Horse Sense and Soldiers wins Cine Eagle Award

-- August 2, 2011

The film features the real horse whisperer, Monty Roberts and his work with Gulf War vets struggling with PTSD. Directed by Lisa Wolfinger and produced by Lone Wolf Documentary Group for Military Channel.

Lisa and her crew captured the personal journeys of four very different veterans, beginning with profiling their difficulty adjusting to home life after their service in the war.   These stories are contrasted with that of Monty Roberts, whose complete departure from violence of any kind at a young age led him to bring horses into the lives of those in need.  The arrival of the vets at Monty's farm begins the main drama of the program as they learn to treat horses with patience, calm, and gentleness.

The score I created for this needed to capture both the dusty, outdoor spaces of Monty Roberts "Flags Up Farm" as well as the inner healing journey of the four veterans as they learned Roberts' nonviolent methods for training wild, and often abused, horses.  We worked with acoustic guitars, solo violin, and other small forces to support Lisa's desire to create an close-up and personal viewing experience.  "This shouldn't feel like a big screen story," Lisa said in an edit session with Jed Rauscher.  "It needs to feel very intimate."

More from the Lone Wolf Documentary Group Site