DE PERE — Since the pandemic began there has been a renewed focus on mental health and wellness. With people seeking new ways to help combat mental health issues, equine therapy has dramatically increased in popularity.
Exceptional Equestrians is a non-profit organization in De Pere that focuses on equine therapy and adaptive horseback riding.
As one of the only licensed equine therapy groups in the state, executive director Lisa Kafka said they've seen a wave of new interest in the program.
"With the pandemic we've seen more referrals for more emotional well-being and mental health issues," said Kafka.
To handle the surge in new patients, Kafka said she's had to reorganize the programming plan to make sure they can reach as many people as possible.
"We've sort of had to restructure the frequency of our services so maybe where children or adults were getting services one time a week or twice a week, some people are coming every other week," said Kafka.
She noted that there are currently over 100 people on the waiting list. Due to the need for more space, Kafka said they're currently in the planning stages for adding additional resources.
This would allow them to take on more patients and bigger groups.
As for why equine therapy is so popular, Kafka said the interaction with the horses is known for helping patients learn more about themselves.
"The interaction with the horses can help kids really gain some emotional awareness and get more self-confident and gain self-esteem," said Kafka.
