Location: Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States
Camp Red Cedar is a nonprofit recreational and therapeutic services organization on 57 acres in northern Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Allen County.
Originally established as a privately owned therapeutic riding facility called Red Cedar, the program evolved over decades into a fully integrated camp and year-round equestrian center before merging with Benchmark Human Services.
Today, it operates as a CARF-accredited facility and PATH International Premier Accredited Center, serving children and adults of all abilities through therapeutic riding, recreational therapy, inclusive summer camps, aquatic programming, and a wide range of outdoor activities. It is the only PATH International Premier Accredited Center in Indiana that also holds CARF accreditation.
About This Program
Camp Red Cedar’s mission is to encourage children and adults with disabilities to move beyond their boundaries through recreational activities, outdoor education, creative arts, and interaction with horses in an integrated environment that serves people of all abilities. The word “integrated” is central to the organization’s identity — Camp Red Cedar deliberately includes children without disabilities alongside those with disabilities in its summer camp programming, creating a community where inclusion is practiced rather than simply aspired to.
The therapeutic riding program is offered year-round and serves children from age 4 and adults through private, PATH-certified instruction. Lessons run in 12-week blocks with weekly one-hour sessions. PATH-certified instructors write individualized lessons for each rider, with volunteer horse leaders and sidewalkers providing safety support throughout. Participants must complete a phone assessment before enrollment to confirm suitability, and a signed physician’s statement is required annually.
Recreational Therapy is offered separately from therapeutic riding and uses treatment, education, and recreation services to help people with illnesses and disabilities develop health, functional abilities, independence, and quality of life. RETH sessions run weekly on a first-come, first-served basis and are available year-round. Camp Red Cedar accepts the Indiana Family Support Services Medicaid Waiver and Community Integration and Habilitation Medicaid Waiver for qualifying participants.
The summer camp program offers a full complement of activities — horseback riding, swimming, canoeing, arts and crafts, nature hikes, and campfire gatherings — within a completely wheelchair-accessible campus. Aquatic therapy takes place in the 10-acre lake with sandy beach, a feature funded through the Mad Anthony’s Charity Classic for Children. The Lodge at Camp Red Cedar, built in 2018, serves as both a camper gathering space and a community event venue whose rental proceeds support camp programming.
Services Offered
- Therapeutic riding (PATH-certified, year-round, ages 4 and up)
- Private recreational riding lessons (ages 6 and up)
- Trail rides (one-time bookings available)
- Recreational Therapy (RETH) services, weekly year-round
- Inclusive summer day camps (children and adults with and without disabilities)
- Aquatic therapy and swimming
- Canoeing, nature hikes, arts and crafts, campfire programming
- The Lodge at Camp Red Cedar event venue (proceeds support camp mission)
- Volunteer program
Who They Serve
Camp Red Cedar may be a good fit for:
- Children ages 4 and up and adults with physical, developmental, or emotional disabilities
- Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder
- Individuals with cerebral palsy
- Individuals with Down syndrome
- Individuals with traumatic brain injury
- Individuals with physical disabilities of all kinds
- Children and adults without disabilities seeking inclusive recreational experiences
- Families in Fort Wayne and the surrounding Allen County region
Facility and Setting
Camp Red Cedar is located at 3900 Hursh Road in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in northern Allen County near the borders of Northwest Ohio and southern Michigan. The 57-acre property includes meadows, woods, trails, a 10-acre lake with sandy beach, and a fully wheelchair-accessible campus. The Lodge, a $4 million event center completed in 2018, overlooks the lake and woods and serves both camp programs and community events.
- Fort Wayne, Indiana location (northern Allen County)
- 3900 Hursh Road, Fort Wayne, IN 46845
- 57 acres including lake, beach, woods, and trails
- Fully wheelchair-accessible throughout
- PATH International Premier Accredited Center
- CARF (Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities) accredited
- Operated by Benchmark Human Services
- Indiana Medicaid Waiver accepted (FSSA and CIH)
What Makes Them Unique
Camp Red Cedar holds a dual accreditation — PATH International Premier and CARF — that is unusual for any therapeutic equestrian center, let alone one in Indiana. CARF accreditation signals a level of operational rigor, client rights protections, and outcome measurement that goes beyond most therapeutic riding programs and reflects the organization’s roots in the broader human services field through its relationship with Benchmark Human Services.
The genuinely integrated camp model is also distinctive. Many therapeutic riding centers serve only people with disabilities; Camp Red Cedar deliberately brings children with and without disabilities together for the full camp experience. Children without disabilities who attend camp alongside peers with diverse needs develop empathy, advocacy skills, and natural comfort with difference — and the camp has identified this as one of its explicit community benefits.
For families in northeast Indiana seeking a year-round program with clinical credibility, inclusive values, and a genuinely beautiful natural setting, Camp Red Cedar is one of the region’s most complete offerings.