During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Indigo Urgent Care Nurse Practitioner Kristen Jentges was working as a float nurse on Washington state’s west side. Like so many health care workers and other frontline professionals, she was navigating long days, emotional exhaustion and a growing sense that the crisis was taking a toll far beyond the clinical setting.
“There was just so much to deal with,” she said. “The fear, the volume of patients, the uncertainty around vaccines, the mental load of it all. I was working, homeschooling my kids, and trying to hold everything together. And I wasn’t the only one feeling it.”
Through conversations with close friends and fellow professionals who were feeling the same strain, Jentges began to wonder if the calm connection she felt with animals could offer the same healing to others.
“We lived in Cle Elum at the time and had chickens, sheep, ducks, and these really gentle horses,” she said. “Horses have always been a big part of our lives – I’m a 4-H mom, and my daughter is active in rodeo. I remember thinking how lucky we were to have this lifestyle and asking myself: what if we created a space where people could just take a breath and just decompress?”
In 2022, with the help of neighbors, fellow health care professionals, and her husband Dan (also an Indigo per diem clinician), she founded Quiet Cadence, now located on her family mini farm in Ellensburg. The fully volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit has since served hundreds of people in Yakima and Kittitas counties – including health care workers, teachers, first responders, veterans, and their families.
A holistic, grounded approach to healing
Horses are at the heart of Quiet Cadence. Through equine-assisted therapy and coaching, horsemanship sessions, and peer support around the pasture, the bond between humans and animals is central to the nonprofit’s mission.
“It’s not really about riding, but more about relationship,” Jentges explained. “Horses are incredibly intuitive. They reflect what you're feeling, even when you’re not saying anything out loud. Observing, connecting, and simply being present with them helps people work through things like anxiety, burnout, grief – even PTSD.”
Thanks to partnerships, local grants, donations, and a growing volunteer network, Quiet Cadence offers all of its services at no charge to frontline workers and their families. They also welcome the broader community at free monthly petting zoo events.
A space for the helpers to heal
At its core, Quiet Cadence is about connection, calm, and healing – and a reminder to frontline workers that they’re not alone.
“We’re not doing anything fancy,” Jentges said. “It’s just nature, animals, and people who care. But for folks carrying a lot of invisible weight, that simplicity can be incredibly powerful.”
She recalled one visitor, a health care worker who had recently endured some deeply traumatic patient experiences on the job.
“She came out to the farm and rode a horse for the first time in her life,” Jentges said. “Afterward she told me, ‘I never thought I could do this. It’s so nice to do something for myself.’ I was teary-eyed. Those are the moments that make it all worth it.”
Building on moments like that, Jentges and the Quiet Cadence board are looking ahead. Their long-term vision includes expanding to new locations, training additional equine mental health specialists, and growing the community of care for those who spend their lives caring for others. One wish-list item is funding to relaunch trauma-informed yoga – one of the organization’s earliest offerings for health care workers during the pandemic.
Making it all work – with Indigo’s support
Working a flexible schedule in Indigo’s Yakima clinic gives Jentges the opportunity to continue in clinical practice while overseeing the day-to-day operations at Quiet Cadence.
“Being able to work per diem for Indigo lets me pour time into Quiet Cadence and my family without stepping away from patient care,” she said. “And when I’m off, I’m truly off – there’s no on-call, no charting at home. That work-life separation has been a huge part of finding balance and doing what I love.”
Having worked in different health care systems and multiple clinics, Jentges also appreciates having a home base, along with a great crew to work with and leading-edge technology to do her job to the fullest.
If you’re seeking a rewarding health care career with the flexibility to pursue outside passions and maintain a healthy work-life balance, Indigo offers a path that makes it possible.
