EQUINE RETREAT FOR WOMEN
June, 2027 | Benton, California
WILD HEART CALLING
Journey and communion with the free-roaming Mustangs of the eastern Sierras.
A five-day retreat, four in the saddle, deep in the Sierra Nevada. Traveling into open country each day, you're held by seasoned pack horses, skilled guides, and facilitators attuned to both horse and human. In the vast quiet of that landscape, you slow down and learn to co-regulate with your horse partner, a practice that asks for presence rather than performance and often becomes the most unforgettable part of the trip. Meditation, somatic movement, and equine education move alongside the riding, each deepening your ability to sense and move from your whole body.
5 Days · June, 2027 · 10 Guests Max · Women Only · Sierra Nevada, California
HELD BY THE LAND
We begin in Benton, at the edge of California's high desert, before continuing to River Springs, the trailhead where the horses carry us into true backcountry: the Eastern Sierra, straddling the California and Nevada line. This is big, open country, with sweeping views that reach Mammoth Mountain and, in the distance, Lake Tahoe. Wild mustangs move through this same landscape, unbothered by fences or rules; and witnessing that kind of ease has a way of loosening something in us too.
There's a reason this land does work that talk alone cannot. At this elevation, in this quiet, the nervous system has fewer distractions competing for its attention, and it starts, almost on its own, to settle. Days spent unplugged from screens and schedules give you room to notice what you actually feel, and hours spent co-regulating with a horse, matching your breath and your energy, teach your body a kind of calm no amount of thinking can produce. By the time you're riding back toward the valley, the alignment and clarity you came for tend to have found you, born less from any single lesson than from the space this land gives you to truly hear yourself again.
"Today, my heart is still in the wild. When I got back home my energy source felt stronger. Like I could feel the energy of things (beings, nature) stronger than before. It was almost overwhelming. That is another feeling that I do not want to lose, that connective energy. What a powerful journey it was to result in the outcome of increasing my awareness of the energy around me and how my energy interacts with it. It runs deep into my soul. It's like my soul reverberates stronger, wider, allowing me to be aware of the energetic connections of those around me, primarily horses, animals, and nature."
~Mustang Wilderness Retreat Guest
WHAT’S INCLUDED
One night lodging at the Benton Hot Springs Inn, including a soak in the hot springs tubs
Three nights camping at our high-country basecamp, tents provided
All meals, from the welcome dinner on day one through lunch on day five
Horses, tack, and pack support throughout the ride
Skilled guides and facilitators, including animal intuitive communication and demonstration
Daily meditation and nervous-system regulation practice
Wild herd education and tracking
WHAT TO BRING
Your own sleeping bag and sleeping mat for the three nights at basecamp. A full packing list is emailed after registration.
TRAIL READINESS
This trail welcomes beginner riders, though some riding experience will serve you well in the saddle. Because of the altitude, heat, and uneven terrain we travel through, we ask participants to be in good physical condition and ready for several hours on horseback each day. For the safety and wellbeing of our horses and pack team, there is a 200 lb weight limit for riders.
Daily Meditation
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Nervous-System Regulation Practice
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Wild Herd Education
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Animal Intuitive Communication & Demonstration
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Daily Meditation | Nervous-System Regulation Practice | Wild Herd Education | Animal Intuitive Communication & Demonstration |
THIS RETREAT IS FOR THE WOMAN READY TO
Unplug completely: no phone, no calendar, no one needing anything from her
Spend real days in the saddle, trusting horses to carry her into open country
Let her nervous system settle at a pace only wilderness can set
Sit at a threshold and let a small circle of women walk the next part with her
Meet a wild herd on its own terms, and see what it reflects back to her
Return home with a felt sense of what truly matters to her now
DAILY SCHEDULE
Day 1 | Welcome to Benton
Arrive after 3pm and settle into the quiet of the high desert. A welcome dinner and orientation are followed by a soak in the hot springs tubs beneath open sky.
Meals included: Dinner
Day 2 | Into the Wild Country
After breakfast, we caravan to our meeting point, are paired with our horses, and go over safety details. Our first ride carries us through the lower valley herd, where we pause to observe, before continuing on horseback to our high-country basecamp, home for the next three nights. As evening settles in, we tune into the presence of the wild mustangs beneath the stars.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 | High Desert
The day opens with quiet meditation and mindful movement before we head out to track the wild herds roaming the high desert, building on what we've learned about equine communication as we search for the more elusive high mountain horses. Back at basecamp by evening, dinner is followed by an educational talk and Q&A on the Mustangs.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 | Petroglyphs & Solitude
Morning meditation and gentle stretching ease us into another ride through the rugged high country, a shorter day with wide-open vistas and another chance at a horse encounter. We close the day together in circle back at basecamp.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 | Homeward Ride
We gather to share and reflect before breaking camp and riding back toward the valley, with one final chance to encounter the mustangs along the way. A picnic lunch overlooking the mountains precedes our return to the vehicles, where we say our goodbyes by noon.
Meals included: Breakfast, Lunch
*The daily schedule is subject to slight changes to accommodate the group, the weather and other logistics.
“As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.”
— Marianne Williamson, from Our Deepest Fear
PRICING & BOOKING
$2,400 for the full five-day journey. A $600 deposit secures your spot, with a two-installment payment plan available.
ABOUT YOUR GUIDE
This retreat is led by Gianna Brasil-Ross, founder of Cavalo Calling, a certified Wayfinder Life Coach currently training in Equine Somatic Pathways™ under therapist Cara Gereau, LMFT. She built this work around what she's learned firsthand: that horses can teach the body to slow down and regulate in ways words alone can't reach.
