Pecan Creek Ranch

Pecan Creek Ranch We help people thrive through Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, Professional Training & Horsemanship at our beautiful multi-acre ranch in Salado, Texas.

We have over 40 years combined therapy experience and 15 years TF-EAP experience.

Team member: “I noticed you have been working hard, asking your horse to follow you and he isn’t moving, yet. What do yo...
01/14/2026

Team member: “I noticed you have been working hard, asking your horse to follow you and he isn’t moving, yet. What do you think is the problem?

Client shrugs.

Team member: “Help me understand what you are experiencing with your friend.” (Waits for the client’s response)

Client: “He doesn’t like me.”

Team member: “I see. You feel that he isn’t following you because he doesn’t like you.”

Client: “Yes.”

Team member: “What is your horse doing that tells you he doesn’t like you?”

Client: “He isn’t doing what I asked.”

Team member: “Okay. He isn’t doing what you asked. Is there anything else that tells you he doesn’t like you?”

Client: “No, he just won’t follow me.”

Team member: “It is possible that the reason he isn’t following you is because he doesn’t like you. And it could be something else. Let’s consider for a moment that it could be something else. What other reasons could there be for him not moving?”

Client: “He’s stupid.”

Team member: “That sure is possible. What else?”

Client: “He’s lazy.”

Team member: “Yes, that is possible. What else?”

Client: “He’s confused.”

Team member: “Certainly. What else?

Client: “He doesn’t want to.”

Team member: “That’s possible too. Now, that we have lots of ideas about why he isn’t moving, let’s run some experiments on the ideas you generated and see what we can find out.”

The idea here is to explore the client’s internal dialogue, increase curiosity and open up other possibilities about what is happening.

This example is from our book “I’m Drowning and Don’t Know How to Begin: 25 Invitations for Exploration in Equine Assisted services for Working with Children and Teens.”

Have you ever been walking and slightly turned your body ten degrees and ended up in a different location than you inten...
01/13/2026

Have you ever been walking and slightly turned your body ten degrees and ended up in a different location than you intended? If so, you have experienced the power a slight change can bring. This is a powerful reminder that even small changes in our lives can have a big impact.

What is the difference between Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and Trauma-Informed Equine Assisted Learnin...
01/12/2026

What is the difference between Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy, and Trauma-Informed Equine Assisted Learning?

At first glance, they appear very similar because both services involve horses; however, they are quite different. Trauma-Informed Equine Assisted Learning is provided by life coaches, educational professionals, equine professionals with specialized training in a specific area and other professionals. The goal is to provide an opportunity for individuals to learn about themselves, address work or life goals, or acquire a new skill. The focus of these services is what is next for the person and how to get there.

Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy is provided by a licensed mental health professional, such as a marriage and family therapist, counselor, social worker, or psychologist. Services focus on exploring behavior, emotions, thinking patterns, and patterns of relating, as well as how past experiences shape who you are, and helping you heal from these past experiences. These services can address mental health concerns like depression, anxiety, ADHD, PTSD, and many other mental health diagnoses. The focus is usually on the past or present. However, some modalities also focus on the future.

At Pecan Creek Ranch we have professionals who provide each of these services. If you would like to know which service would work best for you, give us a call. We would love to help you find the service that best fits your needs.

Sometimes we get stuck thinking we need to see the whole path before we take the next step. But life doesn’t work that w...
01/11/2026

Sometimes we get stuck thinking we need to see the whole path before we take the next step. But life doesn’t work that way. You don’t have to have all the answers to keep moving forward.

All you need to do is take one brave step forward. The path will reveal itself as you go!

We drop in on this group after a regulating activity such as a drum circle and introductions have been done.Team member:...
01/10/2026

We drop in on this group after a regulating activity such as a drum circle and introductions have been done.

Team member: “We are going to meet for the next six weeks and explore connection both with ourselves and with others.

Today we are going to begin by exploring our nervous systems and how they are similar to horses. (Hands out small notebooks and pens)

Y’all come over here. Reccia is going to go in and put a limited amount of a high value food in the pen. We want y’all to observe the horses and their reactions to the situation and observe your nervous system’s reaction to what is happening in the pen. Write your observations in your notebooks.

Team member places food in the pen. Some of the horses push and bite each other to get the food, some watch for afar, some ignore what is happening, and some freeze.

Team member: “What did y’all notice?”

Group member 1: “There was a lot of pushing, shoving and biting.”

Group member 2: “Some didn’t, they just stayed away.

Team member: “What did y’all notice about the ones who stayed away?”

Group member 3: “Some turned their backs on what was happening. Others seemed curious but unbothered.”

Group member 4: “Some looked like statues.”

Team waits for a bit to see if there are any other observations.

Team member: Great! Okay, What did y’all notice about your own bodies?”

Group member 3: “My heart was beating very fast.”

Group member 6: “Mine too. I felt like I should do something.”

Group member 2: “I felt fidgety.”

Group member 1: “I moved away from the fence.”

Group member 4: “I felt a surge of energy and kinda stood up taller.”

Team waits to see if there are any other observations.

Team member: “Did anyone experience a drop in their energy?”

Group member 5 raises their hand.

Team member points to group member 5: “Would you like to share your experience?”

Group member 5 looks around then nods in the affirmative. “I felt myself wanting to disappear.”

Team member approaches a large whiteboard. “Thanks everyone for sharing your observations. Can anyone name a nervous system state that we might have seen in the horses or experienced ourselves as we watched?”

Group member 6: “Do you mean like fight or flight?

Team member writes down fight/flight, “Yes!”

Team waits to see if anyone else wants to throw out a suggestion.

Team member: “Fight or flight causes a surge of energy into our bodies to mobilize us to fight or get away. Can anyone think of a state that reduces energy?”

Group member 2: “Is that like when we shutdown?”

Team member writes shutdown on the whiteboard. “Yes, shutdown/collapse is another state. Can you think of any other states?”

Team waits to see if anyone wants to speak.

Team member says “Another state is safe and connected.” Writes safe and connected on the board.

Team member writes under fight/flight the observations of mobilization and writes under shutdown/collapse the observations of reduced energy, ignoring. “Let’s identify some other clues we can use to identify each state. What clues can we use to determine if we or someone else is in a state of fight/flight?”

Group member 1: “tight posture.”

Team member makes a note on the whiteboard.

Group member 4: “intense eye contact.”

Team member writes the clue on the board. What kind of thinking might we observe?”

Group member 3: “ Rigid.”

Group member 6: “Defensive.”

Team continues in this way until they have clues written under each state.

Team member: “All day long mammals like us and horses are moving in and out of these states. Often we are unaware that we have shifted states. So, next we are going to interact with the horses and notice in the horses and within ourselves the state we are in. We don’t have to do anything but notice the state.”

When we are working on helping people with connection we often start by helping them understand nervous system states within themselves and others and how those states impact their abilities to relate. When we understand these states, we can make better choices, such as choosing to shift states or not to address an issue until there has been a nervous system shift.

Many times people try to solve problems when themselves or others are in a state of protection (fight/flight or shutdown/collapse). However, when we or others are in this state, we are incapable of using the skills necessary to problem solve. For example when we are in a state of fight/flight our perception narrows, and our thinking becomes concrete. Of course these changes would impede our ability to solve issues. In that state our bodies are focused on protecting and not on relating or growing.

A little something to tickle your funny bone!
01/09/2026

A little something to tickle your funny bone!

Blowing bubbles isn’t just for kids, it is a great way to calm your body. Tips:Breathe in through your nose and fill you...
01/08/2026

Blowing bubbles isn’t just for kids, it is a great way to calm your body.

Tips:
Breathe in through your nose and fill your belly with air. (Your belly should expand as you breathe in)
Breathe out slowly
Create the largest bubble you can with that one breath.
If the bubble pops try to creat a new bubble without taking another breath.

If you cannot create a large bubble at first, do not worry. See how many small bubbles you can create with one breath.

Do this for 1-3 minutes a day

In this post, we continue to explore the client’s experience of not being able to walk past the round pen gate with thei...
01/07/2026

In this post, we continue to explore the client’s experience of not being able to walk past the round pen gate with their horse.

Team member: “I want to make sure I really understand what you are worried about. Are you worried that he will walk away, or he will leave and never return?”

Client thinks for a moment, “Leave and never return.”

Team member: “Okay. I am going to ask a few more questions to better understand this. Is that okay?”

Client: “Yes.”

Team member: “Is the leaving, never to return, a concern that something awful may happen to him, or is it more a fear that he doesn’t want to be with you?”

Client fiddles with the rope draped over their shoulder. “I think it is a bit of both.”

Team member: “If I understand correctly, you have a mixture of worries. One is that your horse may not want to be with you, and the other is that something bad may happen to him, preventing him from being with you. Do I have it correct?”

Client nods affirmatively.

The gate has revealed some ongoing concerns about fears of loss and of not being good enough, worthy, or important. The therapy team will track these concerns as they work with this client and their horse. They will also look for times when these concerns show up in other relationships. As they begin working on these issues, they will consider the client’s window of tolerance and may choose to have the client work with their horse in a smaller, enclosed space. In effect, titrating how far the horse can “leave.”

This year we are going to do things a little differently with our posts. In this image you see our plan for what we will...
01/07/2026

This year we are going to do things a little differently with our posts. In this image you see our plan for what we will post. We want to support people in having a healthy relationship with their tech so we will post specific topics on specific days, that way you can come to our page on the day you need. Though we would love for you to visit daily, we know that isn’t feasible nor healthy.

We made decisions on our post content based on your requests and what we believe is needed for us to live healthy lives. The posts y’all asked for the most were examples of pretend clients, so we will continue to post those examples on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

The only other thing y’all asked for was information on regulation so we will posts regulation tips on Thursdays. You will find educational information about regulation and other topics on Mondays.

We know having a good laugh is important so look for those on Fridays along with posts about connecting with others.

Thought provoking ideas or information will be on Tuesdays and uplifting posts on Sundays.

As you can imagine, it will take us a little while to get this plan going, so please be patient.

Thanks for being a part of our community. We look forward to continuing to serve you in 2026.

01/03/2026

It never gets old watching them race in!

We will have some more thought provoking posts next week. We look forward to sharing 2026 with all of you!

Have you ever done something you regretted?We all have. Regret is a universal experience—shared not just by humans, but ...
12/29/2025

Have you ever done something you regretted?

We all have. Regret is a universal experience—shared not just by humans, but by animals as well.

The real question isn’t if regret shows up, but what we choose to do with it.

Kai is resting between his mother and his aunt. They are giving him support and connection. Who does that for you? ...
12/28/2025

Kai is resting between his mother and his aunt. They are giving him support and connection. Who does that for you?

Address

3164 FM2843
Salado, TX
76571

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 8pm
Wednesday 8am - 8pm
Thursday 8am - 8pm
Friday 8am - 5pm
Saturday 8am - 5pm

Telephone

+15125480551

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Expanding the Possibilites of Healing & Growth with Horses

At Pecan Creek Ranch, we have a vision of a world where equine assisted learning and therapy are mainstream- not alternative or adjunct. We understand the barriers and obstacles that make this seemingly impossible. We should. We’ve be practicing equine assisted learning and therapy for a combined 15 years. We’ve practiced in residential treatment centers where the resources to do this work were abundant, but the translation of it to life was unclear or unsupported; we’ve practiced at non-profits where the resources and understanding of how to effectively do this work were weak or in infancy; we’ve practiced in private practice where the pressure to write our own paychecks, pay for our consultations and trainings, and provide affordable services for our clients collide.

We’ve practiced at ranches dedicated to equine assisted learning and therapy; we’ve practiced at boarding facilities where no one else understood a thing about what we were doing or why we needed some privacy; we’ve practiced at facilities where the philosophies about horse care and training were so incongruent with the therapy and learning of our clients, that it hindered how effective the work could be. We have a broad spectrum of experiences in this field and we have taken what we have learned and applied it to the creation of Pecan Creek Ranch. We have learned from the failures, mistakes, let-downs, conflicts, and challenges of those experiences and created a facility where others can not only practice affordably, but have a supportive community of practitioners who share the same goals and have the same needs for an equine facility as you do.

We are PASSIONATE about Natural Lifemanship™ TF-EAP and we want everyone who could possibly benefit from it to experience it! That’s why we started Pecan Creek Ranch. It exists as a place to conduct your Natural Lifemanship learning or therapy practice with the horses, space, tools, and support necessary to do so successfully. We have over 40 years combined therapy experience and 15 years TF-EAP experience. We know what you need for successful equine assisted sessions from the right horses, right environment, and right support. Join now and receive free monthly consultations from some of the BEST in the TF-EAP field! https://www.ges4p.com