Horse Speak® All-Inclusive Retreat

Program Dates: June 8 – 15, 2024
Program Cost: $3,350 
 

Join Horse Speak® Co-founder Laura Wilsie and Senior Instructor Heidi Potter for an unforgettable and enriching experience at the ranch.

 

Overview

Horse Speak® All-Inclusive Retreat Taught by Clinician Heidi Potter.

Retreat guests will experience the rare opportunity of observing the truly natural language and behaviours of horses that live in the most natural of settings. Participants will be immersed in observing and connecting with horses in the big herd of 150, along with the mares and foals of ranch’s Spanish Arabian breeding program. Lessons in decoding and encoding equine language will be abundant in this magical setting.

Through observation, interaction, workshops and self-awareness exercises participants will develop a skill set that leaves them with a deeper understanding of the truly natural language of the horse.  These skills will enable them to begin decoding horse language on their own and have appropriate responses to horses’ questions. They will join the growing number of “Horse Speakers” who have found success with calmly reshaping undesirable behaviors, creating enriching experiences and building rapport with horses.  

Riders must be at least “Advanced Beginners”, thus being able to control a horse at the walk and have some experience riding and controlling a horse at the trot/jog.

 

Included with this Clinic

Not Just Horse Speak…..Retreat guests will have a chance to improve comfort, confidence, communication and overall balance in the saddle with a Centered Riding workshop and mounted lesson taught by Heidi. These skills will come in handy on the Two Guided Trail Rides in the surrounding picturesque mountains included in this memorable retreat. Optional activities include Yoga, Hiking, Square Dancing and attending a local Rodeo.  

This All-Inclusive Retreat Price includes:

  • Cabin Style Accommodations
  • All Meals and Beverages
  • All Equine Activities
  • All Workshops and Lectures

 Retreat price does not include airfare, rental car or shuttle service to the ranch.

 

Meet your Instructor

Heidi Potter is an internationally known Centered Riding® Clinician, Horse Speak® Senior Instructor, Accredited Horse Agility Trainer, Author, and CHA Master Instructor and Certifier, sharing over 50 years of horse experience.

Heidi studied Centered Riding® directly with neighbor, friend and founder, the late Miss Sally Swift. Using the basics of Centered Riding she assists students of all disciplines and levels improve self-awareness, comfort, confidence, communication, and balance in the saddle.

In her Holistic Horsemanship Program Heidi is committed to addressing the horse’s needs first by sharing the concept of doing everything “with” the horse versus “to” the horse. She effectively combines the Precise Equine Body Language Skills of Horse Speak with the basics of Centered Riding, and Eastern philosophies derived from her many years of training in Traditional Martial Arts. Heidi has studied Horse Speak with founder Sharon Wilsie since 2016, helping to create educational webinars and the first “Certification Pilot Program”. As the only Senior Instructor she has been teaching Horse Speak clinics and retreats since 2019.

The result of Heidi’s broad experience is a unique, compassionate, mindful approach to horsemanship, resulting in calmer, safer, more enriching, and enjoyable relationships between horses and humans. She has traveled internationally to teach and present on a wide range of topics for over 20 years. She and her family own and operate the New England Center for Horsemanship located in Southern Vermont. When not traveling and teaching Heidienjoys liberty play, time out on the trail and Western Dressage with her Cheval Canadian horse Riley.

 Yoga sessions with ranch owner Hadley Fox will also be available during the clinic.

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“This immersion retreat offered so much insight from the knowledgeable, experienced, and compassionate clinicians, Laura and Heidi. We soaked up information and had hands-on activities to apply what we had learned. There were many “aha” moments, lots of laughter, and some tender, teary-eyed moments. It was a great investment in my personal goal to enhance my connection with horses and improve their well-being.” Nancy, Retreat Participant