“Riding My Way Back” is a new documentary by Academy Award nominee Robin Fryday and Peter Rosenbaum. The film chronicles Staff Sergeant Aaron Heliker’s journey back from the edge of suicide. After multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, the soldier suffered from a traumatic brain injury, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, third-degree burns, nerve damage and was on 42 medications. Aaron is introduced to a horse named Fred – and through caring for Fred discovers the process of building mutual trust, reconnecting to world and healing from the invisible wounds of war.
You both have a compassion for story-telling, especially visually. What was it about Mr. Heliker and Fred’s story that compelled you to make this documentary?
We wanted to make a compelling, personal and intimate film that spoke to the larger issues of the visible and invisible wounds of war and could offer a message of hope to our returning wounded warriors. We learned of therapeutic riding and SSgt. Heliker through an article in the Seattle Times and the healing that occurs during the bonding relationship of the horse and soldier. During our research we met Aaron and Fred. To us, Aaron was the most obvious illustration of what the term invisible wounds of war can mean. He’s tall, handsome, healthy looking. No one could guess how deeply he had been wounded.
Can you describe the connection between Staff Sergeant Aaron Heliker and Fred?
Fred was the conduit for Aaron to re-connect back to who he was; who he had been. Horses are prey animals and live in a constant state of hyper vigilance – much like a soldier with PTSD. For Aaron, his relationship with Fred helped him learn how to regain his confidence, trust, and ability to bond and connect with the new civilian life he found himself in when he was medically retired from the Air Force.
Horses are mirrors to our emotions and require their riders to be in the moment with them. If a soldier, already an expert in hiding their anxieties, comes to a horse with anything less than being in that moment fully, the horse will physically display the range of emotions the soldier is having internally. For Aaron, and many other riders in therapeutic riding programs, their horse can be the first step in unlocking many of their hidden anxieties, anger and fears.
On the website for Riding My Way Back you share a link for Equine Assisted Therapy Centers – is your goal to show more wounded warriors and military veterans what these centers can do to help?
Exactly. During veterans week this year we screened RIDING MY WAY BACK at over 110 Equine Facilities as well as The US Capitol Visitor Center, Rutgers University, and Columbia University. The Website also has a “screening” page where you can find upcoming screenings and also connect veterans to and equine center near them through our “find a center” page. Our goals with the film and website are to bring awarenss to alternative therapies such as therapeutic riding, and to bring hope to our veterans suffering from the visible and invisible wounds of war.Where we can, we attend with Aaron as well. Aaron is able to answer many questions about his healing with Fred.
Will you travel with the documentary? Where can people see it?
Veterans Week was when most of the screenings across the country occurred. There will still be some center screenings and they can be found on our website. We are still submitting to festivals and updates will be posted on our Facebook page as well. And we have through our website DVD’s for purchase.
For more information: www.ridingmywayback.com
facebook/ridingmywayback and twitter @ridingmywayback
