Mountain Horse School

I took a photo of these dandelions growing up from a crack in the pavement when I went to vote yesterday. Maybe I knew I might need them?

I didn't think politics would "save" us. I thought different choices might get us through the breakdown a little better. But- I'm sure you've noticed- nothings been "better" or "easy" or anything remotely close to that as of late.

So, this dandelion. This crack. This shot up cacophony exuberant green. This twisted I will sunburst anyway rosette of leaf and stem and stored light ✨️ that will open its yellow faces and shine that light back toward the fall of our gaze- I give you that. Dandelion. This life. This Neverending. This in spite of.

In spite of all of it, here we are.
Sunlight looking back at sunlight. The bones of stars ground to soil. There you are.

I see you.

Want your programming to flourish year round?

If you run really good camps, they help market all your other programming.

Why?

During spring and summer break, parents are scrambling for childcare. A lot of families would rather prioritize a quality experience over a generic week overseen by bored teenagers. Then, once they've had a chance to try out your programming through this more essential service, they're more willing to prioritize your programming over other more "luxury" extracurriculars through the rest of the year.

If you can get the kids on your side by being personable, magical, and keeper of the keys to the kingdom of all things horse- your campers and the photos you send home after a week of camp will do your marketing for you. Word of mouth will start to spread.

If parents find something that made a positive difference in their kids' lives, they're going to tell EVERYONE. Here's an example:

"Thank you and all the animals so much for an AMAZING week. Sarah and her friends had tons of fun and learned some great skills. She told her Grandma that the week at camp was "life changing" and one of the best experiences of her life! ... Thank you for providing such a wonderful program and for being a wonderful role model to show children how to treat animals respectfully and with kindness. Sarah is VERY VERY keen to attend more camps and have some private lessons should you have spaces come up in the future, so please let me know. With Gratitude, Lucy."

If you can form a community of 10 families like these through giving your all to quality camp programming, they will support your business for years to come.

These are the tips and tricks that are hiding behind the door of the Horse Dreamers Masterclass. For less than the price of a camp spot, you can get have lifetime access to incredible resources that will transform your offerings and level up the scope, quality, abundance and impact of your camps.

But don't wait too long! The doors close Thursday at midnight.

Comment "Masterclass" and I'll send you everything you need.

Why is it called the Horse Dreamers Masterclass? Because that's what I called my beloved beginner summer camps, and I chose that name very deliberately.

Horses are deeply entwined with our dreams. I often tell people that "horses lived in my imagination first. Then they galloped into my reality." Isn't that the case for most of us when we were kids? Isn't that how we first persuaded our parents to let us connect with horses in the first place?

It's the same for our campers.

Often, a young person's dreams and the traditional world of equestrian sport don't match. The magic and mystery and perfect communication with this wild and free being that kids dream about are never mentioned. In fact, we teach as if that dream has no connection to reality. We teach that horses are dangerous, and get so wrapped up in creating "riders" that we forget what brought us all together in the first place.

Connection.

Relationship.

The mystery of encountering an animal many times our own size... and being carried on their back!

In my Horse Dreamers Camps, I wanted the DREAM of horses to guide the way I designed my programming and the way I taught. This is why I would never run a camp without horse painting and ba****ck rides, or trail ride picnic lunches, or free time in hammocks in the shade of a line of plum trees. For me, that's what the dream's about.

In the Horse Dreamer's Masterclass, I give you a framework for holding and transmitting this dream to your students in a way that's safe, that lets the hearts of your horses stay open, and that lets you channel an incredible flow of magic and abundance through your business.

Ready to join me?

Comment "Masterclass" and I'll send you everything you need. ❤️

Want to receive the most amazing feedback from the families who come to you for camps programming?

Listen:

“You leave behind a legacy of love, joy, freedom and creativity in all the children you taught. Rarely does my daughter go out into the world and come back with her heart more open. Mountain Horse School did that for her.”
(-C Taylor)

“Sofia had the greatest time ever, I’ve never seen her so pumped for an activity! I’ve noticed the after-glow of Mountain Horse Camp has even spiked her confidence in other endeavours! What a great start to her summer.”
(-Nicole Gunther)

"Thank you for teaching me all about horses, and being like a best friend while doing it!"
(Savi, 10)

THIS is true impact. THIS is making the most of those precious hours with groups of campers on your property, with your horses and other animals. I truly believe this is one of the ways we can change the world: by giving kids experiential days embedded in the rhythms of animals and nature, out in the sun and the weather, away from screens, being grounded and attuned by the resonant frequencies of the larger world. The one we're meant to belong to.

This is how we make ripples in our communities and become the change we wish to see in the world.

Learn how upleveling your camp offerings can help make containers for transformation by joining the Horse Dreamer's Masterclass! Help bring the dream forward into reality with us.

The world needs your magic.

There's still space for you to join us. Spots start from as little as 2 monthly payments of $150.00

Just comment "Masterclass" and I'll DM you the info you need. ❤️

One of the most common questions people ask about camp programming is "what do I do with the afternoons?

It's always best to do the horse-focused part of the day in the morning when temperatures are cooler and your campers are fresh. But then there are all all the hours after lunch- when everyone's hot and tired and bug bitten- that need to be filled.

I wanted to do better than naming the parts of the horse, doing crosswords, or painting horseshoes. I wanted the afternoons to be meaningful. In the beginning I was setting up a small working farm, so we'd just do chores and spend time with the animals in the afternoons. But as my camps got bigger and I needed more structure to hold the group in a way that provided the kind of impact I craved, I needed something more concrete.

I've always loved nature inspired art, wildcrafting, foraging and wild medicine making. What if I could incorporate some of this into my camp programming as a way to make the natural world come alive for my students through the practices I explored myself? What teachings could I roll in, through storytelling and experience, that could weave a web of connection between my students and the wider world?

THAT was the magic recipe I needed. Between those and a chore or two to involve the campers in the day to day care of the herd and an hour of free time, that took care of the afternoons. Then, all I had to do was close my circle, say goodbye to the horses, and let my campers go home. Ahhhhhhh. Does that not sound like bliss?

I've been working hard on Spring and Summer Craft Packs to pass these activities on to you. You get only the best, kid-tested and beloved of all the things I've tried, broken down into easy step by step instructions.

Right now they're only available as one of the incredible resources in the Horse Dreamers Masterclass library. (These are almost worth the price of the Masterclass itself- they're THAT good.)

They're all yours if you sign up before April 25.

Comment "Masterclass" and I'll send you all the juicy details.

As you might have guessed, I like to do things my own way. I like to have the freedom to let my work (and life itself!) lead.

But, I also recognize that my body and my offerings I have extended to others take root in the bodies of work of others who have come before me, the way a young cedar rises from the felled stump of a grandmother tree.

There are ALWAYS ways we're being supported, even if they're invisible to most of those around us.

I've been supported by mentors and therapists and the books of writers I love, and the animals who come to me in dreams.

I've also worked with high end business consultants, coaches, a financial team, astrologers, animal communicators, and brilliant, specialized teachers offering their gifts in the online space.

I wouldn't be here extending my own invitation to you if I hadn't.

That's just how it works.

There are SO many different kinds of support, and everyone is different. Some like to be held close, like a horse that relies on a steady contact and quiet reinforcing leg. Others (like me!) prefer more intensity for shorter doses (think that sustained diagonal of extended trot, where every fibre of the horse's being is given to the movement)

When I created the Horse Dreamers Masterclass, I wanted to have different levels of support so you could choose what works best for you:

In the 2 Payment Plan and Pay in Full options, you have the chance to stay until the end of the live class and ask me anything you like in the 30 minute Q+A at the end. Bring me your training questions. Your interpersonal conflicts. Your worst fears and biggest reservations. We'll talk through all of it.

In the Full Support option, you get everything above, AND 3 x 1 hour Coaching/ Consulting Sessions with me (at 50% off the regular price!) to fully build out and resource your upcoming camp programming. Wow!

How does that feel to you? Do either of those options make you shout YES?! If so, you have until April 24 to join us. Comment "Masterclass" and I'll send you the info you need.

It's going to be an amazing ride. 🎉

I'm a bit of a maverick. I think all of us who get involved with horses are. Let me explain...

The horse world is one of the few places you can still make it happen with grit, hard work and passion. I had opportunities to learn from many different coaches and trainers- and left them all to dive into the Equine Guided Learning and therapeutic riding worlds. I left those worlds too, struck out on my own, and began to develop the holistic programming that became the signature of Mountain Horse School.

I wanted to throw structure out the window, and flow in the moment with my students. I wanted to follow their joy, and create riders experientially, while moving through the world together. This worked beautifully with my one on one students, and semi-privates- but when I started to do day camp programming, it didn't work so well.

Time became irrelevant. I missed crucial things like getting my group of 6 year olds to lunch on time and making sure we had time for our afternoon craft. Or the energy of a bigger group got away from me and a group of boys tore around the yard trying to lasso each other.

I needed structure. I needed to write things down and know what time it was and create lesson plans.

Do you know what happened?

My programming got better.

I was able to give more experience, because I knew what came next in my plan. Then, I knew when I could let go and be in the moment with what was happening, and when I had to hold my authority.

I was able to give my campers MORE freedom and trust at appropriate times. This revolutionized EVERYTHING.

I could relax.

The horses could relax.

I could have the impact I longed for, which was to plant seeds of deep connection to animals and the natural world in the hearts of my students.

Isn't that what we all want? IMPACT is why we're here. That and magic, and love...

This is what the Horse Dreamers Masterclass is for.

I want to give you the structure I learned, so you don't have to spend 12 years figuring it out.

Write "Masterclass" in the comments and I'll send you the link.

Registration closes April 24.

Do you include horse painting as part of your camp offerings?

For me, it wasn't the painting itself. It was the spell we all fell under. This is what helped the horses be on our sides. In the hot afternoons, the tricky business of getting a red line to cover evenly on a horse's coat became meditative.

Our art became an offering of gratitude we could make to our horses, not something we judged as "good" or "bad." We waited and shared the colours we wanted. We spent hours and hours painting the perfect rainbow mane. We bent down and painted a cocked hoof while our horses dosed.

We wondered what horses dreamed, and if they visited the same worlds of the imagination as we did. We wondered if they were really living most of their lives in these otherly dimensions because "IT SEEMS LIKE HORSES SLEEP ALL THE TIME," one young boy remarked. Indeed, it did seem like they were holding some other world together in the hot afternoons when they dozed.

The painting let us travel there with them for a bit. Let us lean into the spell of that otherly consciousness. To remember that the territory of dreams does not belong to us alone, and to wonder at that.

I still wonder: what do horses dream? What worlds do they hold together while they doze, one hind hook resting on its toe, while we paint a rainbow across their side?

❤️

You made the commitment to running summer camps, but now what?

What are you going to do with a group for that many hours, day after day?

How are you going to keep the farm (and your sanity!) from dissolving into mayhem?

What if there was a way to run camps without loosing the presence, attunement and depth of relationship that drew you to this work in the first place?

What if there was a way that camp programming could help you remember HOW TO LET THE MAGIC FIND YOU?

If you're a horse based business or coach who offers equine experiences to young people, I know the questions that are running through your head right now, because I've lived them too.

One advantage of running 10-12 weeks of camp every summer for 4 years straight is it gave me the perfect proving ground for testing ideas, programming and activities on the fly, and evolving my offerings into experiences that impacted thousands of lives.

Now, I want to give my framework, methodologies and experience to you so you don't have to make the same mistakes I did and spend years fine-tuning every detail.

This is what the Horse Dreamers Masterclass is about: I'm going to give you everything I can in a two hour live class, and add an additional half hour for your questions. What's more, I'm also going to give you a beautifully designed PDF resource library that includes:

🌱 My Spring and Summer Craft Packs: 15 beautiful and meaningful afternoon activities
🌱 1 and 5 day Camp Outlines + Sample Schedules
🌱 Riding / Groundwork pole shapes and games
🌱 Exercises and games to enliven your horse-based portion of the day and make your campers squeal with delight
🌱 Registration Questions, Camper Guidelines, and Parent FAQ
🌱 My PDF guide to Connecting Kids with Nature

I want to give EVERYTHING to you, just like I gave everything to my students- so we can create MORE EASE, MORE JOY, MORE ABUNDANCE, and MORE BEAUTIFUL CONNECTIONS ❤️

For all the details, comment "MASTERCLASS" and I'll send them to your inbox.

What do obstacle courses add to your camp programming?

In my Horse Dreamers Camps, they take the place of what some camps would run as a horse show on the last day. They're the grand total summary of everything they've learned all week:

🐎 Body cues, steering, rein and leg aids
🐎 Confidence, perseverance, tenacity, and teamwork
🐎 Intention and Attention
🐎 The rewards, joys and frustrations that come with guiding a 1000 lb animal who doesn't speak english around a course we set up, rode in our imaginations, and then in real life.

The thing I love most about these courses is that the kids design them. That's absolutely essential. We start with what's basically a bunch of loose parts- poles and cones and painted baseballs and hula hoops and buckets and creatures on a stick. They've worked with most of these in some form throughout the week, so they've already seen MY ideas- now it's time to create their own.

We've had baseball icecream cones. Hula hoop toss around the bodies of their friends. Time out boxes. Sing song stations. If the kids can dream it up and the horses can navigate it safely, it's game. Either way, it's one big messy course we take turns riding together, and by the time we're done, everyone's played a part in its creation.

Then we walk it, like the big jumper riders, so everyone knows exactly where they'll be going. Some choose to canter. Some do the course 3 times. This is when you see the free time in the afternoons really pay off... because imaginations are activated and running wild, and all the interpersonal dynamics you've nurtured all week come out to play.

Then, once the horses are ready to do the courses with us, we've already ridden them in our imagination. Our intention is focused. Our teammates are ready to help us if needed. Let the joy and silliness and accomplishment begin!

Want more tips and ideas like these? Comment "10 Tips" and I'll send you my free guide to creating incredible horse-focused day camps. ✨