Monument horse camp instills values and life skills

Nestled in the hills of Monument is where you’ll find Wings Like Eagles, a free camp that has a mission beyond training to work with horses.

Ben Kopriva, Camp Director at Wings Like Eagles, said, “The primary reason is to share God’s love and to share the Gospel with these children, and the other reason is to teach them horse vaulting.”

Vaulting is an equestrian sport that involves gymnastics, dance elements and a good listening ear.

“You need to be able to follow instructions and you’ll discover that.” explained Michele Bremer, Executive Director of the organization, “It looks impossible, but if you do exactly what your counselor tells you, you will get up on the horse.”

Vaulting takes a great deal of balance, focus, and determination. Campers who come here experience feelings of accomplishment.

Joshua Jeub, a 6-year camp participant, said, “It’s so much fun to be up on the horse … it’s just like a warm feeling that you have inside its just super fun.”

Riders are also learning confidence, social skills, and goal setting.

“I always have the goal to just do my best and constantly learn new vaults and just respect the people around me.” shared Jeub.

The riders aren’t the only ones who benefit, those who run the program do too.

“The counselors who have taken on the responsibility that you see going on here learn to be responsible in other aspects of their lives,” said Bremer.

It’s just a short two-week camp, but it offers an even greater lifelong impact.

“I love this camp,” shared Jeub, “It’s a great place for your kids to build friends, to build social skills and to just have fun on horses. Especially if a horse is their passion. Just, it’s an amazing place to be.”