospital programs, traditional therapy and medication, with minimal results. Now, this feels like their final hope.
“The biggest challenge was filming over four years. We had no idea where the participant’s lives and stories were going, so we couldn’t predict what the ending would be! But that uncertainty became a strength, and we just embraced being truthful to whatever occurred.” ~ Director Nick Barkla
On the first morning, there’s an air of apprehension from the horses and veterans alike. Gradually, it’s revealed how each group has suffered trauma. Around the comfort of a log fire, Scott explains that the vets will see a lot of parallels between themselves and the horses’ plight (the thoroughbreds are donated by owners and breeders for Scott to retrain).
“The main problems for ex-racehorses when they come off the track are not that different to the PTSD suffered by some of the soldiers,” Scott says. “They’ve been institutionalised, so when they come out of that ‘box’ and have to do anything else, it can be quite stressful for them. Like the soldiers, when they come out of the service they struggle to walk down the street and just be normal people anymore, because they’ve been highly trained. They struggle with real life and the real world. They fall in a heap. People don’t understand that they can both be fixed.”
It’s one of The Healing’s most interesting elements: the blurring of lines between the horses and the former frontline servicepeople that make up the group. These horses need rehabilitation, too - and their anxieties and breakthroughs are often metaphorical for the progress that Mel, Max, Georgie and Sam begin to make working alongside them.
As the group prepare to meet Bazaconi, a chestnut-brown thoroughbred with 23 race starts to his name, Scott reminds them that ‘Baz’ is just as new to the ranch as they are. His memories of racing cause Baz an anxiety that means he’s constantly in flight mode towards self-preservation. But while Baz has suffered trauma, he’s not beyond help. “He’s had emotional issues, mental issues, physical issues… and he’s never been anywhere except the racetrack,” Scott says as he guides Baz from the horse float, “so this is gonna look like Mars when he comes out here.”
“While traditional therapy and medication works for many people with anxiety, depression and PTSD, there are many it doesn’t work for. So where do they go? What do they do? I think the film is a vital reference point for people looking for other avenues of help or healing.” ~ Director Nick Barkla
Scott starts off simply, acclimatising Baz with his new human mates - and vice versa. One by one, Scott demonstrates to Mel, Max, Georgie and Sam how to use their energy and modulate their body language to guide the animal around the ring. There’s no whips or prods to be found here.
Gradually, through careful handling and gentle voice commands, a symbiosis begins to form. Scott shapes the group’s understanding of how to guide the horses - and the horses calmly respond to a new type of human energy. One that’s free of harsh commands and threats of violence… hey, there’s that metaphorical spirit we mentioned.
How does The Healing explore trauma and mental health?
It’s a credit to the bravery of Mel, Georgie, Sam and Max that The Healing is such an affecting viewing experience. In opening up to Nick and his filmmaking team, the group’s personal stories - from panic attacks and PTSD to homelessness and suicide attempts - become more than cold statistics on a page. They’re human struggles, with names and faces that connect with us.
It’s not a reach to say that, on arriving at Barranca, some of the participants look haunted by their past. When they begin to share glimpses of their frontline experiences, it’s easy to see why. But as they spend more time with the thoroughbreds, the group’s gradual relaxation is palpable.
It’s not as though their past gets erased - everyone knows that’s impossible - but their fears begin to give way to a togetherness. A shared ‘knowing’ that only they can truly understand. As Max describes, “I was worried [this would be] veterans judging other veterans. But it wasn’t like that at all. We’ve all been through stuff, but it didn’t matter what. We’re here for the horses.”
What does The Healing have to say about hope and rehabilitation?
At the end of the week’s program, Scott takes the group to the creek bordering Barranca ranch. Against the backdrop of a soothing waterfall, they reflect on the five days they’ve shared and the growth they’ve experienced. Visually, it hits home that the group is describing their progress in a tranquil setting we haven’t seen - until now.
Surrounded by flowing water and under the dappled shade, it feels like a catharsis. Their stories are different, but the words that keep coming up for Sam, Mel, Georgie, and Max are the same. Confidence and hope.
“Suddenly you have a purpose, you have a reason to wake up, you have meaning again,” says Georgie, the ex-Navy veteran. “It was like a light bulb switched on. The feeling you get with this majestic animal… it’s so strong, it’s so powerful, and it trusts you. It’s the most amazing feeling ever. I’m starting to come back to who I used to be - I’m not my label anymore. I am me.”
Mel, the former Navy Chaplain, agrees. “Working with traumatised horses, you can just feel there’s a synergy between us. For me, those scars [of my past] will always be there. But that’s OK. I can move forward and fill my life with other things. You go, ‘Hang on a second - I think there is a future here. I think there is some hope.’”
It’s easy to detect a quiet pride to Scott as he hears their words, but there’s traces of recognition, too. In a former life as an ex-Mounted Police officer, he dealt with wrangling horses on inner-city patrols. It entailed many risks, from falls and traffic to animals being spooked by the jangle of city life. After a string of injuries, Scott was retired medically unsound.
“I probably would’ve finished up like these other guys if I hadn’t chosen to continue working with horses,” Scott reveals. That choice has led to a brighter new pathway for the hundreds of soldiers, veterans and first responders who’ve undergone his program. With a legacy like that, you get the sense Scott rests pretty easy at night. “Almost every veteran I’ve dealt with,” Scott admits, “has told me that this has saved their life.”
What are audiences saying about The Healing?
- “Brilliant… a meditative experience.” | St Kilda Film Festival
- ”Beautiful and so important - for both humans and horses.” | Phillippa Ebeling
- “These are the films that NEED to be made!” | Simon Direen
- ”An inspiration… beautiful.” | Amiel Courtin-Wilson
So what’s the takeaway from The Healing?
If you’re no fan of horseracing, or know nothing about the defence force, you may think this isn’t a film for you. In fact, the opposite is true. With its unflinching interviews, meditative scenic cinematography and gentle musical score, The Healing takes the tough subject of trauma and renders it not only educational, but uplifting.
It’s no secret that front line personnel and first responders face a higher risk of developing mental health conditions (the rate of PTSD, for example, is more than double that of the general population). But The Healing humanises that risk, and underlines the level of crisis that’s been systematically covered up.
“Watching ‘The Healing’, I hope audiences experience something new. I hope they gain a greater understanding of the trauma both humans and horses undergo serving society - and realise that by donating to Scott’s work, they are enabling this life-saving work to continue.” ~ Director Nick Barkla
The Healing also acts as a reminder that traditional therapy and medication simply isn’t the answer for everyone. Now that society has a newfound awareness and understanding of mental health and trauma, the film asks us to question why equine programs like these shouldn’t be considered just as valid as any other.
For some, it’s proven quite literally to be a life saver - and we see a glimpse of these new lives in the film’s affirming finale.
It’s no surprise to Scott Brodie, The Healing’s quiet hero, who preps for another group to arrive as the setting sun sheds its last ochre rays across Barranca ranch. He’s certain that the link between horse and handler creates a healing bond. “You really do become one animal,” says Scott at the film’s close. “There really is this circle of energy that flows through both of you - and it’s an incredible connection that I don’t think you can get anywhere else.”
To find a cinema screening near you and purchase tickets for this powerful documentary, visit good.film/thehealing
For more information on Scott and his charity Horse Aid, visit horseaid.org.au
