Inner Goddess Retreats

Marlene's Story

What is it about women and horses?  Were you a horse-crazy girl when you were growing up?  I know I was.  I had over 100 model horses.  Instead of playing with dolls, I made up an entire community of horse families.  People wonder how I remember the names of all the horses here and know who is related to whom and so on.  I guess my early "horse play" was good training. 

Everything I did with my 3 other girlfriends in grade school was HORSES!  We played "horses" at recess.  We were the horses, the boys were the cowboys who tried to round us up.  Not many of the other girls could keep up with our very active and physical adventures.  Those who tried usually quit soon after.  Even when there was an art project about the sea we chose - you guessed it - sea horses. 

In fact we were so annoying about horses to our teachers that they purposely split us up when we went to middle school.  They thought it would be best if we developed other interests and made new friends. At this very vulnerable age, we immediately lost the security of our closest friends and received some pretty negative messages as girls who were independent and followiing our dreams.  For most of 40 years, we did part ways and suffered in ways we might not have understood at the time for the way we were manipulated by our teachers.  In the last year, through Facebook, we have all found each other again.  While there has been some limited contact over the years, we didn't really talk about that experience much until now.  Three of us are still involved in horses in a big way.  Two of us as our primary business. 

My profession as an adult has been a teacher mostly of ballroom dance and for the last 10 years related to horses at Black Forest Farm.  In the last few years I have been pursuing certification in Equine Assisted Learning and Life Coaching.  Most of my students think I'm a pretty good teacher.  I like to think that part of my success as a teacher is due to learning from the mistakes of other teachers in my life.

From about age 8 to 18, I had horses.  Then it was time to be practical and sell them.  I couldn't afford the time and money to keep them while going to school.  It was time to give up girlish things and do adult things.  I married, divorced, worked and built a business.  I wanted horses, but I wanted to live with them and not just visit my boarded horse.  Then I thought I found a great man and we found a great place - this farm.  He got me a lot of horses.  He turned out to be a bad guy and we never got married.  I got him out of here, but he left me with some terrible troubles to overcome.  No one thought I would make it even 6 months, but after over 10 years, I'm still here.  The reason I stayed and went through all of this was . . . the horses.

As Black Forest Farm has evolved, so many women have come back witl similar stories of loving horses when they were little, letting them go, going to school, getting jobs, getting married, having children and so on.  Now in the more mature years of their lives, they once again want to seek out what they loved when they were little . . . horses. 

Discover Your Inner Goddess

 
What is it we like so much about horses?  Perhaps it's their beauty, strength, power or elegance. They have a sense of community.They are good moms. Even though they are very strong both physically and emotionally, they are also vulnerable and sensitive. They respond to touch with a certain sensuality. They are mythical and mysterious. They  can be skilled at many things. They are athletic, good friends, fair and just. They are survivors and the have a clear sense of who they are. In short, they possess many of the same qualities we admire about ourselves or those we would like to possess.

It seems we all sort of start out that way. Then things happen to us in life. We are not supported for being unique, for our strengths, for being independent or knowing what we want.  People do things that hurt us, some in very traumatic ways. For various reasons we are not encouraged to have a strong sense of self which includes all the things that make us feminine.  In fact people still refer to certain behaviors negatively as they relate to being female. If a guy is told that he somehow looks or acts like a girl, it means that somehow those "girlish" things are less desirable.

In general, women and girls still have more confusing and negative messages thrown at them as we grow up about what it means to be female.  Many of us give up what we love to support the dreams of others.  A lot of times we take care of everyone else before ourselves and end up losing some things that are very important to us along the way.

Maybe its just that "life happens," but I can tell you that I have many women who contact me because they loved horses when the were little, got away from them and now want to reconnect with them to do something for themselves.

Inner Goddess Retreats

Our retreats are a day away for yourself. In that day, you will do activities that involve horses and nature. Activities that are designed to help you discover a stronger sense of self while enjoying some relaxing "me time." Every retreat experience is different and depends on the dynamics of the people and horses involved, but in general you can expect:

     Greater self-esteem
     Greater clarity about how to handle problem areas of your life
     Great bonding experiences with like minded and like spirited women
     Greater sense of rest and well-being, and just
     Great fun!!

You don't have to have any experience with horses. You will not be riding. Today, the horses will be your teachers and guides. You'll come away from the day with a new perspective on your life.

Enrollment Options

This is a day long seminar. Seminars are conducted all year and in all kinds of weather.  While participants should dress appropriately for the weather, they will spend very little time in outdoor conditions if weather is not comfortable.

Participants should arrive by 8:30 for check in and a light continental breakfast. A light lunch is included as well as snacks. We complete our day between 4 p.m. and 4:30 p.m.  Participants are welcome to stay afterward for informal wrap ups and to socialize.

Who Enrolls

Individuals who register as part of one of our scheduled seminars

2010 Schedule for Individual Participants

Saturday June 12
Saturday July 10
Saturday August 21
Saturday September 11
Saturday October 23
Saturday November 13

Business and Corporate Groups

Equine Assisted Learning is great for corporate or business groups. This is not your typical seminar and the learning is likely to continue long after the seminar. People tend to think about their experience and draw information from it for days or even weeks after the actual event.  Unlike other seminars where people sit and write a lot of notes that they soon forget, not only do people remember more, they tend to implement more of what they learned.

Participants in this group need to be all women as sensitive issues often come up that women are reluctant to share in a mixed group.  There are other EAL seminars for a mixed groups.

When your business books a group it is with the intent that there are certain problems to be addressed, certain skills to be learned or certain goals to be accomplished. In some cases we work with businesses over several sessions. Your goals for the seminar are discussed at booking and the seminar is specifically developed with your group's interests in mind.

Scheduling your event is easy. Simply choose an available date on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Fridays. We will help you make the rest of the arrangements.

Rates

Regular pricing is $95 per person with a minumum of 10 people. However you can save 20% if you book your seminar in 2010 and complete it in either 2010 or 2011. Rates are then just $75 per person.

Groups of less than 10 people are $95 per person. Rates for scheduled semiars are $95 per person because the groups are generally smaller.  However if we do get 10 gals, everyone will get $20 back at the start of the seminar. How sweet is that??

Mother/daughter discounts:  Although we have not formally put together a mother/daughter event, this is an excellent activity to do together.  Moms, if your daughter or daughters want to join you, just add them to your registration for only $25 each.

How to Register

Simply call us at 608-270-1550 to reserve your time. You can pay with your Visa, Mastercard or Discover by phone.  If you prefer to mail a check, make your registration payable to: Black Forest Farm, LLC and mail to:

3255 County Road F
Barneveld, WI 53507

Just add a little note specifying the date you are interested in and a phone number or email where you can be reached. We will want to contact you ahead of time to have a better understanding of what you would like to accomplish.

Registrations for businesses usually involve consultation prior to registration. Please call or email us at only@blackforeststables.com  to plan your event.