Riding My Way Back: A Story About a Veteran, a Horse, and Hope

Winner for best direction at the 2015 Beverly Hills Film Festival and Best Documentary Short Silver Springs, this film is the story of returning Iraq and Afghanistan war veteran Aaron Heliker, who suffers from traumatic brain injury and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). A therapeutic riding instructor points out that horses are nonjudgmental, yet they pick up on any tension a rider feels. Heliker says that he was at a church, heard a loud noise, and fell to the ground; the people around him laughed. Had this happened while he was on horseback, the animal would have reacted to his fear and also been frightened. Prior to joining the riding program, Heliker was suicidal. Here, a relaxed Heliker interacts with a horse named Fred. He says that the horse gave him a reason to live: to help other veterans suffering from PTSD.