I never write about horse camp because it’s hard to touch with words, it’s a “you have to be there” kind of experience.

But I did write a caption to go along with some photos I shared on instagram and CCO’s media-savvy marketer, Hailey asked “wanna write a blog post?” and so I tried to put more words to the experience, my fourth annual Women’s Wellness Retreat. It’s live now at https://www.coppercayuseoutfitters.ca/blog/this-is-how-we-solstice-by-lisa-richardson

I have a confession. I’m not really a horse girl. Back in my days of Girldom when girls stopped making potions and playing tag and talking to clouds and began dividing themselves into girls who loved boys, girls who loved girls, girls who loved horses, I was a girl who loved books. Thus we align ourselves and Life ensues. 

It’s taken me awhile to appreciate the sweet punky smell of manure and the animal sweat of a barn or corral, to let the heart field of a horse and herd steady my own racing mind, to appreciate that the joy of horses is as much in what you don’t have to do as what you do. 

And that journey is all thanks to Copper Cayuse Outfitters and the annual summer solstice Women’s Wellness retreat. 

2025 was year four.

This was the year I leaned forehead to forehead with a horse named Lightning, learned that wearing a scarf/bandana has both practical and style benefits that blends cowgirl with Parisian chic, led a daily yoga practice in our open air “shala” slash shed, and discovered that the excessive exuberance of peonies makes me deeply happy.

I also remembered the girl from Girldom, before we all divided into our teams, and how, no matter where Life has led us, a flower crown, a good pair of boots rubbed with beeswax and tallow, a mug of campfire coffee, a kazoo and a trail ride through the mountain forest are recipes for real rejuvenation. Great conversation, beautiful classes, a snuggly sleeping bag and incredible food are definitely part of the equation too.

Every year, when I step into camp as a facilitator, I find myself in a place that is so generous and grounding. I get to play a small part in a truly co-created experience. What I love about “horse camp” is the way it embodies Wild Goose leadership – the type of leadership that geese apparently exhibit when they fly south, each taking turns in the lead, being cheered on by their wing-mates, until they fall back and join the V, and allow someone else to step into the lead. This way of rotating through, lets everyone share, shine, support, learn, lean on each other. It feels deeply sustainable, and thus, slowly, one solstice week at a time, one lovely gathering at a time, we breathe life into new more regenerative, more generous, ways of being. 

When women come together, not in competition, but in camaraderie, the lift it generates is like being woven into a net that is part trampoline and part dreamcatcher… I suspect the horses are what make it possible, what keep things grounded, unpretentious, real. I can almost hear them nodding, “finally, little human, finally, you’re getting it.”

Follow Copper Cayuse on insta at https://www.instagram.com/coppercayuseoutfitters/, or visit their website for more details on day rides and backcountry retreats, or just generally to inject more horse into your feed.