Wholistic Horsemanship:
Exploring the horse-human connection
September 3 - 7, 2025
Ranch-based Experience
In Wholistic Horsemanship, we explore the practical and intangible sides of horsemanship to improve your communication and partnership with your horse.
Through equine bodywork, groundwork, and riding exercises, you will:
Gain awareness of your body language and what it communicates to your horse.
Recognize how your thoughts and emotions affect your connection with your horse.
Explore your energetic connection with your horse.
The beautiful part (an added bonus, if you will!) is that this work with horses directly transfers to our important relationships with humans.
The flow of our days:
Each morning will start with a group meditation, working to build our awareness and ability to be present. This is foundational to all we do with horses.
We then move into horse time, beginning with giving back to our horses through bodywork - learning to move tissue and energy in a way that helps our horse relax and release tension.
Moving into groundwork exercises, we will practice our presence and communication with our horse, focusing on being clear and consistent with our actions.
In the afternoon, we will apply the groundwork lessons to the saddle with a brief riding exercise before going…. on a joy ride, relaxing and enjoying each other in the beautiful landscape!
Evenings will include reflection time, group hangouts, sitting around the fire, sharing our learnings, and enjoying the company of fellow horse people.
In this clinic, you'll get:
Support to develop a presence that's felt by horses and humans
Increased confidence to show up more fully in your relationships
The opportunity to claim space and hold boundaries
Practice communicating clearly and kindly
The ability to experience horse and human actions with neutrality rather than taking them personally
Horsemanship exercises that you can use with any horse
Simple time outside with curious peers and trail rides in the mountains
LODGING AND MEALS: This trip will be based from the mountain ranch, staying in log cabins, glamping tents, or sheepherder’s wagons each night and eating nutritious meals in the lodge or on trail.
TRAVEL: Arrive to the ranch at 4:00pm on September 3rd. Depart on September 7th by 10:00 am. Closest airport is Riverton, WY - you can shuttle or rent a vehicle - or fly into Jackson Hole, Rock Springs, Casper, Denver, or Salt Lake City and rent a vehicle.
PLANNING: Please read our Terms & Policies to learn more about our ranch facilities, riding policies, etc. and visit our Frequently Asked Questions page.
QUESTIONS: Please contact Lindsay Priefert with questions about this trip (lindsay.priefert@gmail.com).
INVESTMENT: $3050 + gratuity (suggested 10-20%)
HOW TO SIGN UP: Please follow this three-step process to get signed up.
Fill out this RESERVATION FORM
Sign this DIGITAL WAIVER
Pay the 25% DEPOSIT of $760
After completing those three steps, you are signed up! We will then follow up with helpful trip planning information, and Lindsay will be personally contacting you to help you plan details for the trip. We will be excited to meet you in the Wind Rivers!
Meet your leaders:
Jim Culver
The intersection of horsemanship and communication/leadership is where Jim finds his passion for both learning and teaching. Jim has spent the last thirty-plus years working as an educator and guide, including stints with the Nature Conservancy and NOLS. He began his horse journey when he was 7, and has since gained experience in many different aspects of horsemanship - Western and English riding, horse shoeing, colt starting, horse packing, driving teams, and equine bodywork. He feels fortunate to have learned from renowned horse people such as Martin Black, Jim Masterson, Buck Brannaman, Jim Hicks, and Micaela Love. In 2018, Jim was invited to give a TedX talk on what he had learned from horses about communication. You can watch the TedX Talk here. He has also assisted in facilitating leadership and communication seminars with teams from NASA, the US Naval Academy, GOOGLE, and the Wildland Firefighter Apprenticeship Program. Jim was born in Charlottesville, VA, but fell in love with the West at an early age ‘from watching too many John Wayne movies and Gunsmoke episodes.’
Lindsay Priefert
As an Integral Coach, I help individuals navigate uncertainty and change, building the capacity and courage to take bold steps toward a more meaningful life.
I live in Lander, Wyoming, in the foothills of the Wind River Range. I am surrounded by a community of educators and adventurers, who push me and support me in equal measure. My pup Mesa and I ramble through the high desert sagebrush, finding joy and presence in nature.
I will forever be learning from horses, on the ground and in the saddle. I see this work as a primary practice for me to continue stepping into the mess of uncertainty, regulating my emotions, taking the next right action, and learning from failure. I’m challenged and grounded by my meditation practice and mindfulness studies.
Learn more here.
Kelsey Wicks
Kelsey Wicks grew up in Virginia, and started riding at a young age. Since then, she has spent much of her life riding, teaching others about horses, and exploring the connection between people and horses. She finds partnerships with horses offer rich, positive spaces for wellness and self-growth, and loves getting to share that with others. While in college, she found her way to Wyoming, and discovered the magic of riding horses through western vistas. Since then, Kelsey has been living in and traveling through the west, much of that on the back of a horse. After moving to Wyoming, she worked for NOLS, teaching outdoor education and facilitating leadership trainings, and during that time, worked with a range of clients, including the Wharton Business School, the California Wildland Fire Academy, and various leadership development groups. She currently teaches riding lessons and horsemanship in Lander, WY.
