Equine-Assisted Learning
Shadow Work® Through the Way of the Horse is a way of understanding and transforming parts of your character that you’d like to change with compassion. This work includes equine-facilitated groundwork exercises that allow individuals to explore and change almost any behavior pattern. Shadow Work® Through the Way of the Horse is especially devoted to providing a safe setting that allows people to explore themselves and find the change they’re looking for.
Horses are ideal for this work because, as prey animals, they see humans as potential predators. Because of this natural predator/prey dynamic, horses are experts at reading us, our body language, and our energy, and they react to it. Horses offer feedback to a person that is based purely on how that person interacts with the horse, and not tainted by judgment, history, or expectation, as human feedback often is.
Your guide in this work is Chrissy McFarren, who is a co-owner and director of Badger Creek Ranch. She has been a Certified Shadow Work® Group facilitator since 2006 and has also been a facilitator at the Women in Power initiation trainings. She has led and co-led a variety of workshops and retreats. In 2012, Chrissy founded Shadow Work® Through the Way of the Horse, which combined her life-long experiences of working with horses, with her Shadow Work® training.
Offerings:
A one-day intensive package $1,150
4 hours of one-on-one equine healing work (Shadow Work through the Way of the Horse)
3 weeks of individual follow up 30-minute calls
Two-day intensive package $1,600
4 hours of one-on-one equine healing work
Second day is a 2-hour equine session
3 weeks of individual follow up 30-minute calls
Lodging for an additional fee: camping, glamping or bunkhouse room
Group Retreats: see our Events page for any upcoming group retreats. For customized retreats fill out the inquiry form below.
Testimonials:
I worked with Chrissy in her Shadow Work sessions through the Way of the Horse over several visits. I had the opportunity to visit both the summer and winter locations for these sessions, and both were absolutely beautiful.
Before working with Chrissy, I had been making significant progress with my therapist but felt unable to fully process my emotions in my body and move forward with my life. I’ve always felt drawn to horses and had read about the benefits of equine therapy, so I began searching for local opportunities in Salida. I couldn’t find any information about equine therapy so I had settled on just spending time with horses and taking riding lessons. My first stop in trying to find riding lessons was Badger Creek Ranch. I asked Chrissy if she offered riding lessons, and she kindly explained that while she didn’t offer lessons, she did offer equine-assisted learning. That was the kind of magic I could expect from working with Chrissy. She’s incredibly intuitive, deeply compassionate, and completely non-judgmental. I didn’t even need to rehash every detail of my past because she had such a deep knowing and understanding of me.
During our sessions, Chrissy focused on what I hoped to walk away with that I didn’t have yet, and what was standing in the way of achieving those things. These reflective questions are simple, yet profoundly impactful. The sessions with the horses helped me uncover parts of myself and gave me a clearer understanding of what was happening in my body during that phase of life. In one session, Chrissy brought in three horses before I arrived, and they perfectly reflected the parts of myself that needed attention that day. There’s something profoundly special and magical about horses, and I found comfort in the way they wanted to connect with me and the safety they felt around me and I around them.
These sessions pushed me into a period of integrating the work I had done with my therapist, which ultimately related to self-love. This integration came at just the right time, as shortly after the sessions, a major life challenge arose, and the self-love I had cultivated became essential for my well-being.
If you feel drawn to this space, there’s a reason. I wholeheartedly recommend working with Chrissy—her guidance is truly transformative.
-J.K.
