Retreat and Conquer
“I had nearly lost hope of ever being able to change. Working with your horses has transformed me.”
Ahmed, 2022
Where wild horses bring revelation and renewal
For over 20 years, our ground-breaking equine work has helped thousands of people to overcome their challenges and lead more fulfilling lives. In some of the world’s most awe-inspiring places, our horses do what comes so naturally to them – they take us where we want to go, faster.
Spanning five days and four nights, specialist therapists lead a unique and proven programme of change, in the powerful presence of our wild horses. Come and join our next retreat…
“Connecting with horses uncovers something deep inside ourselves — something that might take many years of talking therapy to unlock. They hold a mirror up and show us what is really going on.”
Professor Andreas Liefooghe, Founder
“I have achieved more in five days than in several years of therapy.”
Cameron, retreat guest, November 2022
OUR DAILY PROGRAMME
Day one – a beginning
Our first task is to create the solid ground upon which our exploration can begin. It is the start of our journey, a moment for you to establish your own ways to keep yourself safe and productive, as well as open and accountable.
Day two – understanding connections
Today your relationship with your horse begins. As you wordlessly choose each other and bond, your horse will see you, they will feel your energy. They will respond to your signals without opinion and without judgement. In turn, you will feel their strength, their security, and their power to move you.
Day three – reconnecting with each other and with yourself
Your relationship to your horse, and to the group, will now be deepening. Each interaction brings familiarity and understanding, but also new challenges. These challenges may create petty conflicts, or deep tensions, with the steady gaze of your horse compelling you to examine your responses.
Day four – creating movement
Today you will move from feeling stuck, to a sense of flow. As a herd, you will move past the conflicts towards collaboration, letting go of control and accepting unpredictability. As you let go of past anxieties, losses, and preoccupations, you discover new pathways and new motivations.
Day five – setting direction
We are now resolved to find a purposeful path that will bring fulfilment, as well as resilience and joy. With this comes a sense of freedom in the choices before you. You are no longer burdened by the restraints of the past.
A new way of life
Our programme is built for long-term change. After our last session, we focus on integrating ourselves with our experience. We explore the conflicting emotions such as relief, sadness, and the sense of possibility that may arise as the programme closes. We will name the struggles we want to leave behind, and fill that space with fresh ambitions.
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‘I could see a future I felt positive and happy about. I felt calmer and more at peace than I had at any time since life, as I’d known it, had imploded.’ Alison James, The Silver Magazine, May 2023
“A once-in-a lifetime trip that pushed me out of my current highly uncomfortable comfort zone. And enabled me to start seeing the world in glorious, positive technicolour again.” Alison James, The Silver Magazine May 2023
“My therapy group first encountered the herd running wild and free along Nihiwatu from a hill overlooking the beach. It’s a powerful sight, bringing tears to the eyes of some and drawing gasps of awe from others.” Lauren Jarvis, Spear’s Magazine, March 2023
“I’d had some therapy and found it to be a long, drawn-out process. I needed a stark reboot – a kind of caring and nurturing short, sharp, shock treatment.” Alison James, The Silver Magazine, May 2023
“The therapy is helping me trust myself more.” Kate Chapple, HTSI, Financial Times, January 2023
“Never have I felt so free.” Kerry Van Der Jagt, Mindfood, May 2023
“The horses are there to unlock something that traditional talking therapy has been unable to dislodge.” Alice Temperley, The Times, April 2023