Wild Heart Adventures

09/23/2023

Wild Heart Adventures
An all women weekend getaway

Nov 16-19

A 4 day/3 night all inclusive horsewoman's getaway

This will be a weekend where you can take a deep breath and let go of all the things you think you "should be" and embrace who you were meant to be. There is something quite special about being with a group of women who want to learn, grow, share, and support each other, and because of this, you will be empowered in ways that will change you forever.

No matter what discipline you and your horse partner in, from trail riding, reining, barrel racing, ranch work, cutting, english, dressage, equitation..... this experience will greatly improve your connection.

Participants will stay at The Stage Stop Inn in the beautiful and quaint town of Patagonia, horses will stay at our own Double Staple Ranch a short two miles away.

Getaway includes:
~A private room at the Stage Stop Motel
~Spacious covered horse pens at the Double Staple Ranch
~All breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. Special dietary needs accomadated
~A welcome gift bag
~An evening at the local favorite winery and restuarant, The Queen of Cups
~Individualized horsemanship with Heather Irbinskas
~Lifemanship and connection with Dawn Lewis and crew.
~Trail rides with beautiful views.
~Campfire chats and relaxing in a hot tub
~A beautiful full color workbook to jot down notes and refer to once back home
~A framed and personalized Wild Heart Photo Gallery as a keepsake
~Camaraderie with a group of women brought together by their love of horses
~A crew that wants to help you be the best version of yourself

For more info or to book one of our getaways, go to doublestapleranch.com

08/18/2023

A Dawn On Me Moment

I love this picture so much. I don’t know who took it or where it came from so I can’t give photo credit.

This horse is jumping a jump that is ON FIRE and he is looking at the camera as if to say “look how special and fabulous I am”. To me that is incredible. His person taught him that, showed him that he could do big and incredible things without fear and anxiety.

I spent a lot of years in competition on my horses. I was very performance driven, expecting my horses to validate me and my worth depended on how the competition went. I lost my way, I lost myself.

Then I was what I call “ship wrecked” a few years ago and I went completely the opposite direction. I quit competing, turned all my horses out to pasture to live a “natural” life, and when I did engage with them, I had no boundaries, no leadership. I didn’t want to be a bully, I worried that anything I did was bad for them. I listened when people said making horses compete was terrible. I lost my way, I lost myself.

Then I started really listening to my horses. REALLY STARTED LISTENING to what THEY were saying. THEIR input. They missed me. They wanted to be with me. They wanted to be in relationship with me. Just a much more balanced version of me. A me that understood what Brene Brown means when she says “Do not shrink, do not puff up, just stand your sacred ground”.

My sacred ground means that the relationship with my horses is real, and messy, and I ask them to do things that they wouldn’t do naturally, like barrel racing, but I now use it as a platform to show them how amazing they are. I listen to them and care deeply about how they feel about what I am asking them to do. It doesn’t come down to me not asking things of them, it’s about how they feel about what I am asking. I want my horses to look like the one in the picture. Confident, self assured, showing off a bit because I have told them in every way possible how simply incredible they are and they believe me.

It’s in the balance of the two ways that I found myself, I found my way.

07/11/2023

A Dawn On Me Moment

I have come to realize that I carry a certain amount of fear in my body at all times when I am riding my horses and especially when I am performing. Once I realized this, I asked myself, why? Why do you carry this fear? Where does it come from?

In my case, the fear I carry is deep and was planted a long time ago. When I first started riding and barrel racing, I wanted to do well. I was surrounded by people that had been riding their whole lives and were very “handy”. I wanted to be this, so I worked hard and took lessons and again, like I said, was blessed to be surrounded with great horse people. The problem was, I didn’t give myself the opportunity to move through the steps with as much time and grace as was needed. I sped thru them. I moved on from step one too soon. I moved to step two before I had become confident and secure at step one, and kept doing this thru all the steps. When you move on too soon, you will always carry a level of fear and anxiety about that step, which then carries thru all the steps. Your heart knows that you aren’t ready to move on, that you are not confident about the current step, but you tell yourself, outside influences tell you, your competitiveness tells you, you compare yourself to others and that tells you, step up - move on - get on with it - and so you do. The anxiety and fear stay in your body, in your heart. It’s always there and creates a way of being that you don’t even realize.

It’s the same way with our horses. When we move on to the next step too soon, before they are completely confident and secure at the current step, they will always carry anxiety about it. Barrel racing is a great example of this. Because it is a speed event we tend to step it up to a speed that neither ourselves or our horses are ready for, so therefore, we both carry anxiety instead of confidence, fear instead of joy.

There is nothing wrong with pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, but you need to do it with a great deal of love and kindness for yourself and your horses. You need to not let outside influences tell you where you should be. Only your heart should be telling you where you should be. Your heart is always right, so listen closely to it.

05/06/2023

Women’s Lifemanship Thru Horsemanship Retreats

Participants and their horses will
stay at the original ranch house of the historic Rocking Chair Ranch, now called the Spirit Tree Inn in Patagonia, Az (https://www.spirittreeinn.com//

This retreat will be a space where you will explore your relationship with yourself and your horse. You will be quided through letting go of all the things you think you “should be” which will allow you to decompress and be empowered in ways that will change you forever.

No matter what discipline you and your horse partner in, from trail riding, reining, barrel racing, ranch work, cutting, english, dressage, equitation..... this retreat will greatly improve your partnership.

Included:
~a private room and bathroom at the Spirit Tree Inn
~Spacious, covered horse pens
~Gourmet breakfasts, picnic lunches and ranch style dinners. Special dietary needs accommodated.
~Thursday- Introduction to Thru Horsemanship
~Dinner around the campfire at the barn
~Friday - trailer to The Double Staple Ranch for a full day of individualized horsemanship with Heather Irbinskas,
lifemanship and connection with Dawn Lewis and crew (Scroll down for bios)and a trail ride that overlooks the beautiful town of Patagonia
~Saturday- trail ride with beautiful views where you and your horse will be seen, supported, and challenged
Dinner at the Wolfnest Ranch, dessert around a fire and relaxation in the hot tub.
~ Lifemanship workbook to jot down notes and memories and to refer to once back home.
~gift bag
~personalized and framed Wild Heart Photo Gallery
~Camaraderie with a group of women, brought together by their love of horses.
~A crew that wants to help you and your horse be the best version of yourselves.

If you are interested in attending go to our website
https://www.doublestapleranch.com
to see dates, options, prices and to get signed up!!

photo by kaylalewphotography

04/17/2023

We just wrapped up the last retreat for this season and we are already missing the fabulous women and horses that we get to connect with, grow with and share with. We can’t wait to start back in the fall!! A huge thank you to everyone who joined us for our first retreat season.

04/07/2023

The dates for our fall and spring retreats are out!

Women’s Intentional Horsemanship Retreats

Participants and their horses will
stay at the original ranch house of the historic Rocking Chair Ranch, now called the Spirit Tree Inn in Patagonia, Az (https://www.spirittreeinn.com//

This retreat will be a space where you will explore your relationship with yourself and your horse. You will be quided through letting go of all the things you think you “should be” which will allow you to decompress and be empowered in ways that will change you forever.

No matter what discipline you and your horse partner in, from trail riding, reining, barrel racing, ranch work, cutting, english, dressage, equitation..... this retreat will greatly improve your partnership.

Included:
~a private room and bathroom at the Spirit Tree Inn
~Spacious, covered horse pens
~Gourmet meals and snacks. Special dietary needs accommodated.
~Thursday- Introduction to Intentional Horsemanship while enjoying a charcuterie board meal
~Friday - trailer to The Double Staple Ranch for a full day of individualized horsemanship with Heather Irbinskas,
lifemanship and connection with Dawn Lewis and crew (Scroll down for bios)and a trail ride that overlooks the beautiful town of Patagonia
~Saturday- trail ride with beautiful views where you will be supported and challenged to use the skills you have learned. Dinner at the Wolfnest Ranch, dessert around a fire and relaxation in the hot tub.
~ Lifemanship workbook to jot down notes and memories and to refer to once back home.
~Camaraderie with a group of women, brought together by their love of horses.
~A crew that wants to help you be the best version of yourself.

If you are interested in attending go to our website
https://www.doublestapleranch.com
to see options, prices and to get signed up!!

photo by kaylalewphotography

A space to let go of who you think you “should” be and embrace who you were meant to be.

03/12/2023

The March Retreat is complete and it was amazing. The participants were a group of incredible women. We laughed, we cried, we ate really great food and we spent time with our beautiful horses. What more could anyone ask for?

02/22/2023

We just finished our last retreat and are already gearing up for our next one! One of my favorite things is putting together the workbooks. It’s always a reminder of all that we have learned and how far we have come. ❤️❤️

02/20/2023

We just finished the February Retreat and all I can say is that it was so special. The women that attended came with such open and honest hearts. It was a privilege to be in this moment with them.

01/13/2023

Our new labyrinth is in such a perfect spot. No matter which way you turn the view is beautiful.

11/24/2022

“Life is an opportunity to practice horsemanship”. ~Mark Rashid

11/22/2022

The November Retreat is in the books!! We couldn’t have asked for better weather. It was such a great time of learning, growing and sharing. Thank you to this group of ladies for bringing their authentic selves and their wild hearts.