Equine Somatic Pathways™ Foundations Course
A nervous‑system‑led, trauma‑informed, body‑based method for working with horses so you can facilitate real, sustainable change for yourself, for clients, and horses
Enrollment for Self Led and Certification Open
VIEW ENROLLMENT OPTIONS
We’re all wildly drawn to horses, and we all meet inevitable blocks in the relationship.
Horses are masters of clear non verbal communication in relationship and they ask us to give them the same clarity. When we listen, they will show us where our communication doesn't offer connection in relationship.
In this training, we start with regulation, deepen our capacity to feel and respond in relationship, and integrate body‑based tools that shift unconscious patterns of relating; changes you and your clients can take into all relationships.
Is this for you?
You’ll feel at home here if you’re a:
- Therapist, coach, or mental health professional seeking a grounded, ethical way to integrate horses into somatic, trauma‑informed care.
- Equine professional or somatic practitioner who sees disconnection between horse and client and wants real‑time, trauma‑informed tools that support both horse and human.
- Equine enthusiast and lover of self‑inquiry who is drawn to experiential and body based relational work.
If your body just exhaled, or you felt a big yes, this is for you.
Endorsed by Leaders in the Field
— Jacqui Kona, International EAP Trainer & Clinician; Founder, Skye Therapy Solutions
“This has been one of the most meaningful professional and personal experiences I’ve had in my journey. I’m leaving with a deeper sense of attunement - to myself, to my clients, and to the horses who partner with us.
This work shifted how I show up with clients and taught me the importance of working from internal clarity and calm. Cara integrates parts work and polyvagal theory beautifully, and the small-group collaboration was invaluable.
What stood out was how the work unfolded naturally - unexpected yet deeply aligned with what needed attention. The emotional depth emerged in a gentle, grounded way - never forced.
This training emphasizes experience over performance, presence over protocol. Cara models humility, curiosity, empathy, and ethical partnership with horses. Instead of teaching a rigid method, she supported me in developing my own embodied understanding. The learning environment felt safe, collaborative, and genuinely trauma-informed.
As an international EAP trainer and clinician since 2011, I’ve completed many certifications. This is one of the top ones. I’ll be having all of my clinicians trained in this model.”
Therapist / Coach / Mental Health Professional
Equine Professional or Somatic Practitioner
Equine Enthusiast / Self-Development Path
What you’ll learn (and how you’ll use it)
By the end of this course, you’ll be able to:
- Accurately track regulation (vs. performance) in both horse and human.
- Support regulation when things get tricky and expand capacity without overwhelm.
- Work with horses with consent and choice, reading approach/avoid patterns with precision.
- Guide sessions that move from intervention to insight to integration, with horses’ welfare and clients’ dignity at the center.
You’ll leave with:
- Downloadable session plans, grounding tools for different client presentations, tracking sheets, consent & safety checklists, and field guides you can carry into the arena.
- The curriculum integrates somatic regulation, authentic relationship with choice, equine ethology, sensorimotor awareness, attachment‑aware support, parts‑informed inquiry, a broad range of somatic regulation concepts and developmental movement concepts, mindfulness, and trauma‑informed care.
The course pathway
14 modules across 12 months, blending theory with embodied practice
Phase 1: Building the Foundation — Modules 1–3
Phase 2: Making First Contact — Modules 4–6
Phase 3: Navigating the Relational Field — Modules 7–9
Phase 4: Deepening Connection — Modules 10–12
Phase 5: Integration and Practice — Modules 13–14
Hi, I’m Cara Gereau, LMFT
Supporting clients in equine relational work, understanding and supporting equine regulation, and witnessing how somatic tools transform both humans and horses is my wild passion. We begin with compassionate awareness of what is true now, build skill in tracking patterns of regulation in you and in the equine partner, and support shifts that bring more capacity to both so you can reliably offer that to clients.
Equine Somatic Pathways grew when I noticed the somatic methods that worked best in the therapy room weren’t being applied in equine‑facilitated settings. The work has grown through years of clinical practice, study, and the lived wisdom of working in relational liberty.
The method is intentionally simple: observe, slow down, notice, respond, bring patterns into the here‑and‑now and let the nervous system lead our interventions.
Depth That Changes Your Work
— Participant
“Regulation begins when the body remembers it is supported, not when it tries to perform calm is a lesson Impacting all my work."
— Participant
“Developmental gestures have been the most transformative part of my attachment work.”
— Participant
“This course opened new ways of seeing and evoking therapeutic growth.”
What Students Notice First
— Participant
“My biggest takeaway is less doing and more feeling.”
— Participant
“I have a new awareness of attachment trauma in clients and how to notice even the smallest ruptures.”
— Participant
“Tracking the horse and the client together opened a deeper relational layer than I’d ever accessed before.”
Format & support
Two paths:
Self‑Led
Receive immediate access to this program. This includes:
- 14 modules you can complete at your own pace
- Module videos guiding theory and embodied practices for human and horse
- Reading/audio homework to deepen integration
- Experiential homework for practical skill‑building
- Reflective Homework for integration
- Experiential Practice Guides
- Sample Session Flow Guides
- Session Tracking Guides
- Private discussion group
- Business and Marketing Guides
- Option to Join one or two In Person Practice Groups
- Access: 15 months to all modules and downloads
Professional Certification Upgrade
In addition to Self-Led Enrollment
Limited private mentorship spots available each cycle
- 12 private one to one consultations total
45-minute sessions to integrate the training, work through questions, and bring discussion of real cases into the room - Module quizzes and structured practicum assignments
- Recorded homework with personalized video feedback at key milestones
- Final case review and Certification in Equine Somatic Pathways Method
- Two Consultation Sessions Scheduled Post Completion
A 12-month professional training with a one-month integration and capstone period for completion
Certification in ESP reflects demonstrated competence within this model. It is not a professional license.
Not sure which path is best? Not sure how it all works?
I’m happy to help you orient.
ESP In-Person Practice Intensives
Optional Upgrade for Certification and Self-Led Students
The ESP Practice Intensives are optional, three-day, in-person experiences open to both Certification and Self-Led participants. These intensives are scheduled by request and aligned with groups who are on similar timing tracks to ensure a cohesive learning environment.
To maximize the hands-on experience, attendance is recommended after completing Module 8 and Module 13. Each intensive blends guided demonstration, supervised horse practice, peer observation, and self-inquiry.
LEARN MOREESP In-Person Intensive | Recommended Post-Module 8
and/or
ESP In-Person Intensive | Recommended Post-Module 13
Investment
Self Led
Self‑Led
Equine Somatic Pathways™ Foundations Course
One Time Payment
$1,895
OR
Six Month Payment Plan
$325
Self‑Led
Equine Somatic Pathways™ Foundations Course
WHAT YOU RECEIVE:
- 14 modules you can complete at your own pace
- Module videos guiding theory and embodied practices for human and horse
- Reading/audio homework to deepen integration
- Experiential homework for practical skill‑building
- Reflective Homework for integration
- Experiential Practice Guides
- Sample Session Flow Guides
- Session Tracking Guides
- Private discussion group
- Business and Marketing Guides
- Option to Join one or two In Person Practice Groups
- Access: 15 months to all modules and downloads
Investment
Certification
Now Enrolling, Limited Capacity
The Professional Certification Upgrade adds private mentorship, a structured practicum pathway, and final case review leading to certification.
Professional Certification Upgrade
Equine Somatic Pathways™ Foundations Certification
One Time Payment (in Addition to Self-Led Purchase)
$3,600
OR
Monthly Payment Plan (in Addition to Self-Led Purchase)
$300
Certification Upgrade
Equine Somatic Pathways™ Professional Certification Pathway
WHAT YOU RECEIVE:
- 12 private consultation meetings (45 minutes each)
1-on-1 support to integrate the material and apply it in real sessions throughout the course and post completion. - Personalized video feedback at key milestones
Submit selected recorded homework/practice videos and receive targeted feedback to refine timing, clarity, consent, and pacing. - Structured practicum pathway
Clear practice requirements and competency milestones to support professional development. - Final case review + certification
A formal review of your final case study and capstone materials leading to Equine Somatic Pathways™ Professional Certification. - Two post-completion case consultation sessions
Additional support after completion as you translate the method into your professional practice. - A paced 12-month certification container
Includes a dedicated integration + capstone period for completion.
Time commitment:
Plan on ~7 hours per module (≈1.5 hr video, ≈2 hrs reading/listening, ≈2 hr experiential practice, ≈1 hr reflective practice )
Across 14 modules, that’s ~98 hours over 12 months
Certification participants add; ~12 consultation sessions over the 14 months and Video Recording, Submission and Review (~.5 hour a month)
“This is such heart-expansive work. When you get to implement it and it’s real and tangible and you can feel it—and then you start sharing it with your clients… it’s just huge.”
“It’s been really exciting because I’m seeing the work grow already. My students are even being able to mentor it further. So it’s growing already.”
“I do feel like I have more confidence as a therapist because I’ve learned so much in this—about the nervous system, sensorimotor work, and horses’ body language.”
“Being rooted in value and self-worth and being very confident about what I bring to this world… there’s something very comforting about that, and this course helped me land there.”
“I absolutely love this course. I took it in more deeply than I ever imagined. I’m usually training and teaching people to understand animal language, but this brought in the mental health and the science of brain work and how our body reacts. It changed how I see both myself and my students.”
Want to find Ground?
Access the FREE five body-based practices to help you settle, reconnect, and create calmer sessions for both you and your horse..
Access The guide →
Frequently asked questions
Is this for practitioners or for personal healing?
Do I need my own horse or facility?
Do I have to be “experienced” with horses?
Is this Somatic Experiencing®?
Is it trauma‑informed?
How long does it take? Do I keep access?
Refunds?
Continuing education?
Legal note
Ready to begin?
If an approach that is embodied, relational, honest, and humane is for you, your clients, and the horses you hold dear, we’d love to have you come join us.
Enroll in Equine Somatic Pathways →Questions? Send Cara an email here.
