PEAKS at Pine Creek

PEAKS is a therapeutic equine riding program operated by the camping ministry, Impact 2818. Riding lessons are available at Pine Creek Camp near Lafayette, Indiana.

We believe that therapeutic riding benefits the mind, body and spirit of individuals with special needs.

Our purpose is to enrich the lives of individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities through interaction with horses. We promote Christian values while creating opportunities to accomplish individual goals.

Our purpose:

To enrich the lives of individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional disabilities through their interactions with horses. We will strive to promote Christian values while providing opportunities for our clients to progress towards their individual goals. 

PEAKS offers therapeutic riding to children and adults with a wide range of special needs, including but not limited to cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injuries, developmental delay, Down syndrome, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Delay, Muscular Dystrophy, Multiple Sclerosis, stroke, vision/hearing impairment, Attention deficit disorder, learning disabilities, paraplegia, and behavioral challenges.

The Benefits of Therapeutic Riding

Therapeutic horse back riding is a form of therapy that hardly feels like therapy at all. Therapeutic riding at the PEAKS program is provided by a team consisting of NARHA certified instructors, trained volunteers, and of course the specially trained therapy horse.

The therapeutic benefits of horseback riding for someone with a disability are tremendous.

• Physically horseback riding can increase trunk strength, motor planning, and fine motor skills, while also improving muscle tone and flexibility (just to name a few of the benefits). The horse moves in a pattern very similar to the human walk. The three-dimensional, rhythmical motion of the horse stimulates and works muscles of the rider and provides normal sensory-motor input of “walking” to the rider improving posture, balance, muscle tone, and gross motor skills. For someone with a physical disability, the increased mobility while on horseback can be extremely liberating.

• Cognitively, riding involves intricate task planning, team work, and sequencing.  In addition the movement of the horse can be used to facilitate improvements in sensory integration and verbal processing.

• Emotionally, The horse acts as an equalizer between individuals with disabilities and those without serving to boost self confidence and self esteem as well as helping to overcome learned helplessness. The bond between horse and rider can also have many of its own benefits for both the rider and the horse!

• Socially, in a therapeutic riding lesson, riders have the chance to bond with the horse, instructor, and volunteers, which assists in the development of trust. Contact with the horses and horsemanship training provides a non-competitive setting for learning. New abilities, self-discipline, improved concentration and risk taking builds self-confidence. Instructors utilize lesson plans that encourage interaction with others promoting appropriate social skills.