- Ray Hunt, Master Horseman
"The horse is a mirror. It goes deep into the body."
Equus Coaching is a playful, peaceful, and transformational experience that combines somatic coaching with the wisdom and wildness of horses.
Through this work, together, we'll explore and develop...
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Movement in the stuck places
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Freedom from patterns that aren't working
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Greater choice, flexibility, and agency
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Strong, healthy boundaries
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Joyful, connected relationships
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Greater ease navigating challenges and unknowns
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Trusting and experiencing all your emotions without overwhelm
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Clarity on your path forward
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Deep self-compassion
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Effective, embodied leadership
Equus Coaching sessions are...
loving
at your pace
grounded
playful
collaborative
peaceful
Why Partner with Horses?
Horses can read us. They are incredibly sensitive and intuitive. In order to survive in the wild, they've developed an ability to sense the energy and emotions in their environment and reflect them. They know what we're feeling even when we don't, and respond to our emotional needs.
Horses respond to us when our actions align with our feelings. When what we do doesn't match what we feel or say, the horse will let us know with their body language. In this way, they're like giant fluffy barometers of truth-telling. Their clear, non-judgmental feedback makes them perfect mirrors for our internal landscape.
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Horses live in the present. Because they don't have verbal language, they don't tell the same stories we do about what could, should, did, or might happen. Simply sharing space with them is a powerful experience of grounding, regulation, and presence.
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Horses are masters of boundaries and communication. The leader of a band of horses is not necessarily the strongest or most aggressive; it's the one with the clearest boundaries, communication, and congruence. They patiently teach us how to lead with confidence and authenticity.
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My Equus Story
My childhood and adolescence were marked by overwhelming and painful experiences. The neighbors behind us had horses and I would go out and watch them graze for hours, transfixed. Though they were huge and powerful, I always felt immediately at peace in their presence. Watching the herd, I saw that horses had a healthy individual fortitude and community stability that I didn’t see in many human relationships.
When there was conflict, they set boundaries clearly, efficiently, and effectively – and then everyone immediately returned to peace. When something spooked them, they responded as needed – and immediately returned to peace. Fully content to simply be who they were, where they were, they had an ease in the world and safety in their relationships that I longed for.
So when I experienced trauma and deep grief, I would go to the horses. And they were always there for me. They could hold all the big feelings that felt too big to hold alone.
Horses are honest, patient, and forgiving partners. They cannot deceive the way we do, and will not respond to pretense or partner with force. They only ask for our honesty, and in exchange, they invite us into the herd to learn their wisdom.
Horses embody and illuminate paradoxes of being that have changed how I interact with everything around me (e.g. that being strong and gentle do not oppose each other - they depend on each other). They teach me to slow down, and that all parts of me are welcome.
They have given me innumerable gifts, and these are the gifts I am passionate about sharing with you.
All of you – your bigness, your smallness, your fear, your grief, your joy, your triumphs, your trauma, your anger, your courage, your hope – is welcome here in our herd. You don’t have to hold it alone.
About My Approach
My coaching is based on the conviction that you were born a complete, perfect, innocent, and incredibly resourceful human being (and still are all of those things). You were born of the wisdom and abundance of nature, and carry that wisdom, abundance, and ability to heal within you.
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Nature knows how to heal and thrive, and so do we.
Throughout our lives, we acquire beliefs, patterns, and ways of being that help us survive the environments in which we're raised and circumstances to which we're exposed. As we grow and our lives change and we face the challenges of adulthood, many of those beliefs, patterns, and ways of being are no longer relevant to the lives we're living and begin to get in our way.
What was once a brilliant survival strategy starts to limit our ability to thrive.
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Our work in experiential coaching is to support you to reconnect with your innate wisdom, truth, and vitality by reconnecting to nature - whether that's with horses, the land, or simply your own body. Your body knows how to heal.
With your consent and at your body's own pace, I support you with the safe container and professional skillset needed for your system to reorganize, so that you can fully realize the peace, vitality, self-determination, belonging, and connection that are your birthright. ​
Equus FAQs
What happens in an Equus Coaching session?
First and always, you are invited to come exactly as you are. You don't need to be or do anything differently. Wherever you're at is the perfect place to start.
When you arrive at the barn, we'll begin by talking and identifying areas of your life where you would like to create or receive clarity, space, support, or growth.
Then we spend time in a pasture, arena, and/or round pen with the horses and notice what arises. The experience is collaborative. I may offer various exercises to try with the horse, but you are always the leader of your experience.
As we spend time with the horses, magic happens. The patterns and limiting beliefs that get in your way inevitably show up as you interact with the horses. This gives us opportunities to gently try new approaches and create space around challenges in a radically non-shaming environment. Then we look at how we can take this transformation out of the pasture and into your life.
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You'll be supported to explore building confidence and self-compassion, and find respite in the peacefulness and support of the horses.
Do I need horse experience to participate in Equus Coaching?
No. All interactions are done on the ground (no riding) and no prior experience is necessary.
Many of my clients are not "horse people," and some are experienced equestrians - whether you have never seen a horse up close or work with them professionally every day, Equus Coaching will add depth and sweetness to your experience of horses and of yourself.
I'm a little nervous about being around horses. Can I still participate?
Absolutely. Safety is the first priority in coaching, and all exercises are done on the ground (no riding). All of the horses we partner with in Equus coaching are safe, gentle, and love being with humans. Your experience in coaching is solely for the purpose of aiding you in achieving your goals, and all activities are a collaborative process. You have the right to participate in and/or refuse to participate in any suggested exercises/activities.
I'd like for my child to participate. Is this allowed?
Personal and/or Equus Coaching is suitable for ages 16 and up. It is important that all clients are participating willingly.
Where are you located?
I currently offer Equus Coaching® in Colorado, Los Angeles, and Santa Ynez, CA. I am also happy to arrange sessions elsewhere on a case-by-case basis.