Grief, Grace & Gratitude
An In-Person Healed by a Horse® Weekend Retreat to
explore your grief, guided by the wisdom of horses.
This intimate Healed by a Horse® retreat weekend offers a unique opportunity to step away from daily responsibilities and explore your grief within a supportive, horse and nature-centered environment. Held at Anna Marie's ranch in Shabbona, Illinois, participants will experience the calming presence of the Healed by a Horse® herd while being gently guided through grief recovery practices, embodied healing work, and meaningful group connection.
Facilitated by Anna Marie Ellison, Founder of Healed by a Horse® and HEAL Animal & Human Sanctuary, and Julie Hirt, Certified Trauma-Informed Grief Coach, the weekend is designed to help participants explore how Grief, Grace, and Gratitude can coexist as part of the healing process. Together, the group will move through guided reflection, somatic and nervous-system–supportive practices, and experiential time with the horses
Surrounded by nature and held within compassionate space of the herd, this retreat creates space to slow down, reflect, and reconnect with yourself. Rather than pushing grief away, participants are invited to listen to what their grief may be revealing and begin integrating those insights into a path forward.
Horses are naturally attuned to human emotion and energy, often helping people become more aware of what they are feeling while offering a steady, grounding presence. As you spend time with the herd, their honest and intuitive responses can help illuminate emotional patterns, soften internal defenses, and create space for insight, release, and renewed strength.
Al, Nikki, and Hercules don't ask anyone to perform, explain, or be further along than they are. They simply respond to what's true for you in each moment. For grief especially, that can be the exact thing that makes it safe to finally exhale, so you can take one step forward as this new version of you.
What You May Experience
This weekend is intentionally spacious, experiential, and guided by the wisdom of the herd. While there will be structure and support throughout our time together, we also leave room for the horses, the group, and each person’s grief to guide what is most needed in the moment.
Guided by the herd and what the group needs, your weekend may include:
Opening and closing ceremonies to honor each person’s individual and unique grief journey
Experiential ground exercises with the horses to help you access, witness, and express the emotions your grief has been holding
Body awareness and gentle movement practices to support the release of grief that may be stored in the body
Writing, journaling, and reflective exercises to help you explore the emotional layers of your grief with honesty and compassion
Daily meditation with the horses to support grounding, connection, and heart-centered presence
Individualized time with a horse for personal healing, reflection, and intuitive support
Opportunities to connect with the horses and learn to notice their feedback, helping you deepen your connection to yourself, your body, and what your grief may be asking for
Note: The exact flow of the weekend may shift based on the needs of the group and the guidance of the horses. This is not a rigid retreat agenda. It is a co-created healing experience where the horses are active participants in helping us listen, soften, release, and receive.
This retreat is for anyone who feels called to explore grief within the powerful healing space and innate wisdom of horses.
No horse experience is necessary, only a willingness to arrive as you are and allow yourself to be supported.
Weekend Schedule
Friday, October 9 12:00 PM – 6:00 PM CST
Saturday, October 10 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM CST
Sunday, October 11 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM CST
Location: Whispering Winds Ranch Shabbona, IL
Transportation, food, and lodging not included. On-site lodging available. Please email anna@annamarieellison.com for details.
Spots are intentionally limited to keep this circle small and held. If you feel the pull toward this weekend, trust it.
The Power of Healing with Horses
A horse won't respond to the version of you that's holding it together for everyone else. They respond to what's actually happening underneath — the grief you haven't said out loud, the anger you've been managing instead of feeling, the exhaustion of carrying it alone. There's no space to perform for a horse, which means there's nowhere to hide. For many people, sharing their grief in the presence of a horse is the first time they've felt fully seen without having to explain a single thing.
This isn't theory for me. It's the journey I walked myself. After my husband passed, it was Hercules who saved my life and became part of how I found my way back. He didn't ask me to explain anything. He just stayed close, watched over me, and held grounded space for me to be however I needed to be so I could express the grief instead of holding it in my body. He let me be me. Angry, guilty, anxious, lost, empty, and even hopeful as I laughed through tears when he did something ridiculous or playful to shift the energy… until something in me finally let go in a way I hadn't felt safe letting go with anyone else. He taught me the meaning of being Healed by a Horse® and led me to the work I share with you today.
My co-facilitator, Julie Hirt, came to this work through her own loss. After her dad passed away, she heard the words "go to the horses", and knew she was meant to return to Nikki, Al & Hercules. That calling was rooted in the partnership she created with the herd on a previous retreat. It’s also why this weekend is co-facilitated by two women who each found their way through grief alongside these powerful, healing horses.
It's a moment I’ve watched unfold for others many times before and since. Someone stands quietly beside a horse, saying nothing, just getting their bearings… and suddenly they can take a deep breath, and their whole body finally relaxes. A horse may shift its weight closer, lower its head, or simply stay when it could just as easily walk away. That nonjudgmental, grounded presence alone can undo something that's been held tightly for a long time. Opening the opportunity for grief to become a portal.
“It was beautiful what you both did along with your horses Grateful for you all!”
“I loved it, thank you Anna Marie and Julie, the horses and the chickens! I felt more peaceful after the experience.”
Learn More About Your Grief, Grace, & Gratitude
Co-Facilitators
**Private 1:1 and group Healed by a Horse®
services also available**