Starr Horse Retreats

Starr Horse Retreats www.starrhorseretreats.com After living 30 years in San Francisco, my husband and I moved to Minden, Nevada to buy this 30-acre equestrian facility.

Starr Horse Retreats is a sacred sanctuary where horse lovers and starseeds from all walks of life come together to awaken their divine purpose, rediscover their soul family, and embrace their gifts with bitless partnership. We spent the past 2 1/2 years restoring the center and guest houses to roll out the Shamanic Horse Healing Retreats. With a degree in health education from San Francisco State

University, and after traveling extensively, I began hosting annual consciousness gatherings called Gaia Gathering. I have hosted many plant medicine circles, and am so excited to launch our Horse Healing Retreats monthly to share the shamanic medicine of the horses.

This is the first day saddles are introduced during week 3, day 3 of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Pro...
05/06/2026

This is the first day saddles are introduced during week 3, day 3 of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program at Starr Horse Retreats.

Beyond the Saddle does not mean we don’t use saddles. It means we are not dependent on them.

Some students choose to ride with a saddle for added support and stability. Others choose ba****ck to feel a deeper connection with the horse’s movement.

There is no right way.

Each rider meets the horse from where they are, building confidence, balance, and trust in their own way.

This is where individuality within partnership becomes visible.

www.starrhorseretreats.com

Learning Reins for the First Time | From Lead Line to Independent RidingWeek 3 Day 2 of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic C...
05/05/2026

Learning Reins for the First Time | From Lead Line to Independent Riding

Week 3 Day 2 of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program at Starr Horse Retreats.

This is the first day students begin riding in the arena with reins.

Starting with a partner on the ground using a lead rope, students are supported as they learn how to guide the horse using reins attached to the halter. As confidence and balance develop, the lead rope is removed and students begin riding more independently.

This stage introduces a new level of communication, where clarity, timing, and feel become essential.

It is not about control.
It is about learning how to guide with awareness and presence.

This is where riding begins to take shape.

www.starrhorseretreats.com

First Ride, No Reins…The Truth About Trust Week 3 marks the halfway point of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Trai...
05/04/2026

First Ride, No Reins…The Truth About Trust

Week 3 marks the halfway point of the Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program at Starr Horse Retreats.
This is where everything shifts.

After weeks of groundwork, students get on the horse for the first time, riding ba****ck without reins. No force. No control. Only balance, presence, and connection using a target.

Riding without reins removes the illusion of control and reveals the truth of the partnership. It asks a different question: are you with the horse, or are you trying to manage her?
This is where trust becomes real.

This is where students move from learning about horses… to meeting them.

Starr Horse Retreats
Minden, Nevada
Four-week immersive program in positive reinforcement, liberty work, and conscious horsemanship
www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

Day 10 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program was about integration.We brought together everything l...
05/01/2026

Day 10 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program was about integration.

We brought together everything learned over the week and closed with a powerful anchoring practice in the Chalet yard, led by Angie, that helped participants embody the calm, clarity, and relational awareness cultivated through the horses.

This is where technique becomes transformation.

Not just learning with horses
Becoming different through them.
www.StarrHorseretreats.com

Positive Reinforcement and Healing With Horses | Arena Work and Equine BodyworkDay 9 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic C...
04/30/2026

Positive Reinforcement and Healing With Horses | Arena Work and Equine Bodywork

Day 9 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program opened with qigong with the horses, followed by arena work.

In the afternoon, we shifted into healing bodywork with horses in the Chalet yard, exploring touch, presence, regulation, and the horses as partners in healing.

Training and healing meet in the same field.
www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

Day 8 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program we learned Quick Release Knot, Hooves and Trailer Loadi...
04/30/2026

Day 8 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program we learned Quick Release Knot, Hooves and Trailer Loading: Essential Horse Skills Every Student Should Learn

www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

Essential Horse Skills Every Student Should Learn | Quick Release Knot, Hooves and Trailer LoadingOn Day 8 of our Beyond...
04/29/2026

Essential Horse Skills Every Student Should Learn | Quick Release Knot, Hooves and Trailer Loading

On Day 8 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program, we began the morning with qigong in the pasture with the herd, then moved into foundational horse-handling skills every student should know.

Students learned the quick-release knot, hoof picking, and introductory trailer loading using humane, trust-based methods rooted in positive reinforcement.

And we practiced our knot rhyme:

Over, under, flip your wrist
Make a loop and grab a pinch
Pull it through until it’s snug
To release, you give a tug

www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

Day 7 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program began with morning yoga in the yurt, grounding breath, ...
04/28/2026

Day 7 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program began with morning yoga in the yurt, grounding breath, body, and awareness before stepping into horse work.

Students introduced horses to the balance mat through shaping and positive reinforcement, helping them discover movement and balance through play. In the afternoon, we took a mindful walk through the back ten acres, bringing those same principles of trust and attunement onto the trail.

Learning can be practical and joyful.
www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

On Day 6 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program, the students learned how to move a horse’s haunches...
04/27/2026

On Day 6 of our Beyond the Saddle Holistic Clicker Training Program, the students learned how to move a horse’s haunches and shoulders using targeting and positive reinforcement, all without pressure or traditional tactile cues. Through small achievable steps, horses and humans explored a new language of communication based on consent, clarity, and trust.

This is where training becomes relationship.
www.StarrHorseRetreats.com

Day five of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats was a slower day, working with the elements of...
04/24/2026

Day five of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats was a slower day, working with the elements of earth and water. The students mounted a horse for the first time and practiced the around the world exercise, turning all the way around and even sitting backwards. Galaxy was not interested, as his friends were on the other side of the property and out of sight. The afternoon was open, with time to journal, rest in the hammocks, and enjoy the day.

www.starrhorseretreats.com

Day four of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats began in the back ten acres with the obstacle ...
04/23/2026

Day four of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats began in the back ten acres with the obstacle course, followed by trail practice with targets and cones. In the afternoon, we were treated to one of Angie’s amazing sound baths, then burned negative self-talk in the fire, working with the elements of fire and air through her Hawaiian Huna teachings.

Day three of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats started with a breathing exercise to ground b...
04/22/2026

Day three of the Holistic Clicker Training program at Starr Horse Retreats started with a breathing exercise to ground before heading into the pasture, followed by deep healing with horse medicine. Later in the arena, we practiced jumps and continued learning clicker-training skills.
www.starrhorseretreats.com

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2801 Tamara Court
San Fransisco, CA
89423

Telephone

+14153707092

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