By ROBIN STANTON GERROW
BG Independent News
One pony. One student. One very big dream.
When Stacey Creps opened Dusty Boots equestrian center on Otesgo Pike in 2012, that was the extent of it. Now, with 31 horses and more than 100 students of all abilities, she has seen that dream come true.
It was personal experience, both as a parent and a physical therapist, which motivated her to want to provide a space where students with special needs could learn, and parents felt confidence in the services provided.
“I’ve been a physical therapist for nearly 30 years, mostly pediatric and neurological clients,” she said. “And I have a daughter with special needs. I would have families that could only come at their lunch break because they couldn’t get time off to bring their child to therapy. With two other associates we started Sensational Kids, which was a daycare, preschool and a K through 6 programs for individuals with special needs and typical students mixed together. We believed there had to be a place you could take your student and not worry about getting called every five minutes because they don’t want to participate.”
Creps saw a way to marry her vocation of therapist with her avocation of horse riding.
“I wanted to combine physical therapy and the horses all together,” she said. “Most people don’t get an opportunity to interact with horses in their lives. Unfortunately, people with special needs aren’t always looked on favorably. People try to include them, but even in the best situations it sometimes it doesn’t work out.”
Creps and her husband had just purchased 20 acres behind their house, which she saw as a natural place to expand her hippotherapy services.
“Right now, we offer physical therapy and speech therapy,” she said. “We use all the same principles as land-based therapy but incorporate the horse’s movement as a piece of the treatment session. Instead of a ball or a balance beam or an obstacle course, we use the movement of the horse. Students ride forward, backward, sideways. They can get on hands and knees on the horse. We can change the movement pattern of the horse to get the desired outcome, and you use a lot of fine motor activities on the back of the horse. We really get a lot more bang for the buck versus a land treatment because the horse never stops moving and your body has to automatically balance. We can really stack a lot of things into that hour of work.”
That work has really paid off for Mary Herr and Aaron Baker, both of whom placed in the top three in Equestrians with Disabilities (EDW) events at the 2025 All American Quarter Horse Congress—billed as the world’s largest horse show.
“We do riding lessons for able-bodied riders and those with special needs,” Creps said. “It’s a range because while we have a lot of individuals with special needs—maybe 30%—only 3 to 4% need adaptive riding lessons. We have a lot of kids who have worked super hard for six or seven years and now ride with their peers.”
Herr and Baker said hippotherapy helped physically, but more importantly in their confidence outside of the equestrian center.
“I actually started as a volunteer when I was about 11 years old,” Herr said. “I am very weak on one side of my body and have had trouble with balance, so it has helped. But it’s also helped in my confidence as a person.”
“Showing horses has strengthened my legs,” Baker said. “It’s helped my confidence when I’m riding, but it’s helped even when I’m not on a horse.”
With just one other full-time staff member, Creps also has a non-profit, the Special Horseman Connection, to help provide volunteer opportunities, and grant funding for riders with special needs.
“I want to continue growing the quality of programs we have,” she said. “Although we don’t take insurance, we work with a number of county boards of developmental disabilities and the state, as well as donations to fund the programs.”
Creps was recently honored by Modern Woodmen with their Hometown Hero award.
Modern Woodmen agent Debbie Vollmar said the annual award recognizes people who have made a considerable contribution to their community.
“I’ve heard nothing but glowing and positive things about her from her riders, their parents, the community and just about everyone I talk to who knows her,” Vollmar said. “She is passionate and dedicated to helping others.”
“How can you not give back?” Creps said. “God’s given us everything that we have. Why wouldn’t we want to help others? Our family knows what it takes when you have a child with special needs. If someone keeps working towards helping you be better, like riding a horse and being able to follow a schedule, you can have a job. Or if you have better balance, you can have a job. Or if you can come and get better range of motion, it’s easier for you to take care of yourself, or somebody to take care of you. We just want people to be the best version of themselves they can be.”
