EquiSomatic

09/10/2026

Equine-Assisted Mental Health is real, professional therapy—but it is experienced rather than simply talked about. By bringing together Somatic Experiencing®, therapeutic relationships, horses, nature, mindfulness, and the expertise of licensed mental health professionals, we create opportunities for meaningful change that can reach beyond insight and conversation.

Our licensed mental health professionals (LPC, LMSW, PhD) partner with experienced, certified equine professionals to help individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, attachment difficulties, ADHD/ADD, sleep challenges, grief, chronic stress, and other effects of overwhelming or difficult life experiences.

You don't have to wait until you've tried everything else. Reach out today and schedule with us.

“It’s hard and takes a lot of courage to show up and be vulnerable, but it is worth it… even while you’re kicking and screaming. It’s just a safe space for healing, even when your triggers make you feel unsafe and there’s a lot of power in that.” - Jamie, EAP Client

Located in Crawford.

09/10/2026

I have been partnering with horses to help humans overcome the symptoms of traumatic events since 2013. The life change I have witnessed continues to amaze me.

"It’s hard and takes a lot of courage to show up and be vulnerable, but it is worth it… even while you’re kicking and screaming. It’s just a safe space for healing, even when your triggers make you feel unsafe and there’s a lot of power in that.” Jamie

There is so much power is facing our struggles. Ignoring and hoping they fade away isn't worth spending the rest of your life putting energy into. It is a much better use of your time and energy to face the discomfort, recognize your courage and strength and disempower the past.

Reach out today. Schedule a 3 hour or 3 day immersion. It's time to focus on the here and now.

09/09/2026

Our work is grounded in a deep respect for each person's individual path and capacity for healing. Our goal is to help you resolve what has been holding you back so you can feel more at home in yourself and fully engage in your life again.

We offer individual sessions, private half-day Immersions, and transformational private multi-day intensive retreats.

You don't have to keep managing what isn't working. You can heal, feel better, and feel like yourself again.

Equine therapy doesn't have to be a last resort. It can be a first step toward feeling more connected, more capable, and more like yourself again.

Please go to the website to find out more about our team, equine therapy and trauma.

09/09/2026

ROOTED

We begin by coming home to the body, the land, and the present moment.

Time with horses and in nature offers an opportunity to step away from the demands of everyday life and reconnect with something quieter and more essential.

Through somatic practices, mindfulness, reflection, and embodied experiences, you will have space to notice what is asking for your attention—and what you are ready to release.

REMEMBERING

There is a part of us that knows.

The part beneath the roles we have carried, the expectations we have met, and the stories we have accumulated.

Through guided reflection, spiritual practices, creativity, and time in stillness, we explore questions such as:

What matters to me now?
What am I ready to let go of?
What is asking to emerge?
Where have I lost touch with my own knowing?
What would it feel like to live from a deeper sense of purpose?

The horses become partners in this exploration—offering honest, immediate feedback and inviting us into presence, relationship, trust, and authentic connection.

RISING

The oak does not abandon its roots as it reaches toward the sky.

It grows because it is rooted.

This retreat is an invitation to consider your own next season—not as a beginning again, but as an evolution of everything you have already lived, learned, loved, survived, and become.

Together, we explore the strength, creativity, wisdom, and possibility that are available when you begin living from your truest self.

You leave not with another list of things you should do, but with a deeper connection to your own inner compass.

09/06/2026

I saw a posting on how hard it is to own a horse business and it got me thinking about people and horses.

There are approximately 6.6 Million domesticated horses in the United States. That is a LOT of horses.

There are some very knowledgeable owners out there who have studied equine ethology, nutrition, the Five Freedoms, training methods, saddle and bit fitting, physiology, equine facility management and even breeding. They want to partner with their horses, understand the needs of horses in order for them to thrive and are grateful for their horses willingness to participate in a bonded safe relationship.

And there are other people who own horses. They “use” their horses. “Break” them when they are two years old, have never heard of saddle fitting, think sweet feed can be fed to any and all livestock including horses, consider tie downs a normal part of tacking up, wear spurs all the time, consider a harsher bit advancing through training, are heavy handed and even abusive to these very sensitive creatures, separate horses that have been together forever, wean foals as early as possible for convenience, send their older retired horses to auctions and pretty much do not know anything about horses.

Now saying that will p**s off some folks. Pay attention if you are one. Just follow me here. What if you could get a faster run on your barrel horse or roping horse? Or maybe less spook and buck from a young one? Perhaps a more engaged horse that you did not have to use a lot of pressure with or a strong bit? Riding becomes enjoyable for both you and your horse? Fewer ulcers, injections, wedges, vet bills and injuries?

Believe it or not that 1200 lb animal wants to partner with you in a mutually beneficial way. And all we have to do is take a bit of time to be curious. What were horses stomachs designed to digest? Grass. Only grass. No molasses, corn, oats…just grass. Now what can we add to an extruded grass pelleted feed? Great question. Now go do some research. Find a nutritionist.

What about saddle fit? Don’t you want your horse to learn how to carry you properly? To avoid back and hip pain, stifle, knee and hock injury. To understand that if they use their bodies correctly, the ride is smoother for the rider, more accurate and even faster. Then get a saddle the horse can stretch into. Not too long or too short. The perfect width in the tree.

And a bit that is appropriate for gentle communication to polish the seat/leg request. One that is the correct width and length for your horses mouth. (And floating teeth every year!)

Now let’s consider turn out with friends. Awesome! The more the better. And bodywork. Yes your athlete needs help with stuck ribs, poll, sacrum, ilium, knees, hocks…you get the idea.

So, if we know better we can do better, right? Yes I know, you have generations of relatives and that trainer, that told you how to handle that “stupid” horse. But what if that horse is in pain or confused? If you stop listen, investigate, ask that horse questions, spend some time just observing your horse, you will learn.

And please do not accuse me of being one of those crazy woo woo horse ladies. I work hard, have healthy safe boundaries, teach my students about safety and how to be assertive. But I got curious when the “round penning” and giant shows of pressure did not create the horse I could trust.

So I learned, studied, found mentors and recognized I was making mistakes. And so I fixed them. I am still learning, will always learn, and am so grateful that my herd and I have evolved and that my clients get to experience healing in the safe space that was created. Where my horses feel free to have choices, give their opinion and know I am listening.

Thanks ya’ll. I hope I have reached at least one person who might do some research. (Look Up Lucy Rees on YouTube, and the Five Freedoms)

09/05/2026

Choose Equine Therapy First — Not as a Last Resort

What if you could begin feeling better without spending years trying to talk your way through what hasn’t changed?

Equine-Assisted Mental Health is real, professional therapy—but it is experienced rather than simply talked about. By bringing together Somatic Experiencing®, therapeutic relationships, horses, nature, mindfulness, and the expertise of licensed mental health professionals, we create opportunities for meaningful change that can reach beyond insight and conversation.

Our licensed mental health professional (LCSW) partners with an experienced, certified equine professional to help individuals who are struggling with anxiety, depression, trauma, PTSD, attachment difficulties, ADHD/ADD, sleep challenges, grief, chronic stress, and other effects of overwhelming or difficult life experiences.

You don't have to wait until you've tried everything else.

Trauma isn't limited to one kind of experience. It can result from a major event such as an accident, loss, illness, abuse, divorce, war, or medical event—or from experiences that accumulate over time and leave you feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, stuck, or unlike yourself.

Sometimes you know exactly what happened. Sometimes you simply know that something isn't working anymore.

You may understand your patterns intellectually and still find yourself reacting in ways you don't want to. You may have talked about it, analyzed it, tried to change it—and still feel stuck.

This is where experiential and somatic work can offer another pathway.

Experience change, don't just talk about it.

Somatic Experiencing® helps bring attention to what is happening in the body in the present moment, allowing you to develop greater awareness, choice, and capacity to respond differently.

When this work is combined with horses and nature, you have the opportunity to slow down, become more present, reconnect with yourself, and discover new ways of relating—to your body, your emotions, other people, and the world around you.

The horse becomes a powerful partner in this process. Horses are highly responsive to what is happening around them, offering immediate, nonjudgmental feedback through their behavior and presence. Rather than simply discussing connection, boundaries, trust, confidence, or regulation, you can experience these things in real time.

And that experience can become the beginning of something different.

What might change?

Our goal isn't simply to help you understand why you feel the way you do.

It's to help you feel different.

Clients may discover greater ease and confidence, less anxiety and overwhelm, improved ability to navigate difficult emotions, stronger relationships and boundaries, deeper self-awareness, and a renewed sense of connection to themselves and their lives.

For some, the greatest change is simply this:

“I feel like myself again.”

You don't need to know anything about horses.

You don't have to ride. You don't need previous horse experience. In fact, most of our work takes place on the ground.

You don't even have to like horses.

The interactions are carefully chosen to support your individual therapeutic goals, which are established during the intake process and continually evaluated throughout your work with us. This is not recreational riding or hippotherapy. It is therapeutic work facilitated by licensed mental health professionals and trained equine professionals.

A team with experience you can trust

Our team brings extensive experience in trauma-informed care, mindfulness, nature-based practices, Somatic Experiencing®, and equine-assisted work.

Our equine professional brings more than 25 years of experience working with horses and has partnered with numerous licensed mental health professionals in providing equine-assisted services. She is certified through the Natural Lifemanship Institute and is a Somatic Experiencing® Professional.

Our horses are carefully cared-for and experienced in this environment. Their wellbeing is just as important as the wellbeing of the people we serve.

A place to slow down and reconnect

Our setting is quiet, peaceful, and intentionally designed to support healing. There is space to walk, breathe, notice the natural world, spend time with horses, and step away from the noise and demands of everyday life.

You don't have to arrive knowing exactly what you need.

You simply have to be willing to begin.

Equine therapy doesn't have to be a last resort. It can be a first step toward feeling more connected, more capable, and more like yourself again.

09/04/2026

Have you met Jessie? She is the Licensed Clinical Social Worker that I partner with here in Western Colorado. Together we provide equine therapy services to our community.

In her own words:

There is a deep longing in so many of us to understand ourselves, to move beyond old patterns, and to step into a life that feels more aligned. Whether you are navigating anxiety, grief, trauma, life transitions, or the weight of the past, I offer a space where you can slow down, breathe, and listen to what’s within.

Presence is key—both yours and mine. In this space, we bring awareness to the subconscious, unravel what has been hidden, and gently guide you back to yourself. Healing isn’t about fixing—it’s about remembering your wholeness, reconnecting with what has always been there.

I strive to create space for deep presence, where the unconscious can rise into awareness. With attuned listening and curiosity, I help uncover hidden emotions and shift longstanding patterns. As we slow down and listen, clarity emerges, making space to reconnect with your inner wisdom.

I offer sessions in-office and through equine-assisted psychotherapy Therapy, to me, is a sacred space—one where you can be met with presence, warmth, and acceptance.

When we slow down and show up fully, healing unfolds in ways we may not have imagined. I am here to walk alongside you as you rediscover and connect to your truth and your ability to create meaningful change. When you’re ready, I welcome you to reach out.

See the link to the website below in the comments.

09/02/2026

09/02/2026

Same goes for humans.

It’s really based on how a horse’s nervous system works. When they reach their threshold, their nervous system starts shifting into survival mode, where fight, flight or freeze can take over.

Their ability to think, process and learn changes. So rather than seeing that threshold as something to push past, we see it as really valuable information about what the horse is experiencing in that moment.

Growth often happens by gently expanding that threshold in small, manageable increments, without tipping them into overwhelm.

09/01/2026

There are still a few spots open for this beautiful offering. Go to the website on the flyer to find out more and register.

Rooted & Rising is an invitation to pause.

To step away from the noise of everyday life and create space to listen—to your body, your heart, your intuition, your spirit, and the deeper wisdom that has been within you all along.

Through Somatic Experiencing®, mindfulness, time in nature, creative expression, spiritual exploration, and meaningful connection with horses, you will be invited to slow down, awaken your senses, and reconnect with what is true and essential.

The horses offer a particularly powerful invitation into presence. They don't need you to perform, explain, or be anything other than who you are. In their presence, there is an opportunity to become quieter, more aware, and more deeply connected—to yourself and to the world around you.

This retreat isn't about fixing what is wrong with you.

It is about remembering what is right with you.