Documentary about the healing power of horses highlights 2 Kauaʻi nonprofits

During a 2.5-year journey filming all over the world for a documentary “Rescued Hearts,” director Dana Croschere and producer Krisanna Sexton intentionally searched for people and organizations that were creating meaningful partnerships with horses.

They found two on Kauaʻi: Wind Horse Sanctuary in Kapahi and Healing Horses Kauaʻi in Wailua.

Both nonprofits are featured in the two-hour documentary that explores the powerful emotional and therapeutic connection between people and horses.

“Rescued Hearts” will be shown at a special early-release screening on March 21 at the Kauaʻi Community College in Līhuʻe.

The event ushers in the film’s one-week worldwide virtual showing on April 1.

“We felt called to Kauaʻi after meeting Tara Coyote and learning about her incredible healing journey with horses as she navigated cancer,” Croschere told Kauaʻi Now.

Coyote, an author and a certified Equine Facilitated Learning instructor, life coach and grief counselor with Wind Horse Sanctuary, has quietly assisted the community in navigating loss on the Garden Isle.

About four years ago, she introduced herself to Croschere and Sexton at a conference in Sedona, Arizona.

“I saw another film that they created called ‘Love Heals,’ which I was very touched by,” Coyote said. “I went up to them after the film, and I introduced myself, and I shared my story of healing cancer.”

“In 2019, I was referred to hospice with cancer throughout my body, breast cancer, so I came back home here to Hawaiʻi to heal,” she said. “They call me a miracle case. … It’s a miracle that I am alive.”

Coyote specializes in the human–horse bond, supporting healing from grief, loss, difficult life transitions and the unique challenges faced by caregivers, and said she “had a powerful healing story.”

Coyote says it is a “total honor” to have her story highlighted in the film.

“It’s also very vulnerable,” she said. “My part in the film is incredibly vulnerable because I talk about my best friend’s death and my parents’ deaths. It’s very sensitive.”

Corschere said after they booked their flights to Kauaʻi, Coyote told them about Karin Stoll and the work she does at Healing Horses Kauaʻi, the program she founded.

“We were immediately intrigued,” she said.

Healing Horses Kauaʻi provides therapeutic horse experiences for children and adults while also caring for horses that have been abandoned or surrendered across the island.

Miniature horses Lollipop and Jellybean are part of the Miniature Horse Outreach Program at Healing Horses Kauaʻi. They support the community by providing equine-assisted activities and therapy to individuals who cannot leave their medical or educational settings.

“We filmed with Healing Horses Kauaʻi over two days,” Sexton said. “Watching the connection unfold between the miniature horses and the Kauaʻi residents brought us to tears.”

Croschere added: “There was such a sense of presence, joy, and emotional connection. While the footage didn’t make it into the final cut of Rescued Hearts, as we had to be very selective in what we included, it imprinted deeply on our hearts.”

But other footage did and Stoll said the recognition is meaningful.

“It gives what we’ve been doing for 25 years credibility,” Stoll said. “The mission has always been about the people and animals who find healing at the ranch. It explains across the board how horses enhance our lives, heal us and give people confidence.”

Sexton said: “As we traveled the world, meeting extraordinary humans and horses, I often found myself leaving a filming location with tears streaming down my face. Making this film was opening my heart in ways I never expected.”

Croschere and Sexton, both award-winning filmmakers, were first inspired to create “Love Heals” due to their shared passion for authentic, transformative and healing storytelling.

Years ago, while volunteering at a horse facility, Croschere witnessed a life-changing moment: a 7-year-old child with autism spoke his first words while interacting with a horse.

“As filmmakers, we were drawn to this project because that singular moment sparked our entire journey,” she said.

Croschere began asking deeper questions about the horse–human connection and the role horses can play in helping people heal.

Through personal stories across the nation and emerging research, the documentary shows how equine-assisted experiences can help people heal from trauma, disability and emotional hardship.

Stoll knows these extraordinary experiences well. Over the years, she has watched the keiki of Kauaʻi arrive at the ranch struggling with developmental challenges, and then gradually gain confidence and form meaningful connections.

“I’ve watched kids go from shy and withdrawn to becoming strong, capable human beings,” she said.

One story still stands out for Stoll. A teenager who first came to the ranch to learn about horses eventually pursued veterinary school and returned to Kauaʻi as a large-animal vet.

“For me, that completes the circle,” Stoll said. “It shows that this work is important.”

While the film highlights stories of transformation, the day-to-day work behind Healing Horses Kauaʻi is far less glamorous and a labor of love.

“Kaua’i is a place that holds a very special place in our hearts,” Croschere said. “So discovering an organization there that was helping people heal in partnership with horses felt incredibly aligned.”

Stoll said the nonprofit is now struggling to survive and is relying primarily on community support, volunteers and her own personal contributions to keep the ranch operating.

“It was about $30,000 last year, and it’ll probably be more this year,” she said. “It’s my retirement that’s keeping it going.”

At 77, Stoll continues to work full-time as a social worker while also managing the ranch.

“The ranch serves many families who cannot afford expensive therapy programs, and riding sessions are intentionally kept affordable because many of the children who come through the program already face significant medical costs,” she said.

“We’re serving kids that are ill, and their parents spend every dollar they have to keep their kids well. I don’t want this to be an elite riding club.”

Maintaining the 15-acre ranch is a constant effort, supported by a small team of workers and volunteers who care for the horses and ensure the programs continue, Stoll said though tears.

“I’m begging them to come see themselves on film,” Stoll said of the documentary. “I’m proud of them. Even when hours change or get cut, they do what they have to do to keep the kids safe and the horses healthy.”

Stoll also expressed gratitude to singer and philanthropist Bette Midler, who owns the property where the nonprofit operates and has allowed the organization to remain there.

“We need support so this can continue,” she said. “Everybody here works for pennies. It’s a labor of love.”

Stoll says that after decades of work, she hopes the community will help sustain it into the future.

“If I get hit by a truck tomorrow,” Stoll said, laughing through tears, “I need this to keep going, because we’re here for the Kauaiʻi’s community of kids and adults with special needs. That’s our mission. So come hug a horse. It costs nothing to hug a horse.”

The filmmakers believe the Kaua’i community will especially resonate with this film “because the island already holds such a deep respect for nature, animals and connection,” Croschere said.

“Watching the film in a community tends to create a powerful shared experience. People laugh, cry, reflect and often stay long after the credits to talk with us and each other. It becomes more than a film screening. It becomes a moment for connection and community.

“We are honored to bring the film to Kauaʻi and so grateful to Tara Coyote and Karin Stoll for infusing their hearts and their stories into ‘Rescued Hearts.'”

Click here to purchase tickets for the Rescued Hearts documentary and watch the trailer above.

Click here to support Healing Horses Kauaʻi, and explore their volunteer and keiki programs. Residents interested in learning more about Wind Horse Sanctuary or purchasing a book by Coyote can click here.