The Story Behind

62 Horses, 62 Hearts

Some stories find you when you least expect them.

For almost a decade, I cared for my father as Alzheimer's disease slowly stole away the man he once was. Caring for someone you love changes your life in ways that are difficult to explain. Your world becomes smaller, travel becomes a distant memory, and the simple freedom to leave home is replaced by the daily routines of love, responsibility and care.

When Dad passed away in June 2025, I found myself grieving not only his loss, but also trying to rediscover the person I had been before Alzheimer's became part of our lives.

Four months later, in October 2025, a friend and I boarded the Spirit of Tasmania and set off on a road trip to the small New South Wales town of Barellan.

I had first attended the Barellan Good Old Days Festival in 2011 and had dreamed of returning ever since. This time, we witnessed something truly extraordinary.

On that day, 62 magnificent working horses came together to pull a fully laden wool wagon, setting a new world record for the largest working horse team ever assembled. But what moved me most wasn't the record itself. It was the quiet partnership between people and horses, the dedication of the teamsters, and a community determined to preserve a living piece of Australia's rural heritage.

The experience stayed with me long after I returned home.

During my grieving journey, I created 62 Horses, 62 Hearts with AI assistance as a way of expressing emotions that had been difficult to put into words. For me, the technology was simply another creative tool. The heart of this film comes from lived experience, remembrance, and deep admiration for the horses and the people who keep this remarkable tradition alive.

This film is dedicated to the 62 horses who walked together, to the Barellan Good Old Days community, and to my father, whose love, trust and quiet strength continue to inspire my journey.

I hope this story touches your heart as much as it touched mine.

Rowena Howard
Rewilding the Heart

The Story Continues on Paper

I am a wildlife and rural heritage illustrator, and more recently I have begun exploring storytelling through film. Whether with coloured pencils, a camera or music, my aim is the same—to celebrate the animals, landscapes and people whose stories deserve to be remembered.

Inspired by the extraordinary sight of the 62 working horses, I returned home and created a coloured pencil illustration, The Boys, capturing a moment from this remarkable event. Through many hours of careful drawing, I hoped to preserve not only the scale of the achievement, but also the quiet partnership between the horses and their teamsters.

Museum-quality fine art prints of The Boys are available for those who would like to own a piece of this story and help support future Rewilding the Heart projects.

Fine Art Prints