Dances with Horses Retreat
A restorative, inspiring and liberating experience among horses and other awesome four-legged teachers.
Learn to co-create art and adventure!
October 19th, 20th, 2024
Wonderland Hollow Ranch
Clyde, NC
Dances with Horses Retreat
A restorative, inspiring and liberating experience among horses and other awesome four-legged teachers.
Learn to co-create art and adventure!
October 19th ,20th 2024
Wonderland Hollow Ranch
Clyde, NC
!!!
WARNING!
POST RETREAT, YOUR HORSE (AND YOUR HUSBAND/WIFE/PARTNER/ROOMATE) WILL WONDER WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DID WITH YOUR PREVIOUS SELF
!!!
CAN YOU RELATE TO ANY OF THE FOLLOWING? ⬇️
You own a horse or love horses
You would define yourself as often tense and "in your head", but don't know how to break the loop
You desire to relate to horses from the heart, not from fear or a sense of "must"
You want to improve your horsemanship and ridden work drastically, and you have the skills and the education...but still, something's missing...
You are constant prey of limiting beliefs and self-judgment
You either love yoga or detest it
You dream of incredible adventures with horses, but for now, it's not working
WHAT'S THIS ABOUT?
It takes mental, emotional, physical and spiritual skills to nail the art and adventure you dream of experiencing with horses.
Let's fast track them! You'll learn to:
Get out of your head and into your body
Express authentic yourself, unfiltered (with safety boundaries in place)
Share initiative and flow
Become a desirable, safe, non-judgmental space for horses
Move together effortlessly (wherever)
SCHEDULE
9:00am - 9:30am
Check in and setting intentions
9:30am - 10:30am
Horse Yoga
You will have an opportunity to expand strengthen and stretch your body while connecting to the powerful energy of horses
10:45am - 12:15pm
Dancing with horses (and other awesome quadrupeds)
In this offering, you will have a unique opportunity to co-create an artful "dance" with horses and other critters! No dance experience is required, and all body types are welcome! The label of "dance" is really to describe the process of letting loose with your horse and building off of their cool ideas to create something fun and different than you ever have before!
12:30pm - 1:30pm
Lunch & journaling break
1:30pm - 3:00pm
Co-Creational Horsemanship Demo
Elizabeth will demonstrate Co-Creational Horsemanship in action with the horses.
3:30pm - 4:30pm
Afternoon Group Activity
with horses and other quadrupeds
4:30pm - 5:00pm
Closing circle
PRICING
Investment
One Day: $349
Two Days: $698 $599
What's Included
Pre-Retreat Online Course: "The 4 Pillars of Co-Creational Horsemanship"
Access to 1 of 8 participant spots
MEET YOUR GUIDE ON THIS JOURNEY
Hatha Equus Founder and
Equine Rehab Fairy
↑↑↑ Click on the image to hear about Elizabeth's Journey
Hi, I'm Elizabeth, founder of Hatha Equus. My path through the highest levels of dressage revealed a world of athletic, yet emotionally distant horses, a stark contrast to the vibrant, joyful partners I envisioned. Drawing from this challenging experience and my expertise in natural horsemanship, the performing arts and biomechanics, I've developed a compassionate approach that revitalizes the spirit of our equine companions.
This retreat will give you the personal, self-development and co-creational tools I gathered along my journey from observing learned helplessness to fostering lively, willing partnerships, ensuring horses and humans share adventures filled with understanding and delight.
Flavia, Equestrian
Some people have chosen, in life, to help others observe the world around them with kinder eyes, more understanding. This is what happened at Hatha Equus's clinic. I'd say...magic. I listened to my horse, I breathed, I smiled and I was just grateful. Grateful for the knowledge so generously shared, the willingness to explain complex concepts and the attempt to make them easier.
Grateful to have met amazing people and to be able to continue on this purposefully de-structured journey of mine, which has pushed me to improvise, to let go of everything that doesn't serve me and all that's left is what makes me feel good: feeling, empathizing, trying to be in the other's shoes to create a truly authentic relationship.Thank you for holding my hand through this incredible journey 🙏🏻
OUR HOST
Our host, Wonderland Hollow Ranch, is an Experimental Reskilling Farm, Micro Ranch, and Collaborative Homestead.
Camping and meal options are available upon request.
All activities on the farm are under open skies, so please pack accordingly.
We will proceed with the event rain or shine.
Please contact our host Christina if you would like to camp overnight during the retreat and/or have meals provided for you.
Frequently asked questions
I CAN'T HAUL MY HORSE IN. CAN I WORK WITH ONE OF YOURS?
As a matter of fact, in this retreat it's going to be much easier for you NOT to bring your horse, since the hosting farm is not set up for day or overnight boarding. There are two horse teachers on site, as well as cows and goats. It's going to be a riot.
Indirectly. We are much better horsemen and horsewomen when we show up with presence, coherence, authenticity and flow. This is what we'll be working on, through yoga, the performing arts and interaction with horses and other critters. We will not, however, be "teaching or training" at this retreat, unless we need to implement a concept that will keep folks safe and/or facilitate play.
If horsemanship is what you'd like to learn from us, we will be teaching a Co-Creational Horsemanship Clinic in Asheville on the very weekend of this retreat. More info here: https://www.hathaequus.com/asheville-clinic
I HAVE ZERO HORSE EXPERIENCE. IS THIS FOR ME?
Indeed it is. We have seen super experienced equestrians enjoy the benefits of this retreat, as we have seen humans who had never interacted with a horse before. The skills and value that you take home with you has a spillover effect on your horsemanship AND on the rest of your life and relationships.
Nope. It is a self-development experience, towards being better humans and equestrians. It is certainly equine-guided and Hatha Equus facilitated, and self-development is usually a spillover effect of this type of retreat, BUT this is most of all a soul, mind and body nurturing experience that deepens self-awareness and skills that are going to make you a yummier person for for horses.
It has happened before that traumas have come to the surface. While co-creating the safest space we are capable of for you to be you, the WHOLE of you, and your traumas are surely part of you and they are welcome to the space with you, we will be very clear that trauma processing work is where our work ends and a therapist's work begins. Please do let us know if you have questions regarding this, we know it can be confusing!
Not at all! Handstands on horses will be a prerequisite for our next retreat (joking, of course 🤪)! The kind of Yoga we will be doing with horses will be extremely low impact and safe for all experience levels. Any poses we do will only challenge folks to the edges of their own personal limit.
I AM A MUSICIAN. SHOULD I BRING MY INSTRUMENT?
That would be lovely! Please do! Unless it's a drum set, in which case probably not the best idea with horses and nature. Drum circle type drums are welcome. Also, please bring your "beater", not your billion $$ Stradivarius!