MKE Urban Stables equine therapy helps veterans with PTSD
MILWAUKEE - MKE Urban Stables, located on Lincoln off First Street, offers a little bit of nature in Milwaukee and a way for veterans, particularly those dealing with PTSD, to hopefully find some healing.
"I came back from Vietnam, and things weren't so great," said Glen Perry. "Then when I retired and had all this extra time on my hands, and all of a sudden, all those old things started creeping back up."
When your inner world is a battle, it can take some outside help.
"This is like, a sanctuary," said Mary McIntosh, MKE Urban Stables.
MKE Urban Stables
Perry is a graduate of a program involving a unique form of therapy.
"They know when someone is stressed out, and they'll come over and put their head on the shoulder, and it'll kind of take your breath away," said McIntosh.
MKE Urban Stables hosts monthly meet-and-greets with veterans. The nonprofit is working with the Clement J. Zablocki Milwaukee VA Medical Center to offer equine-assisted therapy with VA mental health counselors.
"And our therapists, who are actually the horses," said McIntosh.
MKE Urban Stables
"After you clean their hooves and that... you groom them," said Perry.
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Perry said working with the horses offers a kind of stability.
"Just a very bonding thing, you know?" said Perry.
MKE Urban Stables
That bond helps ground him in the moment.
"Once you learn the habits of the horse, and he learns you, all of a sudden, those things become so much easier, and you just get lost in it," said Perry. "For that time, nothing else matters."
"They help to take you to that place where you're present with no one else but the horse," said McIntosh. "It's a very special place to go."
Perry said he'll be coming back; this time, as a volunteer at the stables.
MKE Urban Stables
"You don't have to worry about any of the pressures on the outside world," he said.
That helps bring peace to his inner world.
"It's just calming," said Perry.
To get more information, you can call MKE Urban Stables at 414-744-2844 or visit their website here.