In Person Intensives
Optional Upgrade for Certification and Self-Led Students
Step into conscious relationship.
The ESP Practice Intensives are three-day, small group, in-person immersions where we practice allowing relationship, regulation, gesture, timing, and connection to unfold through the body.
Each day (3–5 hours, depending on group size) unfolds in intimate practicum groups of 3–6, blending self-inquiry, reflection, group support and live horse practice.
The first intensive integrates the relational arc of the course; tracking, attuning, nervous system support for horse and human and offering real-time interventions that support parts work.
The second uses the foundation we explore in the first section of the course and deepens into sensorimotor, and developmental integration, preparing you to bring this work into the world with confidence and care in your own unique magic.
Overview
The ESP Practice Intensives are optional, three-day, in-person experiences offered twice per year open to both Certification Cohort and Self-Led participants.
Each intensive blends guided demonstration, supervised horse practice, peer observation, and self-inquiry and reflection.
These immersive weekends bring the online curriculum into lived experience
where relationship, regulation, gesture, timing, and connection unfold through the body in conscious relationship.
Participants move through a rhythm of practice, reflection, and dialogue, discovering how somatic awareness, parts work, and equine partnership weave together through the body in conscious relationship with self, with horse, and within the shared field of connection.
Self-Led students are encouraged to attend the first Practice Intensive after completing Module 8 and the second after Module 13, aligning the in-person experience with the natural integration points of the course.
What You’ll Come Away With
The Practice Intensives are where the learning becomes embodied. They bridge what you’ve explored in the course into skill, confidence, and relational artistry.
Through guided sessions, real-time supervision, and in-depth somatic practice with horses and peers, you’ll come away with:
Embodied Understanding
- A felt sense of how relational dynamics, gesture, and regulation move through the body in yourself, in your clients, and in your equine partners.
- The ability to recognize and respond to subtle cues of attunement, misattunement, and repair as they emerge in real time.
Relational and Professional Fluency
- Increased clarity and confidence in facilitating relational, somatic, parts-based, and attachment-oriented work with horses.
- Practice offering interventions that are both precise and humane, grounded in nervous system awareness.
- The experience of witnessing, receiving and integrating live feedback, reflection, and supervision from Cara and peers.
Integration and Creative Application
- The ability to translate your personal process into professional practice with sensitivity and artistry.
- A renewed connection to your intuitive leadership and your unique way of holding the horse–human field.
- A deeper sense of belonging in a community of practitioners who value conscious relationship, curiosity, and embodiment.
While online learning is a gift that reaches far and wide, nothing replaces the felt sense of practicing in person.
The intention is that you leave with greater knowing, deeper confidence, and community.
⏱ Structure
- 3 days total
- 3–5 hours per day, depending on enrollment size
- Small practicum groups: typically 3–6 participants for individualized feedback and ample practice time
- Each day includes:
- Grounding and orientation practice
- Demonstrations and guided discussion
- Individual and partnered horse sessions
- Structured self-inquiry and reflective writing or dialogue
- Group integration and closing circle
- Optional Evening Activities
Safety & participation
The ESP Practice Intensives include outdoor equine activities and somatic practices. A liability waiver and safety agreement will be required prior to participation. These intensives are educational and experiential and are not psychotherapy or a substitute for mental health treatment.
Registration is for the intensive only and does not include travel, lodging, meals, or insurance.
Equine activities and somatic practices involve inherent risks. A formal liability waiver will be required prior to participation
ESP In-Person Practice Spring Intensives
Intensive #1: Fri → Sun, September 18 – 20, 2026
Intensive #2: Fri → Sun, March 19 – 21, 2027
ESP In-Person Practice Fall Intensive
Intensive #1: Fri → Sun, March 12 – 14, 2027
Intensive #2: Fri → Sun, September 10 – 12, 2027
Cara Gereau, LMFT
Founder of Equine Somatic Pathways™
Cara’s work bridges somatic psychotherapy and equine partnership to help humans and horses build relationships grounded in safety, respect, and connection.
She teaches a consent-based, body-aware approach to communication - so regulation replaces tension and both species find ease again.
Learn More →
Want to Dive Deeper?
Access The Embodied Audio Companion
Listen anywhere — in the barn, between sessions, or whenever you need to find your ground again.
