In 1996 Debbie Crews, Ph.D., Assistant Research Professor at ASU, began researching the effect of sport on the Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autistic populations. For three years she incorporated kids in 8 week athletic programs including: basketball, weight lifting, running, archery, and horseback riding.
Dr. Crews compared all the sports and horseback riding proved to be the most positive intervention. She believed that everyone could benefit from interaction with horses. This sparked the development of the outreach horse program at ASU called Hunkapi. After 10 years with the university, Hunkapi is now a independent non-profit program that continues to serve clients all over the valley.