GEORGETOWN, Texas - Georgetown nonprofit Ride on Center for Kids (ROCK) is the star of a new documentary.
The horse therapy center has been Nancy Krenek's life's work for nearly 20 years.
"The research here has shown it lowers anxiety, it lowers PTSD, and increases quality of life," said Krenek.
Her center is the focus of a new documentary called "Where the Horses Heal the Soul."
"I still don't understand this journey," said Krenek. "The movie kind of has a life of its own. It has gone out and spoken to people."
This horse-based form of therapy first spoke to Georgetown's Twila Labar about five years ago.
"This film is really my heart," said LaBar, the director and producer of the film. "This type of film and the stories here at ROCK, this is kind of pulling on my heartstrings as well."
Starting in 2019, LaBar followed several people getting help from the center, including veterans and people with special needs.
"Hunter, who's in our film, she has cerebral palsy," said LaBar. "She's in a wheelchair, and just to see how she's empowered to just chase her dreams and do things that people would never imagine that she could do, it just blows my mind."
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They hope this film will connect more people to horse therapy.
"Where just trying to get the word out that horses are just this magnificent being made by God that can really touch people's souls," said Krenek.
But if people walk away with anything after the movie, they want it to be a sense of hope.
"If you're living and breathing, we are here for a purpose, and that's what this film is all about," said LaBar.
"I would hope and pray that people, whether they come on a tour at ROCK or they see the documentary or even the trailer, they recognize that there's hope," said Krenek.
The documentary has already had its big premiere and won several awards.
Most recently, at the Equus Film Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, it took home the title of the best hour-long USA Documentary: Film about Horses and Healing.
It's screening again on Monday at the Palace Theatre in Georgetown at 6:30 p.m. You can buy tickets ahead of time online.
It will eventually go to Amazon and Apple TV.
The Source: Information in this report came from interviews and reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Lauren Rangel.