Recap: Relate, Relax, Recalibrate

There are easier ways to spend three days than putting six women together on a farm with a herd of horses and asking them to take a chance on themselves.

There are also warmer ones.

And drier ones.

Although, to be fair, we did have a cold plunge.

Six women arrived at Gracie’s Farm on San Juan Island for three days of horses, connection, reflection, amazing food, meditation, art, laughter—and the occasional invitation to do something that felt just a little outside the ordinary.

Including getting into very cold water.

For some, that meant dipping a toe into the cold plunge.

Literally.

For others, it became considerably more than a toe.

But that was the spirit of the weekend: curiosity, willingness, and the courage to try something new without quite knowing what might happen.

And there were two other newcomers to the world who were there to remind us how that works.

Lucy and her fellow young filly were busy exploring everything.

The world was still new to them. A person was interesting. A bucket was interesting. A blade of grass was interesting. The possibility of getting somewhere they weren't supposed to be was extremely interesting.

The women watched them.

And the fillies watched the women right back.

It was a fitting beginning to a weekend about connection.

Because horses have a way of asking us to come back to the present.

They don't particularly care what happened in yesterday's meeting, what we're supposed to accomplish next week, or whether we are presenting the most polished version of ourselves.

They respond to what's happening right now.

Are we tense?

Are we distracted?

Are we clear?

Are we listening?

Are we actually present?

That kind of honest feedback can be surprisingly powerful.

Over three days, the women had the opportunity to slow down enough to notice what was happening inside themselves, while experiencing what horses can teach us about relationship, boundaries, communication, trust and presence.

There was equine-assisted therapy with Kristin, liberty work with Sus Kellogg, meditation and breathwork with Natalie, an art experience with Helen, time outside, time together and time simply to be. Each day began and ended with incredible meals prepared by a local skilled chef.

And somewhere in the midst of all of that, something began to shift.

Not dramatically. Not necessarily in ways anyone could see from the outside.

More like a recalibration.

A settling.

A remembering.

A nervous system getting the message that perhaps, for a little while, it didn't have to be on high alert.

And the horses were very good at helping with that.

When I asked the women afterward what the experience had been like, their answers made me smile.

One described it as a:

“Kind, gentle, nourishing growth & learning experience.”

Another said:

“If you want to slow down, connect and let the horses show you what you have been avoiding, this is a gift.”

And one woman summed up the whole weekend in four words:

“The entire weekend was magical.”

I love that word.

Not because everything was perfect. It wasn't supposed to be.

Magic, at least the kind I'm interested in, isn't about perfection.

It's about paying attention.

It's about noticing what happens when you stop rushing.

It's about standing beside a horse and realizing that the animal in front of you is responding to something you hadn't even realized you were communicating.

It's about six women sitting together, laughing, talking, sometimes getting quiet, sometimes getting wet, and gradually becoming a little more comfortable with not knowing exactly where the experience might take them.

And it was about two young fillies doing what young fillies do: investigating the world with enormous enthusiasm, occasionally causing minor trouble, and generally making everyone stop what they were doing to watch.

They were, in their own way, recalibrating too.

Every day brought something new to investigate.

Every day they were learning what was safe, what was interesting, what was worth approaching and what might be better viewed from a distance.

The women were doing some version of the same thing.

And perhaps that's one of the gifts of being around horses.

They remind us that we don't have to have everything figured out before we begin.

We can be curious.

We can pause.

We can take a step closer.

We can back away.

We can try again.

We can put one toe in the cold water and decide whether we're ready for the rest.

And sometimes, when we're lucky, we discover that the thing we were willing to try for just a moment becomes something much bigger.

By the end of the three days, the women had shared something that was difficult to measure but easy to feel.

They had arrived as six individuals.

They left a little more connected—to themselves, to one another, to the horses, and perhaps to the possibility that slowing down isn't the opposite of moving forward.

Sometimes it's how we begin.

And all the while, two young fillies were watching.

Growing.

Playing.

Learning.

Reminding us that every once in a while, the best thing we can do is simply stand still and watch someone discover the world.

Especially when that someone has four legs, a ridiculous amount of curiosity, and a very good reason to go investigate the next thing.

Thanks for following along! Join us in June 2027 for the next Equine Immersion at Gracie Farms!