About Camp Able
of Buffalo Gap

Our Story

Founded in 2014 by Renee Hicks, Camp Able of Buffalo Gap began with a simple mission: to change lives through the power of horses. Camp Able is a 501©(3) nonprofit organization that provides Equine Assisted Services to individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges. We provide a safe and welcoming place where individuals with special needs can grow in confidence, strength, and independence. Camp Able has grown from a small, family-run therapeutic riding program, into a Premier Accredited Therapeutic Riding Center by PATH Intl. To accommodate the ongoing growth and demand for our programs and services, Camp Able purchased 83 acres in 2017 located 7 miles outside of Abilene in the valley that forms “the gap” known as Buffalo Gap.  Our main facility and daily operations are located on this piece of property, where we have built additional grazing pastures (Phase 1), a covered riding arena (Phase 2), and our Learning Center (Phase 3). We are currently in the planning phase of a Capital Campaign to build a 50,000-square-foot Main Arena and comprehensive program facility designed to serve generations to come (Phase 4). This purpose-built space will dramatically expand our ability to deliver therapeutic riding and offer integrated services, allowing more individuals with special needs to access life-changing support in a safe, year-round environment.

Today, Camp Able provides more than 1,500 individual and group therapeutic riding sessions, and serves around 260 individuals annually. We partner with Jim Ned CISD and Merkel ISD to provide therapeutic riding and social-emotional development opportunities for life-skills classrooms. Our programs currently include therapeutic riding and speech therapy. As a premier accredited center, we ensure the highest standards of safety and professionalism in the equine-assisted services industry.

An older woman and a young boy in a roller skating rink, holding hands.
An older woman and a young boy in a roller skating rink, holding hands.

Our Mission

Camp Able of Buffalo Gap is dedicated to empowering individuals with special needs through therapeutic riding and inclusive skills-based programs.

Our Vision

We envision a community where individuals of all abilities are embraced with dignity, respect, and understanding. Through therapeutic riding and equine assisted services, we empower each participant to grow in independence, defined by their unique potential, while building strength, confidence, and joy. Our vision is a world where acceptance is instinctive, inclusion is natural, and every person is recognized for their worth.

Our Values

A person kneeling and a person standing next to a horse outdoors, with the person kneeling tending to the horse's leg. The person standing is wearing a gray hoodie and cowboy boots, and the person kneeling is wearing a white cap and a blue shirt.

Respect

We treat every rider, family, volunteer, staff member, and horse with dignity, no exceptions.

A woman and a young girl are sharing a joyful moment outdoors under a wooden pavilion. The woman has dark, wavy hair and is wearing a light pink shirt. The girl is wearing a bright pink dress and is drinking from a pink cup with a straw, smiling happily.

Equality

We believe every person deserves the same chance to grow, ride, and belong, regardless of ability.

A young boy wearing a green Under Armour T-shirt and camouflage pants riding a horse indoors, with a black helmet on his head.

Empowerment

We meet each rider where they are and help them discover strength they didn't know they had.

Young boy wearing a blue riding helmet, sitting on a horse, receiving a helmet fitting from an adult.

Compassion

We care deeply about the wellbeing of our participants, their families, our staff, volunteers, and horses.

Young boy in a red t-shirt and black helmet riding a horse in an indoor riding arena.

Diversity

We welcome people of every background and ability, because Camp Able is stronger for it.

A young girl wearing a helmet and a leather jacket sits on a horse with the help of two adults inside a barn or covered riding area.

Collaboration

We are a team. Riders, families, instructors, volunteers, and horses all play a part. Everyone matters.

A young girl wearing a riding helmet and red shirt, smiling while riding a horse.

Dignity

We honor each person's story and treat every individual as capable, valued, and worthy of respect.

A young girl wearing a helmet rides a horse, assisted by two women and an older man at an indoor equestrian facility.

Balance

We hold steady between challenge and support, keeping riders safe while pushing them forward.